The final two Policy Briefings from a Scottish Universities Insight Institute funded Equality 2015 Knowledge Exchange Programme: Children and Young People's Experiences and Views of Poverty and Inequality are now published.
The Scottish Universities Insight Institute (SUII) programme on Children and Young People’s Experiences and Views of Poverty and Inequality: Policy and Practice Implications is organized by academics from the University of Strathclyde, University of Aberdeen and Glasgow School of Art, together with practitioners from the Child Poverty Action Group and Glasgow City Council and is led by Dr Joan Forbes, Reader in Education at the University of Aberdeen, and Dr Daniela Sime, Senior Lecturer in the School of Social Work and Social Policy at the University of Strathclyde. A central aim in the ‘Poverty and Children’ programme is to increase equality and help realise the human potential of children and young people in Scotland through events and outputs that encourage broad stakeholder participation and knowledge mobilization and in particular involve young people as active citizens. Further information on this can be found here.
This Scottish Universities Insight Institute supported Equality 2015 Knowledge Exchange programme on poverty and children is timely. In a recent address at the Robert Owen Centre, University of Glasgow, Angela Constance MSP, Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, centrally emphasised government action on tackling inequalities and ensuring improved opportunities and achievement for Scotland’s poorest children and the speech can be viewed in full here.
The first Scottish Universities Insight Institute ‘Poverty and Children’ programme policy briefings were published in May 2015:
- Poverty and Children’s Education (Dr Daniela Sime, Social Work and Social Policy, University of Strathclyde; Dr Joan Forbes, School of Education, University of Aberdeen, and Dr Jennifer Lerpiniere, CELCIS, University of Strathclyde), which can be viewed here; and
- Poverty and Children’s Health and Wellbeing (Mark Willis, Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland; Dr Daniela Sime, Social Work and Social Policy, University of Strathclyde; and Dr Jennifer Lerpiniere, CELCIS, University of Strathclyde), which can be seen here.
The second international seminar in the programme: Poverty as a Human Rights Issue: Rights, Social Participation and Ways of Increasing Children’s Voice in the Debate was held at the University of Aberdeen, School of Education on 26th June 2015; keynote papers were given by: Professor Wouter Vandenhole, UNICEF Chair in Children’s Rights, University of Antwerp, Belgium; Goretti Horgan, Institute for Research in Social Sciences, University of Ulster; and Professor Stephen McKinney, School of Education, University of Glasgow. Launched at Seminar 2, the final two ‘Poverty and Children’ programme policy briefings are:
- Poverty and Children’s Access to Services and Social Participation; and Poverty and Children’s Rights (Dr Joan Forbes, University of Aberdeen; Dr Daniela Sime and Dr Elspeth McCartney, University of Strathclyde; Dr Archie Graham and Anne Valyo, University of Aberdeen; and Professor Gaby Weiner, University of Sussex). Further information can be viewed here; and
- Civic and Political Engagement (Dr Claire McDiarmid, Dorota Szpakowicz, and James Davis, University of Strathclyde) and can be viewed here.
The latest programme policy briefs together with the seminar proceedings, virtual children’s art exhibition video and other programme outputs are available on the Scottish Universities Insight Institute website.
Designed to investigate the discourses and practices that shape child poverty and dis/advantage, inequalities and exclusions in contemporary society and institutions, the new Scottish Universities Insight Institute funded Knowledge Exchange Programme is the most recent of a series of outputs which contribute to the strength of the University of Aberdeen, School of Education, THEORY SPACE research agenda (The Theory Space).