research report

Life on a low income

In April 2011, Resolution Foundation started following seven low to middle income families across England to track their financial and economic position and how their lives changed over the course of 12 months. This report summarises their experiences over the year and the key challenges faced by the families.

On the margins: local authority service provision for Scottish Gypsy Travellers

Scottish Gypsy Travellers have a long history of facing discrimination in Scotland. In 2001, the Scottish Parliament’s Equal Opportunities Committee conducted an inquiry that highlighted continuing discrimination and adopted a number of recommendations for Scottish authorities. Eight years later, Amnesty International Scotland was asked to investigate the issue and this document provides a report of the findings.

So far so good: age, happiness, and relative income

In a simple 2-period model of relative income under uncertainty, higher comparison income for the younger cohort can signal higher or lower expected lifetime relative income, and hence either increase or decrease well-being. With data from the German Socio-Economic Panel and the British Household Panel Survey, this paper confirms the standard negative effects of comparison income on life satisfaction with all age groups, and many controls.

Not a marginal issue: mental health and the criminal justice system in Northern Ireland

In March 2010, Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland (CJI) published a report into the treatment of people with mental health problems in the criminal justice system, starting with the police, moving through the prosecution to the courts and ending up with prisons and probation.

The report – while noting some excellent practice – documented a range of deficiencies with current arrangements and highlighted the enormous challenges the treatment of people with mental health issues presented to the criminal justice agencies.

Parenting on a low income

Report that presents a review of research evidence to help inform voluntary and public sector agencies in the development of services.

It has been produced by About Families, a partnership which seeks to ensure that the changing needs of parents, including families affected by disability, are met by providing accessible and relevant evidence to inform service development.

Re-moralising 'vulnerability'

Paper that discusses some of the practical and theoretical implications of the utilisation of the concept of ‘vulnerability’ in contemporary social policy. The analysis questions how far a seemingly protective and therapeutic emphasis on vulnerability has more stigmatising and exclusive effects.

Educational equality for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children and young people in the UK

This article provides evidence that, in the field of education, Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities suffer manifestly unequal outcomes. Drawing particularly on the authors’ first hand experience of working to advance educational equality for these communities in one area of London, the article explores some of the reasons why this is the case, highlighting the day-to-day experiences of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller families.

Supporting families with complex needs: findings from LARC4

Report that offers new evidence from more than 30 case studies, showing that even for children and families with much more complex needs, including those on the edge of care, it is still possible to achieve significant improvements in outcomes in a very cost-effective way by intervening appropriately once the families‟ needs have come to the attention of practitioners.