What do children need from parents, how is poverty a barrier to meeting needs, and what has Government done – and should do – about it?

Naomi Eisenstadt and Carey Oppenheim explore the radical changes in public attitudes and public policy concerning parents and parenting. Drawing on research and their extensive experience of working at senior levels of government, the authors of this new book, Parents, Poverty and the State: 20 Years of Evolving Family Policy, challenge expectations about what parenting policy on its own can deliver.

Naomi Eisenstadt is Visiting Senior Fellow at the International Inequalities Institute, LSE. Naomi was formerly deputy chair of the Poverty and Inequality Commission for Scotland. She has recently published Life Chances of Young People in Scotland for the Scottish Government and in January 2016 published Shifting the Curve, identifying fifteen recommendations that could significantly reduce poverty in Scotland. After a long career in the NGO sector, in 1999 Naomi became the first Director of the Sure Start Unit. The Unit was responsible for delivering the British Government’s commitment to free nursery education places for all three and four year olds, the national childcare strategy, and Sure Start, a major programme aiming to reduce the gap in outcomes between children living in disadvantaged areas and the wider child population. After Sure Start, Naomi spent 3 years as the Director of the Social Exclusion Task Force working across government to identify and promote policies to address the needs of traditionally excluded groups. 

Matthew Taylor (@RSAMatthew) has been Chief Executive of the RSA since November 2006. In July 2017 Matthew published the report ‘Good Work’; an independent review into modern employment, commissioned by the UK Prime Minister. Matthew’s previous roles include Chief Adviser on Political Strategy to the Prime Minister, and Chief Executive of the Institute for Public PolicyResearch (IPPR), the UK’s leading left of centre think tank. Matthew is aregular media performer, having presented several Radio Four documentaries, andis a panellist on the programme Moral Maze. He is Senior Editor of the Thames & Hudson Big Ideas series.

Carey Oppenheim (@CareyOppenheim) is Visiting Senior Fellow at the International Inequalities Institute, LSE. She is also an independent consultant. She recently stepped down from her role as the first Chief Executive of the Early Intervention Foundation (EIF), a charity and What Works Evidence Centre. She is now an associate of the EIF. Her previous roles include being Co-director of the Institute of Public Policy Research between 2007-2010. She was Special Advisor to the former Prime Minister, Tony Blair, in the Number 10 Policy Unit between 2000 and 2005. She worked closely with Ministers, civil servants and stakeholders on child poverty and children’s rights, work-life balance, social security and employment policy. Carey is an alumna of LSE. 

Ryan Shorthouse (@RyanShorthouse) is the Founder and Chief Executive of Bright Blue. He founded the organisation in 2010 and finally became the full-time Chief Executive at the start of 2014. Ryan’s research focuses on education and social policy. Many of his policy ideas have been adopted by the UK Government over the past decade. He appears regularly in the national press and broadcast media.

John Hills is Chair of CASE John Hills is the 'co-founder and former co-Director of the International Inequalities Institute at LSE.  

This event is hosted with the support of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and held as part of the launch of the new III research theme Economies of Global Care, led by Professor Beverley Skeggs.

The International Inequalities Institute (@LSEInequalities) at LSE brings together experts from many LSE departments and centres to lead cutting-edge research focused on understanding why inequalities are escalating in numerous arenas across the world, and to develop critical tools to address these challenges.

Twitter Hashtag for this event: #LSECare

Podcast & Video

A podcast and video of this event are available to download from Parents, Poverty and the State.

Podcasts and videos of many LSE events can be found at the LSE Public Lectures and Events: podcasts and videos channel.

Slides

A copy of the PowerPoint presentation is available for download:

Parents, Poverty and the State.