Articles

Professor Gardner and Professor Cluver. Prof Gardner has short blonde hair. She is wearing a dark blouse with a dark blue and green abstract pattern. Prof Cluver has long curly black hair. She is wearing a black top and pale pink scarf.

Listen to Professor Lucie Cluver and Professor Frances Gardner share insights into their work

19 March 2026

Both professors were recognised for their outstanding contributions to children's wellbeing in the King's Birthday Honours List 2025.

Smiling man with short grey hair, bald head wearing a dark jacket and with gold rimmed glasses.

In Memoriam: George Smith

03 March 2026

Find out more about the former head of DSPI and his work which focused on urban disadvantage, poverty and low income, social security, education and the measurement of deprivation.

A group of ten, smartly dressed people stand in front of a sponsorship banner at the Global Caregiver Forum in Madrid

DSPI contributes to global policy dialogue at inaugural Global Caregiver Forum 2026

17 February 2026

DSPI members play a leading role at the first-ever Global Caregiver Forum.

Two community health workers discuss the results shown on a handheld device.

Unlocking the full potential of community health workers for Africa's adolescents

28 January 2026

New study identifies opportunities to strengthen adolescent health and well-being in Africa.

A young smiling Nigerian woman looking at the camera, holding a mobile phone

Investing in adolescent girls can reduce child marriage and improve education in Nigeria

16 January 2026

New evidence shows that ending the practice of child marriage in Nigeria is both achievable and cost effective, and could boost economic and social development.

A male teacher sitting at a desk, talking to a mother and child who are sat opposite him with their backs to the camera.

Reducing school exclusions: what school-based interventions can - and can't - achieve

14 January 2026

Study identifies four factors shaping success of school-based measures in UK.

A runner wearing a smartwatch tracking their fitness statistics. They are holding their smartphone next to their wrist, looking at more detail on a fitness app.

Do we fully understand the potential challenges posed by self-surveillance technologies?

08 December 2025

New research examines how people understand and respond to Quantified Self (QS) technologies such as fitness trackers.

A man's hand holds out a handheld shotgun, aiming at nothing

Impact of gun violence extends beyond data dominating news and debate

25 November 2025

Research examines short-term, long-term, and cumulative impacts of exposure to gun violence.

Professor Frank Vandenbroucke is wearing a light suit and round glasses. He is leaning against a light wall.

Deputy Prime Minister of Belgium delivers DSPI's flagship lecture

13 November 2025

Professor Frank Vandenbroucke, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Social Affairs and Public Health for Belgium, addressed the concept of pragmatism in political action at DSPI's annual Sidney Ball Memorial Lecture.

george and teresa smith award winners: Leah Ennis, Nandini Kapoor, and Vivian Gu

George and Teresa Smith Awards winners 2024-25

11 November 2025

Awards acknowledge academic achievement on Comparative Social Policy and the Evidence-Based Social Intervention and Policy Evaluation (EBSIPE) courses at DSPI.

DSPI researchers receive awards for outstanding contributions to child and adolescent mental health

10 November 2025

Professor Frances Gardner CMG was awarded the ACAMH President's Medal for Lifetime Contribution to Child and Adolescent Mental Health. Dr Gabriela Pavarini received the ACAMH Digital Innovation Award for Research on Digital Impact.

Dr Bedük has short dark hair. He is wearing a light blue shirt and grey jumper.

Job loss costs UK families three times as much as Europeans

27 October 2025

Research led by Dr Selçuk Bedük shows that UK families' efforts to fill income gap fall short due to weak labour market and meagre benefits.

Mona Ibrahim has long curly dark hair. She is smiling broadly, standing in front of a bouquet of flowers and an 'Impact Awards' banner

DSPI researcher highly commended for work on conflict-sensitive recovery in Sudan

06 October 2025

Collaboration of wide range of individuals and organisations is key to effective social assistance.

Maria has long black hair and is smiling at the camera. She is wearing a multi-coloured jacket over a black top.

New research finds behavioural factors directly affect engagement with digital health tool

06 October 2025

Research exploring how users engage with ParentText, a chatbot-led public health programme.

Professor Zachary Parolin wins prestigious David N. Kershaw Award

01 October 2025

Professor Parolin is recognised for his public policy contributions toward reducing poverty and expanding economic opportunity.

Fran is wearing glasses and is resting her head on her hand

Fran Bennett joins Social Security Advisory Committee

25 September 2025

During her five-year term, Fran will take part in the Committee's functions of advising on social security and related matters.

Zach Parolin has short brown hair. He is wearing a blue shirt and dark blazer, standing against a dark background. He is facing the camera and smiling.

Professor Zach Parolin to lead research on economic inequality at DSPI

15 September 2025

Professor Parolin will be teaching, advancing research, and bringing fresh perspectives to public policy at the department.

Research outlines 15 policy guidelines to help tackle child poverty

08 September 2025

Policy recommendations to help families deal with difficult and sometimes unexpected circumstances that threaten their resilience.

Four young adult students sat in a row at a desk, holding pens and looking at textbooks.

Global study reveals how expanding education is changing generational opportunity

21 August 2025

A new study by Dr Mobarak Hossain and Martina Beretta explores patterns of educational mobility across both high-income and low- and middle-income countries.

Interactive storytelling chatbot for adolescents in Brazil to boost youth participation and school mental health

05 August 2025

The Protagonists project assesses the effectiveness of a digital intervention to equip young people in Brazil with skills to provide mental health and wellbeing (MHWB) support.

Four people smiling outdoors in front of greenery, standing side by side smiling at the camera.

How AI is reshaping how we understand parent-child interactions

10 July 2025

Hosted by DSPI, the GPI webinar bought together researchers to explore how scalable, ethical and accurate AI tools are in understanding parent-child interactions.

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