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This study aims to understand how community material deprivation is related to associational membership amongst neighbourhood residents. We posit that aside from personal characteristics and willingness to engage, experiences of neighbourhood deprivation are strongly correlated with how much people devote themselves to associational membership. We identify three mechanisms through which community deprivation can determine individual participation in political, civic, and work voluntary associations: social cohering, norms of obligation, and activated dissatisfaction. We link individual panel data from Understanding Society from 2010 to 2019 with the English Index of Multiple Deprivation at the neighbourhood level. This study finds that neighbourhood deprivation is associated with lower norms of civic obligation which, in turn, lowers a person's propensity for engagement. Individuals with low income and education are less likely to participate in voluntary associations in the first place, therefore the contextual role of neighbourhood deprivation exerts a further external negative pressure on civic participation. We find that membership in political organizations is an exception whereby it is positively associated with neighbourhood deprivation. The results imply that given the many economic and social capital benefits of associational involvement (Putnam, 2000), collective deprivation can produce an additive pattern of economic disadvantage which is reinforced through a lack of social participation., (© 2023 The Authors. The British Journal of Sociology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of London School of Economics and Political Science.)

This paper explores Digital Poverty (DP) in England by adopting the DP Alliance's theoretical framework that includes both Individual Determinants (individual capability and motivation) and Circumstantial Determinants (conditions of action). Such a framework is interpreted as an expression of Strong Structuration Theory (SST), by situating the connection between social structure and human agency in an intertwined relationship. We focus on new potential vulnerabilities that are connected to DP in England by drawing on a survey conducted on a randomised stratified sample (n = 1988) of parents aged between 20–55 with children at school. Exploring parents' experience in the COVID-19 era, we identified economic factors and having children with disabilities as important predictors connected to Digital Poverty. Additional socio-demographic traits (such as age and education), parental status, lifestyles and digital behaviours also play a role in predicting some of the determinants linked to Digital Poverty. This paper adds to SST by empirically exploring how individuals use the Internet according to their metabolised embodiment of external determinants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1998, a review for the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food (the predecessor of the Food Standards Agency) was published evaluating the relative merits of different dietary assessment methods against a series of factors likely to affect compliance or accuracy in low-income households. The review informed the design of a method comparison study carried out in London, UK, in 2001, in which the validity and acceptability of 4 d dietary assessment methods based on 24 h recalls, food checklists and a semi-weighed method were compared with 4 d weighed inventories and other reference measures. Results were based on observations in 384 respondents (159 males, 225 females) aged 2-90 years in 240 households. Outcomes of the comparison study included evaluations of each method made by respondents, interviewers and researchers. These findings were used in the present paper to update and extend the 1998 review. Additional factors not included in the 1998 review have been considered. This updated and extended review provides the basis for discussion of the relative merits of approaches to dietary assessment in low-income households in developed economies. The evidence presented here and elsewhere suggests that the 24 h recall is the method best suited for dietary assessment in low-income households, followed by the weighed inventory, food checklist and lastly the semi-weighed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Associations between structural inequalities and health are well established. However, there is limited work examining this link in relation to mental health, or that centres public perspectives. This study explores people's experience and sense‐making of inequality in their daily lives, with particular consideration of impacts on mental health. Methods: We conducted a peer research study. Participants had to live in one of two London Boroughs and have an interest in inequalities and mental health. Using social media, newsletters, local organisations and our peer researchers' contacts, we recruited 30 participants who took photos representing their experience of inequality and discussed them during semi‐structured interviews. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results: Three themes were identified in this study: (1) inequalities are unjust, multilayered and intertwined with mental health. Accounts demonstrated a deep understanding of inequalities and their link to mental health outcomes, describing inequalities as 'suffering' and 'not good for anyone'. Financial, housing, immigration and healthcare problems exacerbated poor mental health, with racism, gender‐based violence and job loss also contributing factors for both poor mental health and experiences of inequality; (2) inequalities exclude and have far‐reaching mental health consequences, impacting personal sense of belonging and perceived societal value and (3) moving forwards—addressing long‐standing inequality and poor public mental health necessitated coping and resilience strategies that are often unacknowledged and undervalued by support systems. Conclusion: Lived experience expertise was central in this study, creating an innovative methodological approach. To improve public mental health, we must address the everyday, painful structural inequalities experienced by many as commonplace and unfair. New policies and strategies must be found that involve communities, redistributing resources and power, building on a collective knowledge base, to coproduce actions combatting inequalities and improving population mental health. Patient or Public Contribution: This study was peer‐led, designed and carried out by researchers who had experiences of poor mental health. Six authors of the paper worked as peer researchers on this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In England, there are proportionately more White British teachers than White British pupils, and so there is a mismatch between the proportion of teachers and pupils of each ethnic minority group. This mismatch may reduce the number of appropriate role models for some pupils and has been linked to differences in school processes and the behaviour and treatment of ethnic minority pupils. The evidence is weaker regarding any link between ethnic disproportionality and attainment. This paper uses school-level school workforce and pupil attainment data to assess this link. The results are presented as correlations between teacher/pupil characteristics and attainment scores at ages 11 and 16 and as regression models predicting attainment scores using teacher/pupil characteristics. There is no evidence here that ethnic (dis)proportionality is linked to discernible differences in pupil attainment once relative poverty is taken into account. However, as the data are linked at the school level rather than the individual level, we cannot separate the attainment of pupils of different ethnic origins, and the ethnic classification for teachers is simply binary. We are working to overcome these data limitations and hope to present future analyses based on individual data with more detailed ethnic groupings to provide a more definitive result. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite a history of critique, concentrated discussion and improved assessment processes, neglect continues to be a major challenge for child protection services. This paper draws on findings from a government‐commissioned analysis of 'serious case reviews' (SCRs) in England, arising from incidents of serious child abuse in 2017–2019. There were 235 cases, for which 166 final reports were available. Alongside a quantitative analysis of the whole cohort, we undertook an in‐depth qualitative analysis of 12 cases involving neglect. A key challenge in responding to neglect in its different forms is that it can be so widespread amongst families that practitioners no longer notice its severity or chronicity – it becomes normalised. In this paper we explore two dimensions of the 'paradox of neglect' where it seems to be everywhere and nowhere simultaneously. The first is that neglect is so closely bound up with the prevalence of poverty that little action is taken to address it. The second is that the overwhelming nature of neglect can blind practitioners to other forms of maltreatment that may also be present within a family. Practitioners, now more than ever, need to recognise the dimensions of this paradox to protect children from neglect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This afterword provides some reflections on the collection of papers: 'Raising Teachers' Voice on Achievement in Urban Schools in England'. It argues that the main contribution of the collection is its contribution to understanding the problems of urban schooling and the absurdities of current policy responses. The complexity of poverty/education relationships, defying policy categories, is one striking feature of the papers. Another is the similarity between these contemporary accounts and ones written ten or fifteen years ago, illustrating the enduring nature of the problem and the persistent failure of policy to get to grips with it. The paper points to three policy imperatives: substantial funding redistribution; an overhaul of teacher training and development; and a recognition that schools can make a difference, but not the difference. That policy-makers continue to deny this last point makes it all the more important that teachers continue to find the spaces for critical collaborative work, that universities support them, and that the formidable insights which such work generates are written down and published. This collection makes a substantial contribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to consider some possible reasons for the relatively high rate in Wales of children looked after by local authorities. Design/methodology/approach: Selected potential explanations for Wales having higher rates were tested against aggregate data from published 2021 Government statistics. Wales was compared with England and English regions for area deprivation, local authority spending, placements at home and kinship foster care. Descriptive statistics were produced, and linear regression was used where appropriate. Findings: Wales has higher overall children looked-after rates and a bigger recent increase in these than any English region. Deprivation in Wales was higher than in most English regions. However, a smaller percentage of Welsh variation in local authority looked-after rates was explained by deprivation than was the case for England. Spending on preventative services has increased in recent years in Wales whilst decreasing in England, and there was not a clear relationship between spending on preventative services and the looked-after rate. Wales had a higher rate of care orders placed at home and more children per head of population in kinship foster care than any English region. Some of the explanations that have been suggested for Wales's particularly high looked-after rates seem to be supported by the evidence from aggregate data and others do not. Practice variation is likely to also be an important part of the picture. Originality/value: This is an original comparison of Wales, England and English regions using aggregate data. More fine-grained analysis is needed using individual-level data, multivariate analysis and qualitative methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A recent "return to the city" by middle‐class professionals in England, with the increasing "suburbanisation" of poverty and an ongoing housing crisis, has increased the salience of concerns about neighbourhood gentrification via the involuntary displacement of established working class residents. This paper reports a systematic analysis of gentrification and income poverty in England that adopts innovative methodological approaches: a multivariate index of gentrification, propensity score matching to establish a comparison group, and sensitivity testing with respect to different "gentrification" definitions. The paper investigates three possible theoretical processes that could have driven the observed decline in income poverty rates in gentrifying areas: inward mobility to areas, outward mobility from areas, and in situ changes in poverty status. The post‐recession period 2010–2014 is studied using data from the UK Household Longitudinal Study. There is good evidence from aggregate and individual‐level analyses for a relationship between "inward" mobility, poverty status, and area gentrification. In addition, people moving to gentrifying areas were more likely to have a university degree and more likely to be in the professional occupational class than people who moved to nongentrifying comparison areas. On the other hand, no such relationships are found for "outward" mobility. The strongest evidence is found for "exclusionary displacement" (the restricted ability of low‐income households to move in to an area) rather than "direct displacement" (increased outward mobility of existing residents) as the dominant driver of gentrification in this period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examined relationships between area‐level deprivation, local authorities' social care expenditure and the rates of children entering care proceedings in England using a novel data linkage of de‐identified records provided by the Children and Family Court Advisory Service (Cafcass). Using structural equation modelling, the authors found strong positive relationships between socioeconomic area deprivation and high rates of children undergoing care proceedings in England between 2015 and 2019. Preventative social care expenditure is associated with lower child rates when adjusting for deprivation. Our findings suggest that deprived and underfunded local authorities respond to an increased need by prioritizing care arrangements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the redistribution and rescaling of societal risk in rural Britain during the COVID-19 pandemic, as one episode of the permacrisis. Drawing on empirical work in three contrasting areas of Scotland and England, we analyse individuals' experiences of risk and of the institutions which offer them support in times of crisis (markets, state, voluntary and community organisations, and family and friends). Our findings reveal the unequal distribution of societal risk during the pandemic, exacerbated by a legacy of precariatisation and individualisation in the labour market and welfare reforms. Although the state acted to mitigate risk and financial hardship during the lockdown, it was often voluntary and community organisations that filled the gaps left by the inability of the state to reach effectively into rural areas. Social infrastructure and institutional capital are therefore central to the mitigation of vulnerability and societal risk. This raises important questions about the capacity of institutions to provide support in times of crisis to rural citizens. Unless there is societal pooling of risk through such institutions to ensure social protection and that nobody is disadvantaged by where they live, future episodes of the permacrisis are likely to exacerbate inequalities and vulnerabilities in rural communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women experiencing three or more co-occurring issues (homelessness, substance misuse, mental health) are a highly vulnerable population associated with multimorbidity. Taking women's life stories of trajectories into social exclusion in the north of England as its focus, this paper aims to explore the complexity of social contexts in which women navigate extreme health inequalities. Of the few studies that have examined women's experiences of homelessness through the lens of social capital, most have focused on network size, rather than the quality and influence of the relationships which precipitate or contextualise experiences of social exclusion. We utilise case studies to offer a theoretically-grounded analysis which illustrates the relationship between social capital and homelessness within this population. Our results illustrate how structural contexts, and specifically social capital accrual and social bonding processes particularly pertinent to women can act to both ameliorate and perpetuate social exclusion. We conclude by arguing that health inequalities cannot be tackled as single-issue processes but instead are multi-layered and complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the mid‐19th century, there have been concerns in England about suboptimal outcomes for care leavers. This paper draws on original data from case files of children who were admitted to the Children's Society between 1887 and 1894, and a contemporary study of outcomes for girls who had been brought up in Poor Law district schools, to explore the basis for these concerns. Widespread destitution in the community meant that many children in care were better fed, clothed and educated than their contemporaries. However, those who left the Poor Law schools were singularly ill prepared for independence, and the much vaunted training offered by the voluntary societies did not prepare children to enter occupations that would provide stable or well‐paid employment. Emerging understanding of the needs of care leavers for continuing support and protection was translated into policies and practices that continue to be relevant a hundred years later. However, factors that shaped the experiences of 19th century care leavers, such as short‐term financial considerations which led to compressed and accelerated transitions, and the principle of less eligibility, still tend to conflict with attempts to ensure that their needs are adequately met today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intimate partner homicides are often situated within the context of domestic abuse, and although less prevalent than domestic abuse, there have been several multi‐agency approaches to understanding the risk for these fatal crimes. Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs) were introduced in 2011 to provide information to help with assessing such risk. This paper aims to analyse DHRs in England and Wales to investigate/determine risk factors for domestic homicide following intimate partner abuse. All publicly available DHRs published between July 2011 and November 2020 where the victim and perpetrator were or had been intimate partners (N = 263) were retrieved from Community Safety Partnership websites in England and Wales. A quantitative design was used to extract data from DHRs, and descriptive and inferential statistics were generated by SPSS 26. Findings identified risk factors relating to domestic abuse, including stalking, separation, and the victim being in a new relationship. Sociodemographic risk factors included higher levels of deprivation, lower income and higher barriers to housing and services. This highlights the role of both individual and sociodemographic factors in domestic homicides, and particularly the need for greater socioeconomic security for victims of domestic abuse. In conclusion, though much of the data is in line with previous research, our analysis highlights the pivotal role of regional poverty, with comfortable socioeconomic conditions offering protection against intimate partner homicides. This research suggests important directions for future research and makes a valuable contribution to a more in‐depth understanding of the relationship between domestic abuse and intimate partner homicide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the link between the clustering of long-term disadvantaged students within schools, and the attainment gap at age 11 between these disadvantaged students and the rest. The data comes from the National Pupil Database for England from 2006 to 2019. The analysis focuses on students who would go on to be officially recognised as living in relative poverty for all 11 years from when they arrived at primary school up until age 16. This subset of disadvantaged students is a stable proportion of around 4.4% of each age cohort. They would have attracted Pupil Premium funding for their schools in any year, if it had been available, and despite any legal or economic changes over time. Comparing the educational outcomes for this group in comparison to their peers therefore provides a fair test of the impact of the Pupil Premium funding policy on the clustering of the poorest children, and their attainment relative to their peers. The segregation of long-term disadvantaged students between primary schools declined nationally after the policy was introduced. This happened in all economic regions, especially in areas with higher proportions of such pupils, for all ethnic groups, and for students with a special educational need or disability. This drop is strongly correlated over time and place with a corresponding decline in the attainment gap at age 11. It provides potentially strong evidence of the benefit of a targeted additional funding scheme like the Pupil Premium, with implications for how such funds are best used worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe service user involvement, explain some of the key issues that define, affect or protect mental health in later life and show how involvement may contribute to better mental health in later life.Design/methodology/approach The paper reviews existing definitions of involvement and mental health in later life; provides a more detailed review of some examples of involvement at a range of levels and illustrates how these could have a positive impact on mental health.Findings Active involvement and engagement at all levels offers significant opportunities for older people to protect and improve their own mental health and the mental health of society as a whole.Research limitations/implications This research does not set out to promote any particular intervention or involvement technique. The examples given have been evaluated in a variety of ways.Practical implications Service user involvement should be considered as an important potential contributor to mental health in later life.Social implications The paper encourages people in later life to be considered as a community resource rather than a problem that needs to be solved.Originality/value This paper brings together existing research with a focus on the relationship between involvement and individual and collective mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the origins and traces the history of the Social Fund, an ideologically-motivated social policy departure of the Thatcher era. It identifies the controversy, in research communities amongst others, which surrounded the establishment of the Fund, and considers the evidence of recurring difficulties in its practical operation over a thirty-year period. It then turns to the Coalition administration in Westminster’s decision to divest itself of responsibility for key parts of the Fund, devolving such obligations to local authorities in England, the Parliament in Scotland and the Assembly in Wales. The paper sets out a comparison of the approaches being developed to discharge the Fund’s prior responsibilities in the three nations. It concludes that the essential policy thrust lies in a determination to roll back central state obligations in poverty relief and income maintenance which had hitherto been accepted by all post-war administrations. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Previous international work has shown that clustering pupils with similar characteristics in particular schools yields no clear academic benefit, and can be disadvantageous both socially and personally. Understanding how and why this clustering happens, and how it may be reduced, is therefore important for policy. Yet previous work has tended to focus on only one kind of clustering at a time. In the USA, for example, black:white segregation of pupils has been the key issue. In the UK, and across Europe, the focus has been on social background, especially on the segregation from their peers of pupils living in poverty. With access to high-quality national data sets in England, it is now possible to track the between-school segregation of numerous pupil characteristics over a 14-year period. This paper uses school-level figures for all state-funded secondary school pupils in England from 1996 to 2009, including free school meals, special needs, ethnicity, and first language. The paper investigates, more fully than has been attempted before, whether segregation in terms of these indicators has a common pattern. It presents evidence for the existence of at least three different processes of between-school segregation over this period, and proposes a possible determinant for each, and some future work that could be done to clarify the situation. The paper therefore provides an important corrective to previous work that sought explanation for only one type of segregation. In the allocation of school places, pupils are being clustered in several distinct ways. The standard previous explanations for pupil clustering such as selection by ability or housing, faith-based enrolment, and increased parental choice, apply only to some of these forms of segregation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The social risk literature examines the extent to which states have provided social protection against the ‘old’ social risks of the post-war era and the ‘new’ social risks affecting post-industrial capitalist states. In this paper the contingency of the provision of informal care to people aged 65 and over is discussed. The paper deconstructs the concept of social risk to determine the characteristics and processes which contribute to states recognising specific contingencies as social risks which require social protection. This conceptualisation is applied to make the case that care-related risks associated with the informal care of older people should be recognised and treated as social risks by states. Data from a qualitative study of the English care policy system provide empirical evidence that informal care-related risks are recognised, but not treated, as social risks in England. The findings reveal informal carers, and the older people they care for, receive inadequate and inconsistent statutory protection against the poverty and welfare risks they face. Furthermore the design and operationalisation of the English care policy system generates risks for care relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper builds on a nascent literature on rural austerity to explore the variegated geographies of austerity and food banking in rural areas of England and Wales. The paper makes three key contributions. First, drawing on a range of existing and newly updated datasets on local authority spending power and service spending, changes to welfare benefits, benefit sanctions, and local welfare assistance schemes we use the Office for National Statistics (ONS) 2011 Rural-Urban Classification of Local Authorities to provide the first comprehensive analysis of austerity in rural England and Wales. We outline the variegated nature of rural austerity and examine the ways in which new geographies of austerity are overwriting and compounding problems of rural poverty in the UK. Second, we combine newly available data from the Trussell Trust and Independent Food Aid Network to outline a geography of food banking in rural England and Wales, highlighting the uneven distribution of food aid across rural areas and discuss some of the problems rural locations pose to both those seeking and providing food aid. Third, drawing on interviews with food bank managers, volunteers and clients in two very different rural areas we examine how different rural contexts produce different experiences of and responses to poverty and food insecurity, paying particular attention to localised cultures of charity, welfare and deservingness. We conclude by setting out a new research agenda around which scholars might further explore the relationships between austerity, food insecurity and food banking in rural areas. • First comprehensive study of austerity in rural England and Wales. • Austerity compounds problems of rural poverty. • Examines the unique challenges facing people experiencing food insecurity in rural areas. • Uneven geography of food banking in rural England and Wales. • Different 'food bank scenes' shape the experience of and responses to food insecurity in different rural places. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food insecurity in the UK is a pressing concern that is associated with poor health outcomes. Research to date has focused on the challenges for adults in providing food for families. However, there is little evidence showing how children and young people experience food insecurity, particularly outside of the home and school. This paper, drawing on 14 months of ethnography in a youth club in the North of England, explores how young people manage food insecurity. In this youth club, the circulation of takeaway food is part of an informal network where boys purchase, share and receive food. This practice allows the boys to participate meaningfully within their peer groups whilst also providing stable access to food. This peer practice, however, was not available to everyone. This was a gendered practice that for the girls held little benefit due to their concerns about eating and pressure to provide for others. Instead, some girls depend on romantic relationships for food provision that is equated with affection and care. The findings will be discussed through a 'materialities of care' perspective to explore the complex ways in which food as a practice of care is part of everyday routines embedded within local places., (© 2019 Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness.)

In October 2010 the government confirmed it would introduce a “pupil premium” payable to schools with disadvantaged pupils. This shift towards resourcing by group rather than area may mark the closing of another chapter in efforts to produce a more meritocratic education system utilising what might be termed intermediate institutions. Their predecessors opened more than 3500 Children’s Centres to develop new strategies for working with the families of preschool children in order to alter long-term educational trajectories. This paper reflects on an earlier chapter in public efforts to secure greater educational equality, the first three years of the Red House Education Centre in Denaby Main, a mining village in Yorkshire’s West Riding, in the period 1969 to 1972. Red House was the most significant development arising from the West Riding Educational Priority Area (WREPA) Project and was an example of area-based positive discrimination. The paper explores two key questions. Can schools be re-positioned so that they offer the community an opportunity to develop as active participants in reshaped democratic processes, or are new institutional forms required? Did Red House offer parents and professionals the opportunity to improve educational outcomes in a neutral space where both felt a sense of ownership? [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The private rented sector (PRS) in England has often been described as having a ‘residual’ role in accommodating low-income households who are unable to gain access to social housing. This paper examines the accuracy of this residual role thesis. It does so using secondary analysis of the 2007 English House Condition Survey. The paper shows that the PRS plays a disproportionately important role in accommodating households living in poverty. It also shows that the odds of being income poor are the same for private tenants as for social housing tenants and three times higher than for owner-occupiers. It is concluded that, as a source of accommodation for low-income households, the role of the private rented sector is not residual at all. In addition, the paper assesses how well accommodated low-income households are in the PRS compared with non-poor private tenants and with low-income households in social housing and owner-occupation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The progressive commercialisation of motherhood, babyhood and childhood means that consumption is becoming an increasingly important terrain through which maternal identity, style and parenting practices are displayed and 'caring projects' are enacted. Whilst all mothers may seek to act meaningfully by consuming for their children, this paper argues that aspects of material culture hold particular value for teenage mothers who are positioned outside the boundaries of normative mothering and are often managing on limited financial resources. Consumption emerges as an important site for oppositional strategies through which the young women who took part in this study seek to re-image themselves as respectable carers and deflect negative associations of poverty away from their children. The young mothers' investment in consumer goods, however, is often subject to public scrutiny, criticism and ridicule, and their spending is a site for policy intervention. This paper argues that these young mothers' consumption practices should not be seen as problematic, trivial or pathological, but rather they can be understood as an expression of resilience in the face of a sensation of public visibility, judgement and condemnation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dargan L. Participation and local urban regeneration: the case of the New Deal for Communities (NDC) in the UK, Regional Studies. The contention of this paper is that the policy discourses of 'community' and of 'participation' underpinning area-based regeneration programmes are overly simplistic, and their use in regeneration policy is, as a consequence, highly problematic. Based on an analysis of a regeneration partnership in the north of England, this paper will demonstrate that, while partnership members share the same levels of access in decision-making structures, the members of partnership boards have such different understandings of the purpose of participation and the role of residents in the regeneration process that it has created conflict serious enough to affect delivery of regeneration. [image omitted] Dargan L. La participation et la restauration urbaine locale: l'etude de cas du New Deal en faveur des communautes au R-U, Regional Studies. Cet article cherche a affirmer que les discours politiques sur les notions de 'communaute' et de 'participation' qui etayent les programmes de restauration territoriaux sont trop simplistes et, par consequent, leur emploi dans la politique de restauration s'avere tres problematique. A partir d'une analyse d'un partenariat de restauration dans le nord de l'Angleterre, cet article cherche a demontrer que, tandis que les membres du partenariat jouissent des memes niveaux d'acces aux structures dans la prise de decision, la comprehension des membres des commissions partenariales quant au but de la participation et au role des habitants dans le processus de restauration varie tellement qu'il en a resulte un conflit suffisamment important que la restauration s'avere touchee. New Labour New Deal for Communities (NDC) Restauration Participation Communaute Discours Dargan L. Beteiligung und lokale Stadtsanierung: der Fall des 'New Deal for Communities (NDC)'-Programms in Grossbritannien, Regional Studies. In diesem Beitrag wird die These aufgestellt, dass die von der Politik im Zusammenhang mit Gebietssanierungsprogrammen eingesetzten Diskurse der 'Gemeinschaft' und 'Beteiligung' ubermassig simplistisch sind, weshalb ihre Verwendung in der Sanierungspolitik ausserst problematisch ist. Ausgehend von der Analyse einer Sanierungspartnerschaft in Nordengland wird in diesem Artikel nachgewiesen, dass die einzelnen Partner zwar einen gleichberechtigten Zugang zu den Entscheidungsstrukturen haben, doch dass die Mitglieder in den Vorstanden der Partnerschaft derart unterschiedliche Auffassungen uber den Zweck der Beteiligung und die Rolle der Anwohner im Sanierungprozess haben, dass ernste Konflikte entstanden sind, die sich auf die Umsetzung der Sanierung auswirken. New Labour New Deal for Communities (NDC) Sanierung Beteiligung Gemeinschaft Diskurs Dargan L. Participacion y regeneracion urbana local: El caso del New Deal for Communities (NDC) en el Reino Unido, Regional Studies. En este articulo explicamos que los discursos politicos de 'comunidad' y de 'participacion' que socavan los programas de regeneracion de areas son demasiados simplistas y por consiguiente es muy problematico que se usen para la politica de regeneracion. Basandonos en un analisis de una colaboracion de regeneracion en el norte de Inglaterra, en este articulo demostraremos que, si bien los miembros de sociedades comparten los mismos niveles de acceso en las estructuras de toma de decisiones, los miembros de las juntas directivas en sociedad tienen opiniones diferentes en cuanto a la finalidad de la participacion y el papel de los residentes en el proceso de regeneracion, lo que ha creado conflictos lo suficientemente graves como para afectar a la realizacion de la regeneracion. Partido Laborista New Deal for Communities (NDC) Regeneracion Participacion Comunidad Discurso [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers how local areas become stuck in poverty traps and develops models exhibiting thresholds, where deprivation has to fall to a certain level before taking off. Using aggregate data for local authorities, the paper models cross-section movements of house prices to identify the threshold level of poverty. The paper argues that the resource requirements for bringing the most deprived areas to the take-off point are likely to be high. But for areas that are already close to the threshold, regeneration can be successful. Therefore, identifying the thresholds is important. Testing for thresholds is not straightforward, but the paper provides empirical evidence. The implications for policies concerned with social mixing are not encouraging. However, mixing may be more successful in areas that lie close to the threshold. For example, few high-income households want to live in the most deprived areas if the expected capital gains are low. But capital gains are maximised close to the take-off points. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite successive policy interventions, students' socio-economic status continues to strongly predict educational outcomes. Many schools aspire to 'close' this 'gap'. This paper presents an ethnographic study of a group of Primary schools in predominantly white working-class areas in the Midlands of England. Generating ethnographic data through time-recurrent, multi-sited fieldwork including observation, informal conversations, semi-structured interviews, photography and documentary analysis, findings were constructed through critical dialogue between the group of six researchers. A concept of liminal spaces is used to analyse the schools' work in seeking to move individuals, families, and communities beyond that which they previously knew, foregrounding norms, practices, and discourses constructed on the 'inside', and highlighting aspects in tension with the imagined 'outside'. These schools' conceptualisations of poverty are shown to be complex and multifaceted, and suggestions are made to employ liminality for articulating and critically exploring the spaces and transformations that schools seek to construct. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose — The purpose of this paper is to examine a case study for increasing supply of, and demand for, healthier food in the metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, West Midlands, UK. Sandwell has a declining and ageing population. Levels of cancer, coronary heart disease, diabetes and obesity are all high. These diseases should not just be regarded as medical problems with medical solutions. By considering both the built environment and the population's health the paper aims to demonstrate how local action is driving strategic food policy. Design/methodology/approach — Food mapping and children's food/obesity prevalence research provided the evidence base for a locally appropriate approach. From ongoing work generated by this evidence base, Sandwell's food policy has been developed to provide a focus and framework for action. This strategic approach has led to the development of neighbourhood renewal funded work "Eatwell in Sandwell". Findings — By working in partnership with the private sector, i.e. retail businesses and specialist consultants, it is shown that bridges can be built between public health and the private sector to the benefit of both. For some people living in neighbourhoods with poor or non-existent fresh produce provision, the Eatwell shops have brought about the regeneration of not just the shops, but also of the shopping habits that were previously difficult or impossible. It is suggested that food must regain its centrality to people's daily lives, not only to improve health, but also to ensure sustainable communities for the next generation. Originality/value — This paper is a useful source for researchers/students with interests in the topics of food poverty, public health and food retail access [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- The purpose of this paper is to design and implement interventions to increase free school meal (FSM) uptake in pilot schools. This paper describes the interventions, reports on acceptability (as perceived by school working parties) and explores the process of implementing change. Design/methodology/approach -- The research consisted of two phases, an exploratory phase followed by an intervention phase. Findings from the latter are presented. Ten pilot schools (five primary and five secondary) in Leeds, England were recruited. Each established a working party, examined current claiming processes and implemented individualised action plans. This paper draws on the final action plans and interviews/focus groups with working parties. Findings -- Interventions to improve FSM claiming process, minimise discrimination and maximise awareness were designed. The majority were implemented successfully, the exception being amending anti-bullying policies. Creative ways of delivering interventions were demonstrated. The process of change was effective, critical factors being having individualised action plans that allowed flexibility in implementation, reflecting on current claiming processes, and setting up working parties. Practical implications -- Ways of working with schools to increase FSM uptake and more generally improve nutritional policies are suggested. Amending claiming systems in schools is recommended as is greater pupil and parent involvement in nutrition policies. Originality/value -- An estimated 300,000 UK children do not take FSMs they are entitled to -- with many schools unaware of the issue. This study worked with schools to discover how to address this issue and evaluated the perceived acceptability and feasibility of the approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – There are clear links between health, housing and social care. The homeless live much shorter lives as do those people living in poorer quality accommodation and areas of deprivation. Life expectancy and the quality of life in later years are both drastically affected by Marmot's (2010) social gradient, with people from poorer backgrounds often doing worse. A decent home is fundamental to a healthy and a good life. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – The research approach reviewed existing articles, examples from the housing sector and analysis of a range of data from organisations including the NHS. Findings – Good housing helps to support better health but it is not the only answer – joined up working between agencies and Marmot's proposal of proportionate universalism are significant factors in finding solutions to this long-standing issue. Social implications – Costs to the government, health services and local authorities and other agencies could be reduced by wider thinking around the link between housing, health and other support. Originality/value – This paper focuses on the existing links between health, housing and social care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author discusses the need for integrated social services that cross organizational and professional boundaries, and the focus on risk assessment as present in this issue of "British Journal of Social Work." He notes that the government in England and Wales has had success in reducing child poverty, increasing employment rates, and improving tax credit levels.

The theme of poverty can be seen as one of the common themes in English Literature. But, poverty itself is rarely depicted as the central theme of a literary work. Though poverty was there before Industrial Revolution, it was not a social issue. Many writers use poverty as a minor theme only to construct his story or todevelop a majortheme. Innineteenth century, just after the industrial revolution poverty was clearly viewed when Charles Dickens was a young boy. He faced the distinction of classes due to urbanization in England. He felt the poverty of England and very realistically portrayed it in many of his novels. As poverty is a biggest challenge towards humanity, there is a vast representation of it in Indian English Literature too. Major themes of Indian writer's are-hunger, poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, Indian landscape, caste-system, Indian myth etc. Anand is certainly a great novelist who represents the world around him. Mulk Raj Anand chose his protagonists from the lower strata of the society. My paper tries to reflect the extreme sufferings and poverty of an underclass protagonist Gangu who is exploited in the hands of capitalists and the colonizers in Mulk Raj Anand's notabletext Two Leaves and a Bud. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - Ageing populations are national and global phenomena. These older residents are likely to be among the most disadvantaged nationally and in comparison with younger neighbours. The benefits of active ageing are attracting attention from policy makers globally, as it is increasingly recognised that age-friendly cities encourage active ageing. Resources to sustain active ageing are becoming scarce. Older people's health, social activity, needs, aspirations and the barriers to realising them are at the centre of this investigation. The purpose of this paper is to explore inclusion and exclusion within some of England's most deprived areas. Design/methodology/approach - Between 2002-2007, over 600 older Liverpool people, key informants and policy makers in five of Liverpool's poorest electoral wards were consulted via semi-structured questionnaires, key informant interviews and focus groups about their needs and aspirations. Findings - Barriers to active ageing arose primarily from participants' poverty, ill-health and deprivation, poor neighbourhoods, ageism, and insecure, gendered, racialised and sectarian space. Originality/value - This in-depth investigation into active ageing consulted over 600 older people in some of Liverpool's poorest neighbourhoods. In disseminating knowledge of Liverpool's situation, the paper adds significantly to knowledge around the severe challenges to active ageing in localities characterised by multiple deprivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses upon the St Anns neighbourhood in Nottingham, a community first studied by Ken Coates and Bill Silburn in the 1960s which noted the great upheavals of the physical and social changes generated by the slum clearance programme of 10,000 back-to-back terraced houses, and the consequent building of the concrete council estate that is now St Anns. This paper draws upon both the physical and the social changes within the neighbourhood, and highlights what has remained constant despite the massive upheavals to working-class life over the last 40 years. This paper looks at the concept of belonging to a neighbourhood which has been stigmatized, finding value and an identity within the estate, and residents describing themselves as simultaneously and interchangeably as being from and simply being St Anns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - This paper aims to examine the Victorian attitude to the poor by focussing on the health care provided at a large provincial hospital, the Newcastle Infirmary. Design/methodology/approach - The archives of the Newcastle Infirmary are reviewed alongside the local trade directories. These primary sources are examined in conjunction with the writings of contemporary social theorists on poverty. Findings - At a time when poverty was seen as a sin, an act against God, it would be easy to assume that the Victorians faced no moral dilemma in dismissing the poor, particularly what were seen as the "undeserving poor", out of hand. Yet, the paper observes how accounting was used both to persuade the wealthier citizens to contribute funds and to enable the hospital to exercise compassion in treating paupers despite this being prohibited under the hospital's rules. Such a policy conflicted with the dominant utilitarian view of society, which emphasised the twin pillars of economic expediency and self-help. Research limitations/implications - More case studies are needed of other hospitals to ascertain how typical the Newcastle Infirmary was of the voluntary hospital sector as a whole. Originality/value - Although many histories of British hospitals exist and some have examined how accounting was used to manage within these institutions, the concern has not been with accounting as a moral practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines key findings from Sure Start Local Programme evaluations carried out in the North-East of England and assesses their implications for current policy and professional practice. Sure Start was a major New Labour social policy initiative designed to close the gap in outcomes between children living in poverty and the wider child population. The evaluations focused upon 'crosscutting issues, for example partnership and inter-agency working, programme management and parental involvement' addressing how programmes had worked in practice. Evidence demonstrates congruence with the current government policy for children and families in two main areas — integrated working and parental empowerment/inclusive ethos. The paper concludes that a foundation of good working practices appears to be in place for future advancement of Sure Start Children's Centres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews New Labor priority educational policies since 1997 that have attempted to break the link between poverty and low educational achievement in England. It does so by examining these policy priorities against a mapping framework developed by the author for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation's Education and Poverty programme. This framework emanates from a synthesis of some of the research literature on poverty and education and contains two broad underpinning approaches (functionalist and socially critical) and three levels of analysis (micro, meso, macro). Analysis of New Labor priority educational policies against this framework, particularly exemplified through the current full service extended schools (FSES) initiative, suggests that perhaps too many interventions are underpinned by a functionalist approach that focuses on the more accessible and amenable meso level (and to lesser extent the micro level) with too little emphasis on the macro. At the same time many of the interventions appear disjointed, lack coherence and seem to eschew issues of power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High profile commitments to stemming homelessness have been integral to New Labour's emphasis on promoting social inclusion since 1997. During this period official policy has favoured an increasingly assertive approach in this area as exemplified by the successful post-1998 programmes to reduce street homelessness. The period since 2002 has seen a broader ministerial drive to reduce homelessness, mainly through encouraging local authorities (LAs) to adopt more pro-active, preventative approaches to the problem. Aided by substantial central funding LAs have responded by developing numerous initiatives to this end. Particularly where they involve assisting people at risk of homelessness to access private tenancies, such schemes are often justified by LAs as empowering consumers and promoting choice. With official homelessness figures in England having fallen dramatically since 2003/04, it would appear that the new 'homelessness prevention regime' has made a marked impact. However, what such figures do not reveal is the extent to which this results from the adoption of more restrictive interpretations of LA duties under the homelessness legislation. This could mean that the problem is being re-defined rather than resolved. Drawing on a recently completed study, this paper explores the tensions between helping resolve people's housing problems, on the one hand, and upholding legal rights to accommodation, on the other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the significant characteristics of many poor neighbourhoods is that the schools which serve them are characterised by poor performance in terms of attainment and other measures. This feature is seen as critical in the reinforcement of disadvantage, its transmission between generations, and as a barrier to social integration. Government policies in the UK have increasingly targeted improved school standards and performance, while other policies on urban regeneration and housing may interact with this issue. This paper examines the particular role of homeownership tenure alongside the other factors (notably poverty) which affect school attainment. After reviewing existing literature it presents new analyses of attainment based on linked pupil, school and small area-level datasets for selected areas in both England and Scotland. This provides some evidence to support the contention that homeownership has an additional effect on school attainment, beyond that explained by poverty and other associated variables, although there is some uncertainty about how separable these effects are at school or neighbourhood levels. It also points out the significant role of changing tenure mix in housing regeneration in transforming the overall profile of neighbourhoods and schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses geographical trends in relative poverty in England and Wales over the last century by comparing key quantitative indicators from key dates. The comparison is made possible by interpolating all the datasets onto a single standardized geography. Results suggest rising inequality in spite of the decline in absolute poverty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is based on my own practice as a teacher educator at a university in the north-east of England and focuses on the effectiveness of dialogue as a tool for teaching the topic of socio-economic disadvantage in initial teacher education (ITE). The research was triggered by questions which had emerged within my work, about the compatibility of the liberal procedures of dialogic enquiry on the one hand, with the aims of critical teacher education on the other. Using critical realism as a theoretical framework, this article explores these tensions in a case study which follows dialogic enquiries across four consecutively taught groups of student-teachers. Results indicate that dialogic enquirycanbe used as a powerful tool in social justice teaching in ITE, but that critical teacher educators have a duty to support students in identifying false understandings and the workings of inequality. Neutrality on the part of the teacher educator and notions of equal validity of the students’ responses were thus found to be of secondary importance to the aims of social justice education. More widely, this article argues that critical realism can shed light on our understanding of the teaching of contentious and politically sensitive issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a comparative critique of key education and teacher education policies in England adopted by New Labour (1997–2010) and the Coalition government (2010–2015). It focuses on direct measures intended to alleviate the effects of poverty on young people’s educational outcomes, and on teacher education policies with implications for preparing teachers to tackle such problems. It questions the consistency, coherence and effectiveness of the policies pursued by each administration and analyses the similarities and differences between them. Particular attention is paid to the conceptions of professional knowledge and educational research that underpin their assumptions about the role of teachers’ professional learning in seeking to break the link between young people’s socio-economic status and their educational outcomes. While policies implemented by both administrations are deeply imbued with neoliberal perspectives, our analysis highlights important differences, the effects of which may become more apparent as the Conservatives exercise their independent authority over education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ways in which inequality generates particular population health outcomes remains a major source of dispute within social epidemiology and medical sociology. Wilkinson and Pickett's The Spirit Level (2009), undoubtedly galvanised thinking across the disciplines, with its emphasis on how income inequality shapes the distribution of health and social problems. In this paper, we argue that their focus on income inequality, whilst important, understates the role of neoliberal discourses and practises in making sense of contemporary inequality and its health-related consequences. Many quantitative studies have demonstrated that more neoliberal countries have poorer health compared to less neoliberal countries, but there are few qualitative studies which explore how neoliberal discourses shape accounts and experiences and what protections and resources might be available to people. This article uses findings from a qualitative psycho-social study employing biographical-narrative interviews with women in Salford (England) to understand experiences of inequality as posited in The Spirit Level. We found evidence for the sorts of damages resulting from inequality as proposed in The Spirit Level. However, in addition to these, the most striking finding was the repeated articulation of a discourse which we have termed "no legitimate dependency". This was something both painful and damaging, where dependency of almost any sort was disavowed and responsibility was assumed by the self or "othered" in various ways. No legitimate dependency, we propose, is a partial (and problematic) internalisation of neoliberal discourses which becomes naturalised and unquestioned at the individual level. We speculate that these sorts of discourses in conjunction with a destruction of protective resources (both material and discursive), lead to an increase in strain and account in part for well-known damages consequent on life in an unequal society. We conclude that integrating understandings of neoliberalism into theorising about inequality enriches sociological perspectives in this area., (Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

The article presents an introduction to a symposium on poverty. This symposium is a first attempt at investigating the questions related to poverty in the United States and England. The authors of the papers in the symposium have, in several different ways, investigated the worth of poverty related research. Authors of the article want to answer the questions as, who has benefited from applied poverty research? and who have the benefits to the poor outweighed the costs to the poor? The articles of the symposium are divided into sections based upon the type of attack that they provide to these issues.

The housing system in England has experienced unprecedented stress and instability over the last decade, absorbing the impact of demographic pressure, a credit-fuelled boom, financial crisis, recession and policy change. A failing supply system and unexpected tenure changes now confront austerity and welfare cutback. How have these conditions impacted on traditional and contemporary indicators of housing need and what does this tell us about the drivers and dynamics of housing need outcomes? Drawing mainly on analysis of large-scale longitudinal and cross-sectional surveys, linked to subregional market data, this paper describes and models the changes in housing need outcomes over two decades. It explores the impact of demography, market affordability, labour markets, tenure change and supply on these outcomes. Particular attention is paid to the persistence or recurrence of need in the context of different housing pathways and different market contexts, including the relationship with poverty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores how the Capability Approach (CA) can inform a critical analysis of child protection policy, with particular reference to poverty, parenting and maltreatment. The CA, originally developed by the Nobel-Prize-winning economist Amartya Sen, is an approach that has been used widely in a range of disciplines and policy domains. Here, we outline the CA and examine how it can inform our understanding of the impact of the current policies on families living in poverty and especially those involved in the child protection system. The CA offers a multidimensional framework that incorporates both individual and social causes into analysis. Drawing upon the CA, we argue that there is both a moral and legal imperative to rethink current child welfare policy in relation to families living in poverty. We suggest that the CA offers a framework for the development of more humane and socially just social work practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to consolidate policy, research, evidence and good practice around strategies tackling fuel poverty and affordable warmth for older people aged over 60 to support the development of more effective services for this life course stage and to tackle physical and mental health inequalities. Design/methodology/approach – The authors consolidate current policy, research, evidence and examples of good practice in exploring effective interprofessional approaches that contribute to affordable warmth for older people through “desktop analysis”. The authors support this with qualitative data from Health and Wellbeing Boards (HWBs), health inequalities and environmental health from research comprising four longitudinal case studies in the Midlands and North of England over 18 months and semi-structured interviews with members and support officers. A total of 50 interviews were undertaken and 55 hours of HWB meetings observed. Findings – There are numerous older people living in fuel poverty. The depth of fuel poverty increases with age particularly the over 75s and physical and mental ill health are affected. There are an increasing number of tools to help estimate health care costs around the cost effectiveness of interventions and there is a real need for more local evidence about what is working well, how and why. However, there is no mandatory requirement for fuel poverty strategies and more creative local strategies are required taking organisational and interprofessional relationships into account. The emphasis in integrated care provides new impetus and scope to encourage preventative services but these new partnerships need to be effective in what is a complex policy environment. There is still a long way to go in places. The challenges of ageing are numerous, complex and not fully understood and sit across multiple policy areas. Originality/value – Fuel poverty strategies tend to be delivered on a geographical or income bases rather than by life course approach and a focus on older people. We need to focus more specifically on older people, a rapidly growing population and to better understand thermal properties of our ageing housing stock and how best to intervene to protect and improve health and safety. Emerging approaches need to overcome artificial statutory and non statutory divides and move towards sustainable, evidence based affordable warmth strategies for older people to protect and improve health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – Previous research has established that there is a relationship between housing and mental health, however, understanding about how and why housing affects mental health is still limited. The purpose of this paper is to address this deficit by focusing on the experiences of residents of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs). Design/methodology/approach – Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 20 HMO residents who were asked about their housing career and experience of living in a HMO. Participants were recruited with assistance from community organisations and landlords. Findings – The physical properties and social environment of the property, as well as personal circumstances experienced prior to the move into the property, all influenced how mental health was affected. The authors identify and discuss in detail three key meditating factors: safety, control and identity which may affect how living in the property impacts the mental health of tenants. Practical implications – Good property management can lessen the potential harmful effects of living in a HMO. However, poorly run properties which house numerous vulnerable people may increase the risk of poor mental health due to attendant high levels of stress and possible risk of abuse. Originality/value – Based on the reports of HMO residents, the authors outline the key mediating processes through which living in HMOs may affect mental wellbeing, as well as illuminating the potential risks and benefits of HMOs, an overlooked tenure in housing research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]