Labour MP Frank Field is to join forces with academics and experts in the field of child welfare and social mobility to discuss ways in which young people from poor backgrounds can be supported.
Field, Labour's Minister for
Welfare between 1997 to 1998 and current 'Poverty Czar' for the Conservative-Liberal
Democrat government, will be among those presenting papers at 'Understanding
and supporting families over time', a large scale conference organised by
researchers at the University of Leeds.
The conference will bring
together academics, practitioners and third sector organisations to establish recommendations
for ensuring that children from the poorest backgrounds get equal access to
education and career opportunities.
Leading charity Barnados, policymakers
from the Department of Health and Graham Allan MP, who recently authored a
report on early years intervention, will also give their views at the
conference. All invited participants will pool knowledge and expertise gained
from decades of first-hand experience working closely with young people from
low income backgrounds.
With members of the policy, third
sector and academic communities making up the audience the conference is hoping
to have a big impact. It is being arranged by Timescapes, a large scale
research project which is based at the University of Leeds, the Social Policy
Association and the Family and Parenting Institute.
Professor Bren Neale, from the
University of Leeds, said:
''This exciting conference will bring together leading
researchers, policy makers and practitioners to explore how we may better
understand and support families over time. We are very happy to have Frank
Field on board who is leading the way in the social mobility debate.
For families coping with complex needs, social
exclusion or with other kinds of disadvantage, there are particular
challenges for policy and professional practice that this conference
will seek to address.''
The conference will take place in
Westminster in the Queen Elizabeth II conference centre, 13th - 14th
June 2011.
In the run up to the conference a
series of Timescapes policy briefing papers will be released detailing policy
recommendations on a variety of pertinent social issues, such as teen dads,
young people's experiences of the recession, families' work-life balance and
social exclusion.
CONFERENCE DETAILS & BOOKINGS
Understanding and Supporting
families over time: Research, Policy and Practice
13th - 14th
June 2011
Queen Elizabeth II Conference
Centre,
Broad Sanctuary,
Westminster
For further information please view the Timescapes conference link or visit www.timescapes.leeds.ac.uk
To book a place on the conference visit
the website www.timescapes.leeds.ac.uk
FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION AND INTERVIEW REQUESTS, CONTACT
Sarah Finney, Timescapes (Tel: 0113 343 8489, email: S.J.finney@leeds.ac.uk)
Notes
to editors
-
Timescapes is directed by Bren Neale, Professor of Life Course and Family
Research, in
the School of Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Leeds. Professor
Janet Holland is co-director
for Timescapes based at London South Bank University.
-
Timescapes is documenting people's experiences
of growing up, relationships, having children, living in families and
growing older through carrying out seven different research projects based
at five different University institutions across the UK - Leeds, London
South Bank, Cardiff, Edinburgh and the Open University. More at www.timescapes.leeds.ac.uk
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The coalition government recently released a
response to Frank Field's independent poverty review in April 2011. The
coalition government had commissioned Frank Field to write a report on the
life chances of children from poorer backgrounds. More at http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110120090128/http://povertyreview.independent.gov.uk
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The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) is the
UK's largest organisation for funding research on economic and social issues.
It supports independent, high quality research which has an impact on business,
the public sector and the third sector. The ESRC's total budget for 2010/11 is
£218 million. At any one time the ESRC supports over 4,000 researchers and postgraduate
students in academic institutions and independent research institutes.
More at www.esrc.ac.uk
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The
2008 Research Assessment Exercise showed the University of Leeds to be the UK's
eighth biggest research powerhouse. The University is one of the largest higher
education institutions in the UK and a member of the Russell Group of
research-intensive universities. The University's vision is to secure a place
among the world's top 50 by 2015. www.leeds.ac.uk
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The
Faculty of Education, Social Sciences and Law brings together
internationally-renowned expertise in these key areas of human interaction. Its
four schools - education; sociology and social policy; politics and international
studies; law - embed world-leading research into a range of undergraduate,
postgraduate and professional development courses. www.essl.leeds.ac.uk