We are the Department of Social Policy and Intervention at the University of Oxford. Our teaching and research aim is to contribute to social reform across the globe, reducing inequalities and bringing positive change to people’s lives.  https://bsky.app/profile/dspi-oxford.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/dspi-oxford.bsky.social/post/3mumdxo6osn2tAre asylum-seeking children really responsible for the rise in the number of children entering care in England?  New research led by DSPI’s Dr Michelle Degli Esposti challenges this assumption, revealing a complex picture of how and why children have entered care in England over the past 5 decades.03 Sep 2026 11:30 +0000at://did:plc:sn4nndoqtcgn3va5ixirnnlx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mumdxo6osn2thttps://bsky.app/profile/dspi-oxford.bsky.social/post/3mukdfgqk7222🧑‍🎓 Hear from leading researchers from across the University of Oxford and around the world as they share their research and latest thinking on some of today’s most pressing social policy issues as part of DSPI's seminar series.02 Sep 2026 16:15 +0000at://did:plc:sn4nndoqtcgn3va5ixirnnlx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mukdfgqk7222https://bsky.app/profile/dspi-oxford.bsky.social/post/3mujsfpxdmk2kAre we in a new chapter for #SocialCare reform in England? Prof Mary Daly writes for the BMJ about 5 interconnected problems that need resolution: - The substance of the free care offer - Funding - Provision - Commissioning & regulation - The relationship with the #NHS https://www.bmj.com/content/394/bmj-2026-100629.full?ijkey=jjvyXimxOEn40K6&keytype=ref02 Sep 2026 11:11 +0000at://did:plc:sn4nndoqtcgn3va5ixirnnlx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mujsfpxdmk2khttps://bsky.app/profile/dspi-oxford.bsky.social/post/3mtxtnnw4po2s📅 Save the date:  What is violence? How should it be measured? What are the implications for policy to halve violence against women and girls in ten years? Join us at DSPI's Sidney Ball Memorial Lecture with guest speaker Professor Sylvia Walby, Professor of Sociology at @royalholloway.bsky.social26 Aug 2026 07:45 +0000at://did:plc:sn4nndoqtcgn3va5ixirnnlx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtxtnnw4po2shttps://bsky.app/profile/dspi-oxford.bsky.social/post/3mtlq53oq6k2i“Sluggish economies [are] geared toward the interests of older people” Great to see a recent article in De Groene Amsterdammer drawing on two pieces of research by Tim Vlandas, Professor of Comparative Political Economy and Social Policy at DSPI.21 Aug 2026 12:10 +0000at://did:plc:sn4nndoqtcgn3va5ixirnnlx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtlq53oq6k2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/dspi-oxford.bsky.social/post/3mth6b6wd2g2eICYMI | How can we give babies a voice before they can speak? 👶 New research from DSPI’s Professor Jane Barlow and the @ihealthvisiting.bsky.social suggests that an innovative observational tool could help health visitors identify signs of psychological distress in babies earlier.19 Aug 2026 16:40 +0000at://did:plc:sn4nndoqtcgn3va5ixirnnlx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mth6b6wd2g2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/dspi-oxford.bsky.social/post/3mt2n37czeo2dFrom flash droughts to heatwaves, the UK’s increasingly extreme weather is creating what scientists call “climate whiplash”. In her article for @uk.theconversation.com, DSPI’s @chlobrim.bsky.socialexplores the different types of drought and examines opportunities for change.14 Aug 2026 17:00 +0000at://did:plc:sn4nndoqtcgn3va5ixirnnlx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mt2n37czeo2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/dspi-oxford.bsky.social/post/3msvkkkah5527What makes parenting support programmes effective, and how can successful approaches be scaled to reach more families? In this article for @uk.theconversation.com, DSPI’s Inge Vallance and Genevieve Haupt Ronnie (University of Cape Town) examine programmes implemented across 8 African countries.12 Aug 2026 16:32 +0000at://did:plc:sn4nndoqtcgn3va5ixirnnlx/app.bsky.feed.post/3msvkkkah5527https://bsky.app/profile/dspi-oxford.bsky.social/post/3mssogk2f7722Congratulations to Prof Zachary Parolin on receiving two prestigious international early-career honours for his contributions to the understanding of poverty, inequality and social mobility: 🙌 The 2026 William Julius Wilson Early Career Award 🙌 Honorable Mention for the 2026 Henrik Enderlein Prize11 Aug 2026 13:03 +0000at://did:plc:sn4nndoqtcgn3va5ixirnnlx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mssogk2f7722https://bsky.app/profile/dspi-oxford.bsky.social/post/3msplebzuk42lAre asylum-seeking children to blame for England's children's social care crisis? In a new Expert Comment for @oxforduni.bsky.social , Dr Michelle Degli Esposti, Associate Professor at DSPI, examines this claim using five decades of data and reveals the factors behind the crisis.10 Aug 2026 07:30 +0000at://did:plc:sn4nndoqtcgn3va5ixirnnlx/app.bsky.feed.post/3msplebzuk42lhttps://bsky.app/profile/dspi-oxford.bsky.social/post/3msfw334j3h2y🚨We're hiring 2 part-time Research Assistants to join Professor Zach Parolin's research team working on economic and social inequality in high-income countries. You will be a PhD student in a social science discipline (or relevant data science field) with experience in data management and analysis.06 Aug 2026 11:15 +0000at://did:plc:sn4nndoqtcgn3va5ixirnnlx/app.bsky.feed.post/3msfw334j3h2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/dspi-oxford.bsky.social/post/3msdvrdez4p2yMissed one of our seminars? You can still catch up anytime on the Department's YouTube channel. Our seminar series bring top researchers from around the University and the world to talk about their work and share the latest thinking on pressing issues.05 Aug 2026 16:04 +0000at://did:plc:sn4nndoqtcgn3va5ixirnnlx/app.bsky.feed.post/3msdvrdez4p2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/dspi-oxford.bsky.social/post/3ms5y4tzisv2rAfrica’s adolescent cohort is growing fast. Can parenting support help? 🔗 Read Professor Lucie Cluver's blog for Bond UK calling for governments and NGOs to invest and scale-up: https://f.mtr.cool/mpprkkzzly03 Aug 2026 07:31 +0000at://did:plc:sn4nndoqtcgn3va5ixirnnlx/app.bsky.feed.post/3ms5y4tzisv2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/dspi-oxford.bsky.social/post/3mrudp2l7ta22Congratulations to Dr Tobias Schillings on being awarded a Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship for ‘Reforming Solidarity: Healthcare Expansion and Welfare Legitimacy in the Global South' which explores how healthcare reform reshapes solidarity, state responsibility, and inequality across societies.30 Jul 2026 11:31 +0000at://did:plc:sn4nndoqtcgn3va5ixirnnlx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrudp2l7ta22https://bsky.app/profile/dspi-oxford.bsky.social/post/3mrrj4muhpc2a❓Why does knowing who is likely to vote for a political party often tells us little about that party’s overall electoral success?  New research from DSPI's Professor Tim Vlandas and @University of York’s @Professor Daphne Halikiopoulou explores this key challenge in contemporary political analysis.29 Jul 2026 08:30 +0000at://did:plc:sn4nndoqtcgn3va5ixirnnlx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrrj4muhpc2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/dspi-oxford.bsky.social/post/3mrceq2phhc2qICYMI >> Research published in the BMJ Global Health shows that parenting programmes delivered at scale can dramatically reduce violence against adolescent girls. Click link below to find out more. [contains quote post or other embedded content]23 Jul 2026 08:02 +0000at://did:plc:sn4nndoqtcgn3va5ixirnnlx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrceq2phhc2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/dspi-oxford.bsky.social/post/3mrabox5ght22How are digital care platforms reshaping how migrant care work is organised? New research from @elifcan.bsky.social, published in the Journal of Social Policy, explores how migrant care workers in Turkey are represented on care platforms.22 Jul 2026 12:02 +0000at://did:plc:sn4nndoqtcgn3va5ixirnnlx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrabox5ght22https://bsky.app/profile/dspi-oxford.bsky.social/post/3mqqpg3dmuz2s🙌 Congratulations to Dr Roselinde Janowski, DSPI Research Affiliate, and colleagues on their new publication in Annals of Behavioral Medicine which examined whether caregiver characteristics influenced the effectiveness of different design and delivery strategies for supporting engagement.16 Jul 2026 07:25 +0000at://did:plc:sn4nndoqtcgn3va5ixirnnlx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqqpg3dmuz2shttps://bsky.app/profile/dspi-oxford.bsky.social/post/3mqmmxrci2k2tHow is grey power tilting government priorities towards preservation over progress? Is this undermining the investment needed to tackle the negative consequences of ageing populations?  Great to Prof Tim Vlandas’ research, ‘Aging Advanced Capitalist Democracies’, cited again in recent weeks.14 Jul 2026 16:31 +0000at://did:plc:sn4nndoqtcgn3va5ixirnnlx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqmmxrci2k2thttps://bsky.app/profile/dspi-oxford.bsky.social/post/3mq75yfjyj22xHow can we give babies a voice before they can speak? New research from DSPI's Professor Jane Barlow and the Institute of Health Visiting shows that an innovative observational tool could transform how health visitors identify babies experiencing early psychological distress.09 Jul 2026 07:58 +0000at://did:plc:sn4nndoqtcgn3va5ixirnnlx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mq75yfjyj22xhttps://bsky.app/profile/dspi-oxford.bsky.social/post/3mq5hnbbphz2eAs the UK enters another period of extreme heat, @chlobrim.bsky.social , a climate scientist at DSPI whose research focuses on extreme heat, comments in @theguardian.com on the policy choices that heatwaves are forcing us to confront.08 Jul 2026 15:45 +0000at://did:plc:sn4nndoqtcgn3va5ixirnnlx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mq5hnbbphz2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/dspi-oxford.bsky.social/post/3mq2fmwupnj2h🎉Congratulations to DSPI’s @amiyabhatia.bsky.socialand @mnaczyk.bsky.social who have received the University of Oxford’s @socsci.ox.ac.ukTeaching Excellence Awards in recognition of their outstanding contributions to teaching at DSPI.07 Jul 2026 10:31 +0000at://did:plc:sn4nndoqtcgn3va5ixirnnlx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mq2fmwupnj2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/dspi-oxford.bsky.social/post/3mpr2dsoywe2jIn his article for Die Welt discussing why young people emigrate, Jens Ulrich Eckhard draws on research from DSPI's Professor Tim Vlandas’s research on how grey power is influencing government priorities.03 Jul 2026 17:15 +0000at://did:plc:sn4nndoqtcgn3va5ixirnnlx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpr2dsoywe2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/dspi-oxford.bsky.social/post/3mplwvut5wu2jThe SAFERCHILD project, led by DSPI’s Professor LucieCluver, has been awarded a €150,000 grant from the @erc.europa.eu  to turn groundbreaking research into a scalable child protection innovation.01 Jul 2026 16:31 +0000at://did:plc:sn4nndoqtcgn3va5ixirnnlx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mplwvut5wu2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/dspi-oxford.bsky.social/post/3mplli7cdlc27🙌 Congratulations to Charlène Calderaro, postdoctoral fellow at DSPI, who has been named as joint winner of Politics & Gender's Best Article Prize 2026 for her article ‘Beyond Instrumentalization: Far-Right Women’s Appropriation of Feminism in France’.01 Jul 2026 13:06 +0000at://did:plc:sn4nndoqtcgn3va5ixirnnlx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mplli7cdlc27https://bsky.app/profile/dspi-oxford.bsky.social/post/3mp3xtww7d22nAs the UK's heatwave continues, Dr Chloe Brimicombe, postdoctoral researcher at DSPI, explains how people can stay safe during heatwaves and why policies must go further to prepare for rising temperatures. Read her Expert Comment 👇 @chlobrim.bsky.social [contains quote post or other embedded content]25 Jun 2026 08:05 +0000at://did:plc:sn4nndoqtcgn3va5ixirnnlx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mp3xtww7d22nhttps://bsky.app/profile/dspi-oxford.bsky.social/post/3moux3snq562pInterviewed in Handelsblatt, DSPI’s Professor Tim Vlandas and University of York’s @dafnoukos.bsky.social drew on their report ‘Understanding Right-Wing Populism and What to Do About it’, to discuss the drivers of #FarRight support and the implications for democratic politics and public policy.22 Jun 2026 13:03 +0000at://did:plc:sn4nndoqtcgn3va5ixirnnlx/app.bsky.feed.post/3moux3snq562phttps://bsky.app/profile/dspi-oxford.bsky.social/post/3mokgzqsge222With the UK government’s announcement on social media restrictions for under 16s, evidence-informed policymaking is more important than ever. DSPI's EBSIPE students recently put their policy analysis skills to the test by examining the question: should social media be banned for U16s in the UK?18 Jun 2026 08:49 +0000at://did:plc:sn4nndoqtcgn3va5ixirnnlx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mokgzqsge222