Childhood poverty and social exclusion
— Dr Jason Hart working with a Bedouin community in the Jordan valley
Research
Dr Tess Ridge pioneered the use of a child-centred approach to the analysis of child poverty. She carried out the first such UK study in the mid 1990s, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). By talking directly to children living in poverty, she revealed the often hidden ways in which poverty affects many aspects of their lives - at home, in school and in leisure activities. But the research also highlighted the ways in which children themselves employ strategies to cope with poverty, and often make a strong positive contribution to how disadvantaged families manage.
Dr Jason Hart has explored the experience of young people on the margins of society, including in the Palestinian territory, and the values and assumptions of agencies working with them.
Prof Ian Butler has led the way in understanding how children cope with parental separation and divorce and the implications of this for professional practice. He has also been at the forefront of using a child-centred approach to research the needs of children in the public care system, who on leaving care are at great risk of experiencing poverty.
Impact
- Tess Ridge’s research on childhood poverty and social exclusion, and in particular the 2002 book Childhood Poverty and Social Exclusion: From a Child’s Perspective, has informed the Child Poverty Unit in the development of the Child Poverty Act 2010 and been recognised by the 2006 ‘best newcomer’ award from the Social Policy Association.
- The child-centred approach to child poverty has been taken up by researchers in Europe and Australia, to inform the design and methods of their research. This includes, for example, the University of New South Wales’s project Making a Difference: Building on Children’s Perspectives on Economic Adversity (2008 – 2011).
- Ian Butler’s research (Butler et al, 2003) is used in judicial training throughout the UK and Europe, and is the standard text for the training of judges in Germany.
