Social Policy Association Annual General Meeting

Social Policy Association Annual General Meeting

17th July 2012 University of York

1) Welcome 2) Apologies 3) Minutes of 2011 AGM 4) Matters arising from minutes of 2011 AGM

5) Chair’s report 6) Treasurer’s report 7) Secretary’s report 8) Social Policy and Society 9) Journal of Social Policy 10) AOB

Nominations for the SPA Executive Committee, July 2012 X

Interests and experience (vote for up to 5)

Candidate: Ben Baumberg – Lecturer in Social Policy -‐ University of Kent Nominated by: John Hills, London School of Economics Seconded by: Tina Haux, Queen’s University Belfast

Having been co-‐opted onto the SPA Exec earlier this year, I feel there are two areas in which I would particularly be able to contribute: (i) catering for early careers researchers, and (ii) increasing the impact of Social Policy/the SPA. Firstly, I was specifically asked to join the Exec to think about what the SPA does for early careers researchers, and – if elected to the exec – I will propose a way forward in autumn 2012, taking the best ideas from other learned societies and adding new ideas from myself & SPA members. Secondly, I have a longstanding interest in the relationship of evidence and policy, both theoretically (e.g. I presented on this at SPA conferences in 2008 and 2009), and practically (e.g. I co-‐edit the blog Inequalities (inequalitiesblog.wordpress.com)). I can provide ideas, enthusiasm and time, and I’m keen to work with others to get the SPA itself to think about its wider purpose and how best to fulfil it. More generally, I’m a new lecturer at the University of Kent, with strong interests in disability, work, the welfare state, and addictions; and a commitment to working as part of a team – so I’m happy to do some of the more mundane SPA Exec work too...

Candidate: Harriet Churchill -‐ Lecturer in Social Work and Social Policy -‐ University of Sheffield Nominated by: Barbara Fawcett, University of Sydney Seconded by: Karen Clarke, University of Manchester

My research and teaching interests are cross-‐disciplinary engaging with social policy, sociology and social work research, theory and policy/practice debates. Driven by a commitment to the role the welfare state can play in supporting families, enhancing child welfare and promoting social well-‐being, my research critically reviews policy and practice developments in support, services and social interventions targeted at families, parents, parenting, children and young people. Much of my research has been of a qualitative nature, examining everyday understandings of childhood and family relations, service user perspectives and support needs, and the viewpoints of frontline practitioners in children’s and family support services. In addition I am interested in the relationship between everyday family life and the pre-‐occupations of frontline services, and broader features of welfare state restructuring and socio-‐economic change. I contribute to teaching and facilitate learning on social work, social policy and sociology undergraduate and postgraduate programmes – designing and delivering modules in ‘social policy for social workers’, ‘social research methods’ and ‘children, families and welfare states’. In my research and teaching I seek to promote dialogue and learning between service users, frontline practitioners, academic research and policy makers. I would like to join the SPA Executive to contribute to their important work in promoting social policy and applied sociological research. I am particularly keen to contribute to the Policy Group’s work around improving engagement with policy makers, practitioners and service user groups – thereby enhancing the contribution applied social research can make to policy, practice and progressive social change. I have much experience of engaging with the family support and child welfare policy and practice sector. I have held departmental roles for service user and carer involvement in social work education, and via research have worked with local authorities, senior civil servants, large voluntary sector organisations and community voluntary organisations.

Candidate: Chris Deeming -‐ Senior Research Fellow – University of Bristol Nominated by: Jonathan Bradshaw, University of York Seconded by: John Veit-‐Wilson, Newcastle University

I am extremely passionate about Social Policy and I would be most grateful if you would consider my application for the SPA-‐Executive. The first thing to say is that I have been a member of SPA for the last 7-‐years and I am thoroughly committed to the SPA mission of advancing the role of social policy research within policy-‐making, practice and wider public debates.

I have a first degree in Sociology from the University of Bath and a PhD in Social Policy from the University of Bristol. I have a vast range of experience in Social Policy research and campaigning, gained here in the UK and working overseas; notably working on:

• health and social care policy at the King’s Fund in London. • public health policy at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical

Medicine, University of London. • Australian welfare reform, and child wellbeing in the Pacific

Islands for UNICEF at the Social Policy Research Centre, University of New South Wales.

• comparative social policy at Bristol University (e.g. pioneering work considers the relationship between welfare and wellbeing in advanced societies using multilevel analysis, appearing this autumn in the Journal of Social Policy).

I have acted in an advisory capacity to a range of high profile projects for leading organisations and think-‐tanks in our field, e.g. JRF, IPPR, Resolution Foundation. I have just secured a Future Research Leaders grant from the ESRC, and with this grant now in place for the next three-‐years I will have the time and energy to be actively involved in the SPA-‐Executive and I welcome the opportunity to help advance Social Policy in the UK.

Candidate: Dr Liam Foster – Lecturer in Social Work -‐ University of Sheffield Nominated by: Nicola Yeates, Open University Seconded by: Majella Kilkey, University of Sheffield

As a member of the Social Policy Association for several years I am aware of the important role it plays in promoting the discipline of social policy. I am keen to become a member of the Social Policy Executive Committee in order to assist with this process. I also believe there are a number of skills which I would be able to contribute, should I be elected. Firstly, I am committed to the discipline of social policy and trying to advance knowledge in this area. While much of the work I have undertaken has been for an academic audience in journals such as Social Policy and Administration, The Journal of Poverty and Social Justice and Social Policy and Society and at conferences such as the SPA, BSA, BSG and IFA I am also aware of the need to promote social policy theory and analysis to a wider audience. As such I have recently undertaken consultancy work for AXA, presented at the DWP and published in places such as Pensions World. Secondly, I have fulfilled numerous administrative roles effectively throughout my time at the University of Sheffield. These include being the admissions officer for social policy, sociology and social work, exams officer, deputy programme director and dissertation convenor. I have also served on several departmental committees. Due to the continuation of some of these roles and the daily requirements of the associated tasks I would be suited to a role which is more concentrated rather than, for instance, involving daily inquiries. However, I am confident that my

organisational qualities and strong work ethic would make me a useful addition to the team. I am also an effective communicator and team player and see a position on the Social Policy Executive Committee as an opportunity to meet and work with a variety of people in order to enhance social policy learning and teaching, knowledge production and promotion. Thirdly, and finally, I am also committed to teaching and learning in social policy. I have taught social policy for several years and currently convene a module entitled ‘Law and Policy’ for MA in social work students where I undertake the majority of the social policy teaching. I also convene a social research methods course for sociology and social policy students where a variety of practical methods are employed to enhance the students’ teaching experience. In addition, together with a colleague, I have developed five quantitative methods workbooks which have been successfully integrated into the course. These have proved effective in providing a step-‐by-‐step approach to quantitative approaches including the use of survey data which students often find problematic. I am passionate about the need to consult with colleagues and students in order to enhance the quality of social policy teaching. This has been evident in the developments which I have made to my own courses. In sum, my commitment to social policy as a discipline, including knowledge production and promotion, administrative skills and teaching and learning experience means that I have a potentially useful role to play on the Social Policy Executive Committee.

Candidate: Rob Hulme – Professor of Education Policy – University of Chester Nominated by: Dr Jane McKay, University of Chester Seconded by: Dr Paul Skillen, University of Chester

Rob Hulme is Professor of Education Policy at the University of Chester. He is a member of the editorial board for Social Policy and Society. His main research interests are the international and global movement of policy ideas in education and social policy. At Chester, he leads education and social policy research and leads a group researching policy into practice for integrated working.

I would like to make stronger links between the SPA and education policy research groups in the UK such as BERA and links with international education policy groups in Europe.

Candidate: Dr W Saunderson – University of Ulster Nominated by: Julia O’Connor, University of Ulster Seconded by: Nick Ellison, University of Leeds

About Myself: Wendy Saunderson, PhD (1995); Dip.Expt.Tchng (1998); MSc (2000) Subject & Course Director, Social Policy, University of Ulster About Reasons for Standing: Our BSc Hons Social Policy is the only single Honours Social Policy degree course on the island of Ireland. Concerted effort is required to consolidate and build on its current strengths and success, and to resist the demise or further dilution of social policy as a HE subject area in N Ireland and the UK generally. Much can be done for students in strengthening marketing, recruitment, retention and employability; and much needs to be done in popularising and publicising the ‘attractiveness’ and ubiquitous & important nature of social policy, towards a wider public understanding

of what it is, what it ‘does’ and how it can be influenced. About Specific/Revelant Credentials: ►Almost 20 years uni teaching (at all UG levels and PG levels; traditional, blended & distance learning) ► (all core social policy areas & qualitative research methods at all levels). ►Internal Examiner for 6/8 PhDs; External Examiner 2 PhDs, Chester & Bath). ►Overseeing current 5-‐year University of Ulster Social Policy Revalidation (Dec 2012). ►HEA membership and UU Centre for HE Practice fellowship underway; attendance at various and numerous T&L events, most recently, for example, SPA day conference Teaching SP in the UK, Edinburgh, April; UK day conference on Employability at UU, May; annual 2-‐day Irish HEA Summer School, ‘PBL in Theory and Action’at Trinity College, Dublin, May; Annual Festival of Innovation in T&L, UU, June. ►Member/Representative on the new SP Convenors Group (attending inaugural dinner during SPA York).

About Other Background: *Representation on numerous external & internal steering groups & planning committees (e.g. British Council, Dept for Employment & Learning, Business Education Initiative, Study USA, Erasmus, etc). *Collaboration with the community & voluntary sector: Active engagement with N Ireland Science Shop since inception: university rep on founding UU/QUB steering group; Social policy consultant/ lead on current KTP (Knowledge Transfer Project) with the Extern charity. *Collaboration with business & commerce (and public sector): Active engagement & co-‐development of Belfast-‐based company (from Weinreich, P. and Saunderson, W. (eds)(2003) Analysing Identity. London: Routledge. -‐ ‘Ipseus’ software to commercial companies, R&D, delivering theory & practice training workshops, running study group, marketing outreach, etc. (see http://www.identityexploration.com ) Software & approach currently being used by the Home Office in a ‘racial integration’ project (and presented at House of Lords meeting in April). Facebook ‘Identity: Research & Practice’ Group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/identityresearch/permalink/489252581101788/#!/groups/identityresearch/ *Collaboration with FE sector: Belfast MET, NRC – Panel member, Social Policy-‐cognate courses validations. *Other Outside Collaboration: Book reviewer for Sage, Oxford University Press; Referee for Capital and Class; Assessor/Uni Rep, annual attendance at USA Liberal Arts colleges for British Council/ Dept for Employment and Learning (1996-‐ ); Visiting Lecturer, annually, Depts Architecture and Town Planning, Queen’s University Belfast (1995-‐2007); Visiting Professor/ Research & Training Workshop Facilitator – McGill University, Canada 2004; Danish University of Education, Copenhagen 2005; Queen’s University Belfast 2006; University of Chester 2006; University of Chester 2007; Research Consultant, Institute of Psychology, Nebs Moellegard, Copenhagen, 2006/7; Symposium Convenor, Bremen, 2008; Chair of the N Ireland ISA

(Identity Structure Analysis) Study Group, monthly (1999-‐2010); Member of the UK ‘Identity Exploration’ Study Group (bi-‐monthly, e.g. March, House of Lords [attended]; May, SOAS; July LSE)(2010-‐ ).

Candidate: Stephen Sinclair – Senior Lecturer in Sociology and Social Policy -‐ Glasgow Caledonian University Nominated by: Adrian Sinfield, University of Edinburgh Seconded by: Peter Taylor-‐Gooby, University of Kent

I have been a member of the Social Policy Association since the early 1990s, and was previously elected by the annual conference to the editorial board of Social Policy and Society (2005 -‐ 09). I am standing for election to the SPA Executive Committee Policy Group as I would like to contribute to increasing the participation of the Association in policy debates, e.g. building upon the recent In Defence Of Welfare report. The Association has the potential to contribute an alternative viewpoint to contemporary policy debates and offer analyses informed by evidence; and this is particularly important in the UK, where recent declarations about the definition of child poverty and the social security entitlements of younger claimants require serous challenge. As a former social researcher in the Scottish Government, I have experience of the policy making process and some understanding of the influence which evidence and external expertise can have in this. I am active in policy debates and campaigning in Scotland: I am chair of the Tackling Poverty Stakeholder Forum, an independent body comprising representatives of deprived communities, local government and third sector organisations which monitors the social inclusion policies of the Scottish Government. I was as member of the Poverty Alliance’s Anti-‐Stigma Working Group, which challenges unrepresentative negative portrayals of deprived groups, and which secured cross-‐party endorsement for the ‘Stick Your Labels’ campaign. I have close working relationships with numerous third sector and campaigning groups, including the Child Poverty Action Group, Save the Children, Oxfam UK and the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations. While most of my experience of policy work is based in Scotland, I also cover UK and EU wide policy issues, and would be able to contribute a comparative perspective to some of the issues which the SPA Policy Group is likely to encounter.

Candidate: Katherine Smith -‐ Lecturer in Global Public Health Unit – University of Edinburgh Nominated by: Ben Baumberg , University of Kent

Seconded by: Ingela Naumann , University of Edinburgh

I am an early career researcher whose main research interests include the relationship between research and policy (and the roles that advocacy, funding and commercial interests play in this), the influence of corporations on public policy, policy responses to health inequalities in the devolved UK, consumer tax policies (and commercial sector efforts to shape these policies) and theories of policy change. I am a lecturer in Social Policy at the University of Edinburgh, where I am currently funded by an ESRC-‐MRC Post-‐Doctoral Fellowship to develop my PhD research exploring public health knowledge translation. From January 2013 I will be commencing an ESRC Future Research Leaders grant focusing on some of the risks associated with the growing focus on evidence-‐informed policy and ‘research impact’. Prior to joining the University of Edinburgh in January 2010, I worked in various social policy orientated roles at the University of Bath and Durham University. I am seeking to join the Social Policy Executive Committee largely because I am keen to work with others to raise the profile of Social Policy as a subject in higher education and in public and media debates. I would also like to work with colleagues to explore how changes in higher education and funding policies in the UK are affecting Social

Policy academics (including graduate students) and their relationships with students, colleagues and wider audiences. Alongside other members, I feel I would be particularly useful in strengthening the Committee’s links to the early career research community and in contributing to discussions about raising the profile and impact of Social Policy research. The current grants I have (which run until the end of 2014) mean my time is will be sufficiently protected to enable me to attend regular meetings and to take on other Committee work.

Candidate: Dr Andrew Wallace – Research Fellow – London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Nominated by: Peter Taylor-‐Gooby, University of Kent Seconded by: Stephen Peckham, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

I am currently a research fellow at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine working on healthcare reform. I have also worked as a researcher at the University of Kent having gained my PhD in 2006 from the University of Leeds under the supervision of Alan Deacon and Kirk Mann. My areas of expertise are urban poverty, community regeneration and public services reform. I sit on the editorial board of Social Policy and Society and have attended every SPA conference since 2004. I am seeking election to the executive committee in order to gain better insight and input regarding the direction and governance of academic social policy in the UK and believe I can contribute a fresh perspective borne of my early-‐career status as well as interdisciplinary research and teaching experience.

Postgraduate Representative SPA Executive nomination 2012 X

Interests and experience Please vote for

ONE ONLY Candidate: Daniel Edmiston – PhD Student – University of Leeds Nominated by: Nick Ellison, University of Leeds Seconded by: Simon Prideaux, University of Leeds

I am a first year PhD student at the University of Leeds in the School of Sociology and Social Policy. I am currently the postgraduate research representative on the Student:Staff Forum within my Department and also sit on the Postgraduate Committee. If elected to represent my peers, I would liaise with postgraduates and the executive committee to work on issues pertinent to the Social Policy postgraduate community such as employability, training and support needs, conference attendance, shared learning and development opportunities.

Prior to my PhD, I worked for the Economic and Social Research Council, the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit, Ipsos MORI Social Research Institute and the Centre for the Analysis of Social Exclusion. This has provided me with a breadth and depth of knowledge that I would draw upon if given this opportunity. I am particularly passionate about the future development and capacity of Social Policy as an academic discipline and practice. With the recent decline in Social Policy students (Patrick, Brown, Drever, 2011), I would liaise with the Teaching and Learning Group on this issue to raise the profile of Social Policy, not only externally but also to encourage and enable postgraduates to do so in their own capacity as well. Specifically, I would be keen to develop an initiative similar to that run by the Philosophy Department at the University of Sheffield: Philosophy in the City. PinC (http://pinc.group.shef.ac.uk/) is a promising prototype of what SPA could look to do by coordinating the activities of postgraduate volunteers to visit and present at local secondary schools. The suggestion would be to develop a network across Social Policy Departments, encouraging postgraduate volunteers to help raise awareness of Social Policy. A centrally developed presentation tool-‐kit could then be sent to interested postgraduate volunteers. Minimising the resources and time necessary, I believe this would be an effective means by which to raise the profile of Social Policy, and increase the number of secondary school students considering Social Policy as an option post A-‐level.

I recently undertook a research project for Leeds University Union to explore the student experience of postgraduates. The findings from the research are being used to develop LUU’s student experience strategy for both taught postgraduates and research postgraduates. This research has strengthened my understanding of the needs of postgraduates, including part-‐time and international students and those with dependents.

In my previous employment and time as a student representative, I’ve developed a valuable skill-‐set that I feel would be well-‐suited to undertaking this role; to support the work of the SPA and help deal with issues pertinent to postgraduates and the broader academic community.

Candidate: Sarah-‐Jane Fenton – PhD student – University of Birmingham Nominated by: Jon Glasby, University of Birmingham Seconded by: Karen Rowlingson, University of Birmingham

I am a first year PhD student at the University of Birmingham. My research area is adolescent mental health policy, specifically looking at mental health service delivery for adolescents. I am undertaking a comparative study between Australia and the UK and consequently will be in Melbourne for a year from July 2013.

Prior to undertaking my PhD I worked for seven years for Kids Company (a London based children’s charity), in the last four of which I held the post of Chief Operating Officer. This role was very varied and ranged from managing a complex budget in relation to children’s expenditure; founding and running a multi-‐disciplinary safeguarding team; writing policy and contributing to national reviews; to running residential camps for 8-‐12 year olds. I continue to mentor two care leavers.

My wish to join the Social Policy Association Executive Committee stems from an interest in generating a more cohesive national network of doctoral researchers. I am particularly keen to explore the possibility of hosting a national event for researchers from different institutions to come together to discuss the areas they are working on, and to broaden the network of researchers if possible internationally. I would also like to promote and continue the existing work of the postgraduate representatives in utilising social media to engage with doctoral researchers. I think there are great opportunities for developing stronger links in the doctoral research community and would like the chance to strengthen the community engaged with the Social Policy Association.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

18th July 2012

University of York

Contents

Page number

Chair’s report 3

New Social Policy Convenors Group 5

Teaching and Learning activities report 5

Membership Secretary’s report 7

Annual awards 8

International relations report 9

Website report 9

Small standard and post-‐graduate grants report 10

Large grants scheme 11

Post-‐graduate representatives’ report 11

Policy World report 14

Report from the editors of the Journal of Social Policy 15

Report from the editors of Social Policy and Society 17

Names and responsibilities of the SPA Executive Committee 19

Chair’s Report 2011-‐12

This report covers some major highlights for SPA over the past year; most of the work undertaken by the Executive Committee is detailed in the reports of individual Executive Committee members. Developing the SPA’s role in supporting social policy teaching and learning Two factors have prompted SPA to reconsider its role in supporting teaching and learning: the closure of SWAP (the social work and social policy subject centre); and the demise of the Joint University Committee Social Policy Committee (JUC-‐SPC), which historically offered a forum for university departments to discuss issues of common interest. These developments have taken place as social policy teaching continues to diffuse and diversify across university departments; it has long been difficult to identify where social policy courses are taught. Moreover, increased tuition fees are likely to affect future demand for both undergraduate and post-‐graduate social policy courses. Last autumn SPA undertook a major survey of social policy teaching across the UK. We found 69 higher education institutions that offered degree courses including some social policy undergraduate teaching, and 59 offering post-‐graduate social policy teaching. The survey found considerable enthusiasm for marketing social policy more effectively in schools to maintain undergraduate recruitment, and for placing more emphasis on the employability potential of social policy degrees. Our thanks to Ruth Patrick, Kate Brown and Emma Drever for conducting an excellent survey. The survey was followed by a one-‐day conference in Edinburgh in April on teaching social policy. During this event the idea of setting up an informal network of social policy course convenors/heads of department under the auspices of SPA was canvassed. This would provide a forum for university departments to work together on promoting social policy recruitment and other issues, as an alternative to JUC-‐SPC. The network will meet during the joint EASPN-‐SPA conference in York to decide on immediate priorities and how to organise activities. Thanks to Ingela Naumann for organising the Edinburgh conference, and to Nick Ellison for co-‐ordinating the new heads of department/course convenors group. One issue that the group may wish to work on is the development of undergraduate quantitative skills. SPA has been approached by the British Academy to collaborate on a BIS-‐sponsored project that aims, among other things, to develop a new national graduate qualification in quantitative methods; co-‐ordinate responses to subject benchmarks; and publish a position paper on the value of quantitative skills. We have been helped in these developments by the new Higher Education Academy Social Policy and Social Work subject specialist, who is keen to develop links with relevant learned societies in order to extend the HEA’s ‘reach’ We are

grateful to the HEA for financial support for some of our teaching and learning and post-‐graduate activities. Developing links with policy and practitioner communities Throughout the year we have discussed how we can promote the profile of SPA and of social policy research more generally with policy-‐makers. We have been helped in this by our President, Sue Duncan. We need to bear in mind that SPA is primarily an organisation of academic researchers and teachers; we are also constrained by our charitable status from some overtly political activities. Nevertheless, we are aware of the increasing marginalisation of good, robust research evidence and analysis in much current policy-‐making. SPA can play an important role for our members in creating opportunities for engagement with policy-‐making and policy debate – not just in Westminster, but in the devolved administrations, in supra-‐national bodies, and in the increasingly important third and commercial welfare sectors. Over the coming year we will be consulting members on a new objective for the SPA that makes explicit our commitment to contributing to policy debate and analysis, both as an organisation and through the opportunities and support we can provide to individual members. Thanks to Sue Duncan, and to Nicola Yeates, Karen Rowlingson, Ingela Naumann and Ann Marie Grey, who have led on this work. Media activities One way in which we can contribute to policy making and analysis is to contribute to debate in both mainstream and social media. On behalf of a number of members, we wrote to the BBC at the end of last year about its one-‐sided coverage of welfare issues. This led to a meeting with Mark Easton, BBC Home Affairs Correspondent, who is now aware of SPA members and the Social Policy Digest as valuable sources of specialist information and expertise. Other work by Chris Blunkell, our press and publicity officer, have led to interest from Public Finance and Public Servant magazines, the Guardian and widespread media coverage of a paper published in Journal of Social Policy. Chris has also been encouraging us to engage with social media; our post-‐graduate representatives Sarah Brooks-‐Wilson and Lorenza Antonnuci have led the way with Facebook and Twitter; and Nicki Senior has been developing the SPA website to take a wider range of digital formats. SPA is now a partner to the Socialsciencespace website and we hope members will be able to contribute to the Social Science Bites interview podcasts. Thanks to Chris, Nicki, Sarah and Lorenza for these initiatives. One way in which the SPA can help to promote media opportunities for members is through the Members’ Register of research Interests. Everyone is asked automatically to co ntribute details of their expertise and interests on joining SPA and to update this annually when renewing membership. The more the Register is kept up to date, the more useful it can be to journalists and others. I would encourage all members to take seriously updating their entry on the Register when renewing their membership.

Responding to consultations This year we have responded to consultations on the Research Excellence Framework (details of panel and subpanel working methods) and ESRC (National Research Methods Centre). Academy of Social Sciences SPA continues to be an active member of the Academy of Social Sciences. We have provided financial support for the first year of the Academy’s Campaign for Social Science; have supported nominations to the Academy Council; and nominated outstanding individuals to become Academician members. We are also represented in an Academy-‐led initiative to develop a generic code of ethics for the social sciences. Finally …. This is my last AGM as SPA Chair. I have been heavily involved in SPA for well over 15 years now as, variously, Secretary, Vice Chair and Chair. It’s been stimulating, challenging, enjoyable and I have learned more than I ever thought possible. But it would not have been any of these things without the SPA Executive Committee. Over the time of my involvement, the workload of the Executive has grown enormously and each Executive Committee member carries significant responsibilities. Your enthusiasm and commitment have been invaluable. I would like to pay tribute to the Executive’s enthusiasm and commitment, and to the on-‐going support of the many members who have been in touch with me over the years. I could not have played my role as Chair without you. Caroline Glendinning

New Social Policy Convenors Group Following the Social Policy Teaching and Learning Survey conducted by Kate Brown and Ruth Patrick for the SPA in 2011, it became clear that Social Policy Schools/Departments/Units in HE institutions have no formal connection with the Association. One sign of this ‘disconnect’ is the fact – demonstrated in the survey – that fewer than 50% of the respondents were SPA members. This finding, together with other developments – most notably the demise of the Social Work and Policy (SWAP) Learning and Teaching Support Network and the dramatic rise in undergraduate student fees – led the SPA Executive to think about establishing a Social Policy Convenors’ Group, much on the lines of the BSA’s ‘Heads and Professors of Sociology Group’. The main purposes of the Convenors’ Group will be to: • Provide a clear and lasting connection between social policy teaching institutions

and the SPA • Discuss key issues relating to teaching and research that affect institutions and

which liaison between them and the SPA can facilitate/ameliorate • Develop ideas and associated activities independently of the SPA that will help to

secure the future of the discipline’s teaching and research bases

The idea of a Convenors’ Group was initially floated at the ‘Teaching Social Policy for the Future’ conference held in Edinburgh in April 2012. Conference delegates were enthusiastic and, following the conference, staff who convene social policy courses and programmes in HE institutions across the UK were contacted to see if they would be willing to participate in such a group. The response was overwhelmingly positive and so the new group has effectively begun its life – or will do immediately after this meeting. An ‘inaugural dinner’ for Convenors (or their delegates) will be hosted by the SPA Executive Committee on July 17th. The purpose of this ‘working dinner’ is to decide more specifically what sorts of activities the new group may wish to pursue – and also the nature of the relationship between it and the SPA. Further reports on progress and activities will be provided at future SPA conferences. List of Participating Institutions (NB: not yet complete) Anglia; Bangor; Bath; Birmingham; Brighton; Bristol; Cardiff; Central Lancashire; Durham; Edinburgh; Glasgow; Kent; Leeds; Lincoln; Liverpool; London School of Economics; Nottingham; Open University; Oxford; Queen’s Belfast; Sheffield; Southampton; Stirling; Swansea; Teesside; Trinity St David; Ulster; Warwick; West of Scotland; Wolverhampton; York Nick Ellison

Teaching and Learning activities Following the demise of the Higher Education Academy’s Social Work and Social Policy subject centre (SWAP) at the end of 2010, the SPA decided to strengthen its role in supporting social policy teaching and learning, and 2011/2012 has seen an increasing number of SPA executive members involved in a growing range of teaching and learning-‐related activities and initiatives: SPA survey on Social Policy teaching in the UK: in the autumn 2011 the SPA commissioned a survey on social policy teaching in the UK that was conducted by Ruth Patrick, Kate Brown and Emma Drever from the University of Leeds. The survey highlighted trends in social policy teaching such as growing use of placements and online teaching methods and flagged up some good practice examples. Findings also indicated concern among social policy teachers over decreasing numbers of undergraduate students, the ongoing and potential amalgamation of social policy degrees and departments, and the need for marketing social policy more effectively. An interesting finding of the survey was that social policy is taught across a wide range of institutional contexts and often integrated into broader degree courses, while single Social Policy honours courses are rather the exception. Possibly a consequence of this: less than half of the respondents of the survey were SPA members. ‘Teaching Social Policy for the Future’ conference: in April 2012 the SPA organised one-‐day conference at Edinburgh University with the aim to give academics who teach social policy the chance to consider the state of the discipline and to discuss what may need to be done to ensure that the subject increases its attraction for undergraduate and postgraduate students. Around 40

participants from all parts of the UK and from a variety of institutional backgrounds attended the event. Following two key-‐note speeches by Professor David Byrne (Durham University) and Dr. Tania Burchardt (LSE and CASE), the conference offered a series of workshops on teaching-‐related themes, such as training needs of social policy teachers, marketing of social policy as UG degrees, teaching research methods and developing analytical skills, postgraduate teaching experiences, and re-‐thinking social policy QA benchmarks (for more information see Policy World, July 2012). Some key themes emerged from the discussions the SPA wishes to develop further, such as how to improve the recognition of good teaching in academic institutions, and ways to raise the profile of social policy and create better links with young people, schools and employers. The SPA is exploring the possibility to produce a booklet highlighting the relevance of social policy in society and its employability potential that could be used for such purposes. Conference delegates expressed a strong interest for further opportunities to discuss teaching-‐related issues, and the SPA is planning to develop a series of workshops and events around pertinent teaching and learning issues across the UK. Participants also welcomed the SPA’s suggestion to establish a Social Policy Convenors Group that would help create links between social policy teaching institutions across the UK. A first meeting of the Convenors Group has been organised by the SPA at the annual SPA conference in York in July 2012. Postgraduate workshop on employability: in June 2012 a postgraduate workshop on employability was held at the Centre for Analysis for Social Exclusions (LSE) organised by the postgraduate representative Sarah Brooks-‐Wilson. Also at this event delegates showed an appetite for further such events (see annual reports by postgraduate representatives, and Policy World July 2012). Creating links with the restructured Higher Education Academy: the SPA has developed links with the new HEA Social Policy and Social Work subject specialist and is discussing possible joint events for the academic year 2012/13. We are grateful to the HEA for financial support for the ‘Teaching Social Policy’ survey, the conference in Edinburgh and the postgraduate employability workshop in London. British Academy Quantitative Skills initiative: the SPA is supporting the BA’s quantitative skills initiative and representatives from the SPA executive have taken part in a number of BA meetings. The teaching and learning conference in Edinburgh was used as a further opportunity to discuss quantitative methods teaching and graduate qualifications with social policy teachers and SPA members. During 2011/2012 members of the SPA executive have also participated in a number of teaching, learning and recruitment related events across the UK, including the National Higher Education Conference in December 2011 (see Policy World January 2012) and an event organised by the Humanities and Social Sciences Learned Societies and Subject Associations Network

(HSSLSSA) in May 2012 on the impact of higher education reforms on strategically important vulnerable subjects. Ingela Naumann, Convenor, Teaching and Learning Group

Membership report At the end of 2011, we had a total of 632 active members. This represents an increase on the 2010 membership total of 608 members. Moreover it means that we have returned to the membership numbers of 2009 with 631 active members. Figure 1 Changes in overall membership from 2001 to 2011

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800

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Membership rates for the last three years have not increased. Of our current active membership: 41% pay the £20 subscription rate (incomes of less than £15,000); 15% pay the £40 membership rate (incomes between £15,000-‐29,999); 29% were on pay the £70 (incomes between £30,000-‐49,999) and 15% pay the £100 rate (incomes of £50,000 or more). These proportions are roughly similar to previous years. Although, it should be noted that the increase in the £20 subscription rate (30 to 40%), with corresponding decreases in the £40 and £70 categories experienced in 2010, appears to have held in 2011. Membership Rates A large proportion of our membership pay the £20 rate. In the forthcoming year, the Executive Committee will consider plans to continue to attract postgraduate students, whilst offsetting the potential drop in revenues that may result. Therefore work will be conducted to consider ways to cross subsidise the postgraduate rate through increases for other membership rates viability for implementation in 2013

Organisational Membership In 2009, we introduced an organisational membership category for organisations in the public or third sectors (not HE institutions). We have seen a slight increase organisational membership, from 5 members in this category to in 2009 to 8 members in 2010/11. This entitles organisations to receive one copy of all publications, one discounted place at the annual conference and one vote at the AGM, among other benefits. In 2012/13, we plan to produce membership marketing literature specific to organisations, targeting relevant voluntary sector organisations and government departments. Overseas Membership In 2012, we introduced the global south membership rates to encourage greater levels of membership from these countries. Early indications suggest that this rate has been well received, with a number of enquiries made about joining the Association. We will review the demarcation of the North/South border following Member’s feedback for 2013. Membership Directory We launched the new Membership Directory in October 2010 to provide a more flexible and comprehensive service for members. Currently, we have 260 members, who have registered their details in the Directory, we will continue to promote the use of this important resource. Simon Pemberton, Membership Secretary

Annual Awards The Annual Social Policy Association Awards is now in its seventh year and the Association would like to thank the sponsors, Cambridge University Press and Policy Press for their ongoing support. We would also like to thank this year’s judges, Sue Duncan (SPA President), Fran Bennett (Oxford), Katherine Rake (Family and Parenthood Institute), Martin Powell (Birmingham) and Ian Gough (LSE). A special thanks also to the SPA’s Postgraduate Reps – Sarah Brooks-‐Wilson and Lorenza Antonucci – who secured a record number of nominations for the Best Postgraduate Paper and also participated in the judging for that award. In response to feedback from SPA members, the SPA Executive Committee agreed a number of revisions to the Annual Awards for the 2012 round. The changes were widely publicised along with the call for nominations. In 2012, nominations were invited in five categories: Special Recognition; Best Newcomer; Outstanding Contribution to Social Policy Debate, Analysis and/or Practice; Best New Publication; and Best Postgraduate Paper. We received nominations in three categories – Special Recognition, Outstanding Contribution to Social Policy Debate, Analysis and / or

Practice and Best Postgraduate Paper. The winners will be announced at the Conference Dinner during the Social Policy Association Annual Conference. Administration of the awards The nomination forms were available on the website and in members’ copies of Policy World in good time for deadlines. I would like to thank the editor of Policy World and the SPA website officer for their help. We are very grateful to those who nominate, and would encourage more of the membership to participate; there is no limit to the number of nominations you can make in each category.. Aside from the President, judges are appointed by the SPA Executive Committee. They are senior, well-‐respected members of the Social Policy community who are not currently serving on the Executive Committee. We ask judges to exercise their discretion in judging the awards. We do not bind them to any precedents or rules other than their own interpretation of the criteria, and we ask them not to engage in any correspondence about the judging process. The Social Policy Awards Officer chairs the judging process, but does not usually vote except the case of a tie. The Award itself consists of a framed certificate (and in the case of Best Postgraduate Paper, publication in Social Policy Review, subject to editorial discretion). We do not pay an honorarium for the award. The Association pays for the winners’ conference dinners; it usually asks winners to make their own travel and accommodation arrangements to receive their award, but does reimburse those winners without access to institutional funds. Planned developments The Social Policy Association Executive Committee keeps the awards under annual review. We are concerned that some of the award categories did not attract nominations this year. Please do not hesitate to contact me about any aspect of the awards. Please address any comments or feedback to me at [email protected] so they can be considered in time for the September Executive Committee meeting. Majella Kilkey, Awards Officer

International relations

This year’s main event in regards to the SPA’s international relations portfolio is undoubtedly its Joint Conference with the East Asian Social Policy Research Network. However, over the course of last year, there have been additional developments, which are worth drawing SPA members’ attention to: We introduced a Reduced Subscription Rate for colleagues from the Economic South and awarded our first three International Conference Support Grants to SPA members. Several international learned societies, namely the East Asian Social Policy Network, the Hellenic Social Policy Association, and the African Social Policy Association, enquired about the SPA’s Small and Large Grant Schemes. Discussions need to progress further, but we aim to work towards organising a joint event with at least one of these groups in the short term. We

are in the process of renewing our long-‐standing Reciprocal Agreement with the Australian Social Policy Association to encourage and support SPA members wishing to attend its 2013 annual conference in Sydney. We have also entered a dialogue about closer future liaison with the European Network for Social Policy Analysis (ESPAnet). Additional international learned societies, namely the Foundation for International Studies on Social Security (FISS), the International Society for Child Indicators (ISCI) and the Latin American Studies Association (LASA) have been approached to scope out the possibility for co-‐operation in the medium term. More recently, and more concretely, discussions between the SPA and the Development Studies Association (DSA) have begun to organise a joint conference to draw out intersections of the two disciplines for next year. Stefan Kühner

Website

As the incoming Webmaster for the SPA this past year has been a time of ‘finding my feet’ and concentrating on maintaining and updating the website. However, I would like members to think about how the website can be presented more attractively and used more effectively in the future. At present our design is primarily very static and we have not used much dynamic content. Whilst I am a believer in keeping things simple so that navigation of the site is easy and content is relevant, I do feel there is scope to provide different forms of media to cater for a diversity of needs and tastes. I would welcome feedback and commentary from the membership on the following points for consideration:

• In the short term a change to the homepage that currently displays information about the SPA. This current content would nestle in the navigation tab on the left hand side under an ‘About’ tab. The home page could then display a more dynamic content such as videos from our members (for example those available from http://www.youtube.com/swapsoton) describing what is Social Policy and why it is important.

In the long term consideration of the following: • Would the membership like the site to be more interactive by including, for

example: o Blogs o Polls o Podcasts o RSS feeds

• Would the membership like to see the SPA represented on any of the following platforms:

o Twitter o Face book o External blogs

I would welcome any feedback and ideas. Alternatively, if you have seen any websites that you feel could inform the future direction of the SPA’s online presence you may want to pass their address on to stimulate ideas and possibilities. Nicki Senior, Web Manager

Small Standard and Postgraduate Grants The small standard and postgraduate grants have operated in 2011/12 in the same way that they have run in previous years. Up to £500 can be applied for under both schemes. There are two tranches for applications – 1 January to 30 June and 1 July to 31 December. There is an annual cash limit of £4,000 on the small standard grants and up to £2,000 on the postgraduate scheme, which will be reviewed annually. Decisions are made on a first-‐come, first-‐served basis. Information on both schemes is available on the SPA website. Summary of awards made June 2011 to June 2012 Small Grants Scheme Dr Stephen Iafrati, University of Wolverhampton , in support of event ‘Community Development in the West Midlands: An examination of the policy impact of reduced budgets and political changes’ University of Wolverhampton, 2012 (£500.00) Aniela Wenham, University of York, in support of a one day conference ‘Reforming Young People’s Priorities’, University of York 27 March 2012 (£441.00) Dr Patricia Kennett, University of Bristol, in support of the event ‘Future Directions in Comparative Social Policy: Workshop 2’, to be held at the University of Bristol on 5 July 2012 (£500.00) Dr Sarah Pickard, Université Sorbonne Nouvelle – Paris 3 in support of one day forum that forms part of the ‘Higher Education in the UK and the USA since Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan: Converging Models?’ conference at the Université Sorbonne Nouvelle – Paris 3, March 2012 (£200.00) Post-‐graduate small grants scheme Ruth Naughton-‐Doe, University of Bristol and Lee Gregory, Cardiff University In support of the launch of the project ‘Time Bank Research Network’, NESTA, London, 14 October 2011 (£320.00) Verity Clarke, Ruth Naughton-‐Doe, Lorenza Antonucci and Alba Lanau, University of Bristol, in support of Postgraduate Conference: How might your

research guide policy or practice in the future? to be held at the University of Bristol in September 2012 (£500.00) Ruth Patrick, University of Leeds Dr Ben Baumberg, University of Kent, in support of event, ‘The Hardest Hit? The implications of disability research for the government’s welfare reform agenda’, to be held at the University of Leeds in summer 2012 (£500.00)

Large Grants Scheme The large grants scheme is designed to help fund one-‐off conference events dealing with research, policy & practice and/or learning & teaching in a way that is of benefit to the social policy community and SPA members. During 2012, priority will be given to applications which demonstrably have clear policy maker/ practitioner links. Funding is available in two rounds of applications over the year. In 2012, deadlines for applications are as follows: Round 1 – 1st August 2012; Round 2 – 1st December 2012. The maximum award for an individual event is £3000. Large Grant Scheme Summary of awards made June 2011-‐June 2012 Dr Colin Lindsay, University of York, and Dr Donald Houston, University of St Andrews In support of the seminar, ‘Solving the incapacity benefits crisis in the UK and beyond’, University of York, Spring 2012 (£2925.24) Ann Marie Gray SPA Grant Officer

Postgraduate representatives Postgraduate activities 2011/2012 The activities of the first year of SPA postgraduate representation have revolved around the following areas:

- Understanding the composition of the postgraduate population we are representing: I have obtained the data from our membership secretary (Simon Pemberton) and I have started analysing the data. This will inform future actions on memberships and activities for postgraduates.

- Improving our communication with the SPA postgraduates: this is an overall strategy pursued with Sarah Brooks-Wilson which revolves around the use of social media. The scope is to keep in touch with postgraduates through the year, in between our annual conferences and events. We created a gmail account ‘SPA Representatives’ and asked consultations to the postgraduates several times, making use of the existing postgraduate social policy Jisc list. I am managing the facebook fan page and liaising with the other similar organisations through facebook. The SPA postgraduate page has currently 103 likes and my posts on facebook (revolving around research, events and relevant social policy publications) are published on twitter as well.

- Involvement of postgraduates: we decided to use the postgraduate page to involve also postgraduates to write contributions and pieces. I invite and liaise with postgraduates on their contributions for ‘Policy World’.

- Postgraduate welfare: making sure that postgraduates have lower registration rates for the SPA annual conference and discussing the best balance between the economic sustainability of the annual conference, means-tested contributions by postgraduates and membership rates.

- Postgraduate award: I took care of contacting the candidates of the postgraduate award, I anonymised their contribution and joined the judging panel of the Postgraduate Award to peer-review their papers and rate them.

- Postgraduate events: I drafted an SPA small grant application with other postgraduates in Bristol for an event on ‘Research influence and impact’ that will take place in Bristol this autumn. This event aims to engage postgraduates and involve them in presenting in public their work thinking about the wider scope of the research. It permits to involve SPA postgraduates, who focus normally on different sectoral areas, in the wider interdisciplinary debate in social policy.

- Liaising with other postgraduate learned societies: through the year I have exchanged ideas and emails with other postgraduate representatives, in particular with the BSA and HAS also discussing the respective strategies on membership fees and annual conference rates for postgraduates.

This year has also served to learn about how the SPA executive works and preparing events for the next two years. My engagement has covered also the following areas which I plan to further elaborate in the coming year:

- Postgraduate Teaching: Participating and chairing a stream on ‘Marketing social policy’ in the Teaching social policy event helped to understand the role of postgraduates in teaching social policy in higher education. This is an area that will be further explored in the T&L committee of the SPA in the future years.

- Postgraduate representation in the National Postgraduate Committee: I have been put in touch with this committee which is currently putting together the postgraduate representation of all the learned societies in the UK. I am currently liaising with them to represent the SPA postgraduates.

- Social media and social policy: this is an overall strategy about how to make the best use of social media to communicate social policy. As postgraduates tend to be particularly active in this area, an idea which is currently explored concerns how to put forward the social media agenda of the SPA by involving postgraduates.

- Higher education policy changes and postgraduates: using my participation in other networks (BSA, SRHE) to improve the understanding of higher education issues faced by postgraduates in the SPA. As social policy is particularly affected by higher education changes, I am considering organising an event discussing critically the changes in higher education policy on this area in the coming year.

Lorenza Antonucci, SPA postgraduate representative Postgraduate Employability

When jointly elected at the annual conference in Lincoln last year, a discussion with postgraduate delegates highlighted employability concerns relating to obtaining publications, making contacts, and gaining experiences. Following a meeting with the Higher Education Academy’s Social Policy and Social Work discipline lead Vida Douglas, I prepared a funding application for a postgraduate employability conference with £1,500 eventually secured. The one day conference Employability in Social Policy: An Event for Postgraduate Students took place on June 14th 2012 at the Centre for Analysis for Social Exclusion (LSE) with around thirty enthusiastic delegates from fourteen institutions in attendance. Advice and information was provided on: social research for policy making and the Government Social Research Service (Richard Bartholomew); ESRC funding and internships (Prof. John Beath); securing publications (Dr. Tania Burchardt); and developing an online profile (Lauren Probert). Themes of the day were drawn back together in a postgraduate and early career panel (Ludovica Gambaro, Dr. Dan Horsfall, Maciej Sobocinski and Dr. Aniela Wenham) where discussions related to the initial transition from student to scholar. This event was also used as a postgraduate consultation opportunity with initial feedback suggesting the need for further employability activities. Subsequently, a more detailed consultation is taking place with delegates to further establish the nature of such activities. Very provisional discussions have taken place with Prof. Hugh Bochel and Vida Douglas in order to begin considering the feasibility of a follow up event in the north of England, during the academic year 2012-13. Social Policy for Schools The involvement of postgraduate members in Social Policy for Schools events has the potential to provide useful experiences while promoting this area of study – something recognised as highly pertinent in the context of current changes within higher education and the wider economy. University-based widening participation teams have the capacity to liaise with schools locally, increasing the feasibility of such events. The annual ESRC festival of Social Science initiative (next taking place in November 2012) has the capacity to provide financial and promotional support for such events, with their remit extending to school pupils. The SPA could support such activities through the production of an information booklet for distribution at such events, while also potentially making such information available for download on the main website. Dr. Ingela Nauman has also been exploring the value of such an information booklet so further discussions will be taking place in July regarding taking things forward. The outcome of an ESRC Festival of Social Science funding application (to support design and printing costs) is currently outstanding. Social Media Prior to election in July 2011, I had a discussion with Dr. Rachel Dobson (the then outgoing Postgraduate Representative) about the communicative potential of social media, and it became apparent that a robust case should be made to the Executive Committee in relation to any proposed introduction. With the support of Prof. Karen Rowlingson I liaised with the BSA and PSA in order to gather evidence relating to the value of social media for postgraduate communications in learned societies. Following the joint preparation of a paper to the Executive Committee and further discussion, I set up the Twitter account ‘@spapostgrads’, the Facebook fan page ‘SPA

Postgraduates’ and Facebook profile ‘Postgraduate Representatives’. With the advice of Dr. Nicki Senior I connected Facebook and Twitter, allowing updates to be automatically communicated between the two communication tools. Currently, Lorenza Antonucci is responsible for providing updates through Facebook and I am responsible for those through Twitter. Since its inception, 122 ‘tweets’ have provided Twitter updates (while also feeding through to Facebook) on funding and employment opportunities, and some information relating to the annual and postgraduate conferences. Ninety-six Twitter users are currently being followed, and eighty are following ‘@spapostgrads’ including students, scholars, research units within and outside of higher education, publishers and other relevant organisations. At the recent postgraduate employability conference, one delegate highlighted how his attendance had resulted from event promotion through Twitter, suggesting the value of this communication medium and its continued use. Other activities At the recent Teaching Social Policy for the Future event in Edinburgh, a postgraduate teaching workshop was chaired. Lorenza Antonucci has taken more of a lead with the Best Postgraduate Paper Award, advocating a change in eligibility criteria, drawing up a shortlist of candidates, downloading postgraduate papers and removing the names of each author for judgement. Both Lorenza and I liaised with postgraduates regarding their eligibility and participation in this award, before taking part in the judging process. Lorenza Antonucci and I have been jointly writing a page for the SPA’s Policy World newsletter since our election. We have tried to promote the inclusion of the postgraduate community in this space and to date have included contributions from two Best Postgraduate Paper Award nominees. To promote active postgraduate participation and the £500 Postgraduate Small Grant Scheme, I have more recently secured the contribution of a Sheffield postgraduate and conference organiser. Sarah Brooks-Wilson, Joint Postgraduate Representative

Policy World/Media Media 2011-‐2012 has seen various press activities, with encouraging results. In 2011 the SPA became a partner to the Socialsciencespace website, and has subsequently expressed an interest in the Social Science Bites series of interview-‐based podcasts that the site is to host. Press activity around Sue Duncan’s appointment as President resulted in coverage, as well as invitations to Sue to both contribute feature articles to Public Finance magazine and to speak at events. Press activity around articles in SPA journals also attracted media attention, with one release concerning Hilary Graham’s work on social class and smoking prevention being picked up by national print and broadcast media.

The SPA continued to work closely with Public Servant magazine, which published various feature pieces by SPA members during the period in question.

More detailed information available on request – contact me at [email protected].

Chris Blunkell

Report on the Journal of Social Policy This is our fourth (and therefore penultimate) report as Editors of the Journal of Social Policy. We continue to be impressed by the quality and volume of submissions and of the commitment very many people give to the journal. Jane Dennett provides first class administrative support ensuring the smooth day-‐to-‐day running of our operations. Rod Hick undertakes efficient pre-‐copyediting and liaises with CUP on production. Thanks are also due to Rebecca O'Rourke, Kirsten Purcell, Katie Smith and Melanie Howe at Cambridge University Press; to Brian Lund, Reviews Editor; to Fran Bennett and Ken Jones for editing the on-‐line Social Policy Digest; to members of the JSP Editorial Board and Nick Ellison, Chair of the Board; and to Chris Blunkell, SPA press officer. We are also very grateful to the large number of referees who have provided comments in the past year, including of course many SPA members, and encourage any of you who have declined to referee through pressure of other commitments to consider whether you can make room for this vital role in the forthcoming year: we value your opinion and the journal depends on you. We have seen a further slight increase in the number of submissions to the journal, from 170 in the period July 2010-‐June 2011, to 178 in the period July 2011-‐ mid June 2012 (see next page for full breakdown). This is good news, although it does of course increase the pressure on processing times and workload. In order to expedite decisions and minimise the additional burden on referees, we have continued to make greater use of editorial discretion in declining submissions without sending them out to referees, based on the criteria of relevance to an international social policy readership and the extent to which the piece has the potential to make a significant contribution to debate. The overall acceptance rate was slightly up on the long-‐run average in 2009 and down in 2010. The 2011 figure appears lower again but there are 22 papers submitted in 2011 that are with authors for revision, some of which will in due course be published, so we expect the final acceptance rate to rise to something similar to last year. Overall during our editorship so far we have an acceptance rate of just under 1 in 5. Although we do not set a target for the acceptance rate, in practice this level has ensured that, together with a slight expansion last year in the annual page budget for the journal and more efficient processing, the time between

acceptance and publication has been reduced significantly (from an average of 164 days for volume 40 to 98 days for volume 41). This helps to ensure that articles remain timely and promotes engagement with current policy developments and debates. Articles accepted in mid June may be available on-‐line through the First View facility as soon as September this year (the exact timing depends on the authors’ speed of response to proofs and so on) and will appear in print in volume 42, issue 1, i.e. the January issue of 2013. Although we are sceptical about the value of citation metrics, we are mindful that they continue to play a role in the decisions librarians make about subscriptions and perhaps also where good authors chose to submit their work. There is a degree of fluctuation from year to year, so we were not unduly concerned that JSP’s ISI impact factor fell slightly (1.016 in 2010 compared to 1.034 in 2009) especially as this was still considerably above the 2008 figure (0.726). We expect the 2011 figures shortly and will be analysing them closely. We would like to see an even higher impact but the methodology used to construct the ranking is dominated by US titles, and JSP is also disadvantaged by the absence of a specific ‘social policy’ category. We have been very pleased to work with Chris Blunkell, SPA’s press officer, to promote media interest in selected articles appearing in the journal. This strategy has had some success this year, notably in relation to Hilary Graham’s article on stigma and smoking. We welcome thoughts and suggestions about how the journal could be further strengthened in the future. Tania Burchardt and Hartley Dean Articles received 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 January 17 10 10 15 10 8 14 February 18 8 15 13 10 9 11 March 10 12 17 12 12 5 6 April 9 8 10 10 13 6 9 May 15 23 9 14 13 18 9 June 12 17 10 10 20 7 10 July

23 12 10 12 8 10

August

13 20 8 10 8 13 September

11 17 10 11 15 13

October

18 15 9 9 8 15 November

17 19 24 5 13 8

December

15 18 5 11 10 8 Total 81 175 172 140 136 115 126

Decisions on articles 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 Accepted

20 28 43 27 36 30

Rejected after referees' reports 16 82 92 87 109 79 96 Rejected without sending to referees 19 42 44

Research note

0 0 0 0 0 0 Revision 6 22 7 8 0 0 0 Decline to resubmit

0 0 0 0 0 0

Withdrawn 2 2 1 2 0 0 0

Pending (awaiting reviewers' comments or editorial decision) 38 7 0 0 0 0 0

Total 81 175 172 140 136 115 126

National base of authors 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 UK 19 72 76 66 55 60 55 New Zealand/Australia 5 9 19 9 9 7 14 USA/Canada 5 22 14 17 22 14 14 South/Central America 0 0 2 0 1 0 1 Mainland Europe 7 53 35 23 30 24 29 Africa 0 1 5 2 0 0 0 Asia/Far East 7 12 19 14 11 7 10 Middle East 2 6 2 9 8 3 3 Total 45 175 172 140 136 115 126

National base of authors accepted 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 UK

12 22 28 14 25 17

New Zealand/Australia

0 3 1 5 1 1 USA/Canada

2 1 8 2 2 3

Mainland Europe

5 2 5 6 8 9 Africa

0 0 0 0 0 0

Asia/Far East

1 0 0 0 0 0 Middle East

0 0 1 0 0 0

Total 0 20 28 43 27 36 30

Acceptance rate 0% 11% 16% 31% 20% 31% 24%

Report on Social Policy and Society

This is our second report as Editors. We are very grateful for the continuing help given to us by Cambridge University Press, notably, Kirsten Purcell (while Rebecca O’Rourke is on maternity leave), Katie Smith, Mary Mochrie and Melanie Howe. We are, of course, grateful to the members of the Editorial Board, and particularly to Alan Deacon as Chair. We have also been fortunate to have the assistance of Jane Charlesworth as administrator for the past year, and she has become a key part of the editorial functions for the journal. As was mentioned in the report for 2011, it is encouraging to see the range of topics covered in submissions to the journal, in both the open and themed sections. However, perhaps surprisingly given the pressures to publish, the last twelve months have seen a fall in the level of submissions to the open section of the journal, from 54 in the period from July 2010 to June 2011 to 35 from July 2011 to June 2012. While in many respects the position remains fairly healthy, it would be good to have more submissions, particularly given the developments outlined in paragraph below. In contrast, the number of proposals for the themed sections has remained strong (7 proposals from July 2011 to June 2012, with 5 approved for publication and 1 being revised).

With the range of pressures in higher education it can be difficult to find individuals willing to undertake the role of referees, and we are very grateful to all of those who have acted as referees and commented on submissions for Social Policy and Society over the past year. We are very pleased that, with the assistance of our referees, we have maintained an average period for a decision to be conveyed to authors of less than three months from submission. We are also delighted that, from January 2012, all articles are now published online through CUP’s FirstView within six weeks of acceptance. We would welcome any suggestions about how the journal might be developed and further strengthened. Catherine Bochel and Hugh Bochel Articles Received

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 January 4 4 0 2 7 5 3 8 February 2 2 4 3 6 2 3 3 March 3 2 1 2 4 1 4 4 April 7 2 1 3 4 0 5 1 May 5 7 0 5 4 2 6 3 June 5 7 1 1 3 3 5 July 6 9 3 8 4 5 5 August 1 6 4 3 2 4 3 September 9 3 2 7 3 7 2 October 5 3 1 9 4 2 1 November 5 1 6 5 2 5 3 December 3 3 3 2 6 4 2 TOTAL 55 49 26 50 49 40 42 19

Decisions on Articles

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

Accepted 25 20 16 25 25 17 16 1 Rejected after referees report 29 24 8 20 18 16 18 5 Rejected without sending to referees

1 4 2 3 4 5 2 1

Revision 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Decline to resubmit 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 Withdrawn 0 0 0 2 1 1 0 0 Pending 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 12 Total 55 49 26 50 49 40 42 19

National base of authors (open section)

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 UK 38 35 18 38 38 25 23 13 Europe 6 2 3 2 6 3 7 1 Australia/New Zealand

5 3 0 2 2 4 7 2

Canada/USA 1 5 1 2 1 1 2 1 Central/South America

0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0

Africa 0 0 1 0 1 3 1 1 Asia/Far East 3 1 3 2 1 3 2 0 Middle East 2 3 0 3 0 1 0 1 Total 55 49 26 50 49 40 42 19 National base of authors accepted (open section)

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 UK 18 14 14 21 21 13 12 1 Europe 3 2 1 0 3 0 0 0 Australia/New Zealand

4 2 0 1 0 3 4 0

Canada/USA 0 2 1 1 0 1 0 0 Central/South America

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Africa 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Asia/Far East 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 Middle East 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 Total 18 20 16 25 25 17 16 1

SPA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE: CURRENT RESPONSIBILITIES AND

MEMBERSHIP OF WORKING GROUPS – JANUARY 2012

1. Teaching, Learning and Recruitment Group Group Convenor Ingela Naumann TL&R officer Simon Pemberton TL&R officer Ann Marie Gray Post-‐grad representatives Lorenza Antonucci, Sarah Brooks-‐Wilson Early careers Ben Baumberg (co-‐opted) 2. Publications Group Policy World Editor Chris Blunkell JSP Editor/s Tania Burchardt, Hartley Dean SPR Editor/s Majella Kilkey/ Gaby Ramia/ Kevin

Farnsworth SP&S Editor Hugh Bochel and Catherine Bochel Treasurer Rana Jawad Shadow Treasurer Anne Brunton 3. Events, membership and press/web Annual Conference Organiser John Hudson (Kevin Farnsworth

for 2013/14) Awards Officer Majella Kilkey and Nicola Moran (shadow) Mailbase Manager Nicki Senior Website Manager Nicki Senior Membership Services Simon Pemberton Policy World Chris Blunkell Press and Publicity Chris Blunkell Small and Large Grants Officer Ann Marie Gray 4. External Relations Group BSA Council/UK Learned Societies Karen Rowlingson British Academy Liaison Anne Brunton International Relations Stefan Kuehner, Nicola Yeates Policy-‐making and research relations Sue Duncan, Ann MarieGray, Ingela

Nauman, Karen Rowlingson and Nicola Yeates

ESRC Liaison Officer Nicola Yeates Other Funders Liaison Officer Karen Rowlingson REF Liaison Caroline Glendinning, and Karen

Rowlingson

Social Policy Association Annual General Meeting

Documents

Transcript of Social Policy Association Annual General Meeting