Staffordshire University is hosting a Social Policy Association funded Welfare Reform Summit on Friday 20 April 2018 in partnership with Child Poverty Action Group and the Centre for Health and Development (CHAD)
Welfare Reform Summit: exploring & recording the real impact of welfare reform
This free event is aimed at academics, welfare rights practitioners/managers and claimants and will be in two parts: firstly three keynote talks on the impact of welfare reform and secondly a workshop to explore and record the impact of welfare reform using Child Poverty Action Group’s Early Warning System (EWS).
The Early Warning System (EWS) project gathers information and case-studies about the impact of welfare reform which is analysed and disseminated to inform decision makers, service planners, politicians and third sector partners about the impacts of the benefit changes. The workshop will be an excellent opportunity for interested parties from a wide range of backgrounds to share information and experiences about the impact of welfare reform which will be captured as part of the EWS project and ensure that the government, MPs, local authorities and other public bodies are well informed and can take action to mitigate some of the impacts.
Programme
10.00: Arrival/coffee – LT003
Keynote Talks
10.30-11.20: Keynote Talks – LT003
- Ruth Smeeth (MP for Stoke-on-Trent North): Impact of welfare reform in Stoke-on-Trent
- Dan Norris (Child Poverty Action Group): Introducing Child Poverty Action Group’s Welfare Reform Early Warning System (EWS)
- Richard Machin (Senior Lecturer, Social Welfare Law, Policy and Advice Practice Staffordshire University): Research completed by Staffordshire University on the impact of the ‘bedroom tax’ in North Staffordshire and the impact of the transition from Disability Living Allowance to Personal Independence Payment on claimants with mental health problems.
Early Warning System Workshops
11.20-12.20: Child Poverty Action Group Early Warning System Workshops – LT003, LT114/6, LT014
12.20-12.50: Workshop Feedback – LT003
12.50-13.30: Lunch and networking – LT003 Foyer
13.30-14.30: Claimant testimony, next steps and close – LT003
