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By Dr Sophie King-Hill, Senior Research Fellow, Health Services Management Centre and David Russell, Community Safety & Justice Manager Warning: Contains discussion of child abuse themes. Fashion house Balenciaga has never shied away from controversy in its 103 years in the fashion industry.  However, their recent advertising campaigns appear to have gone a step too … Continue reading “When ‘shock to sell’ goes too far: Balenciaga and the glamorisation of paedophilia in the name of fashion”

By Professor Catherine Needham, Professor of Public Policy and Public ManagementHealth Services Management Centre, University of Birmingham Yesterday in the Autumn Statement, the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt confirmed what had already been hinted: the cap on social care spending by private individuals would be delayed past its planned implementation date of October 2023. Instead, there will … Continue reading “The cap that never fits – delaying the social care cap yet again”

By Professor Judith SmithSchool of Social Policy, University of Birmingham In these straitened economic times, public services awaited the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement with trepidation, wondering where and how deeply the axe of funding cuts was going to fall. Trailers for the Statement had intimated tax increases, major spending constraint and delays to much-needed policy and … Continue reading “As good as it gets”

By Dr Kelly HallDepartment of Social Policy, Sociology and Criminology Social care services are reported to be facing a ‘perfect storm’ of financial and workforce pressures. Spending on social care is falling and fewer people receive publicly funded services. There is a workforce crisis and recent reports suggest that around a quarter of care workers … Continue reading “Can social enterprises tackle the social care crisis?”

By Dr Ash Stokoe, University of Birmingham, Dr Gina Gwenffrewi, University of Edinburgh, and Dr Charlotte Galpin, University of Birmingham In the eye of the media storm for the past five years, since the UK Government released a public consultation on the possibility of reforming the 2004 Gender Recognition Act, the UK’s trans community has weathered … Continue reading “Hunting Mermaids: Exploring media representation of the trans+ community”

By Dr Sophie King-Hill, Senior FellowHealth Services Management Centre, University of Birmingham Queen Elizabeth II died on 8th September 2022, aged 96, after a 70 year reign. The media and the press quickly declared that the whole nation was in mourning and a chain of events doused in pageantry was set into motion. A period … Continue reading “The Monarchy: Pageantry vs Poverty”

By Dr Sophie King-Hill, Senior FellowHealth Services Management Centre, University of Birmingham The death of Queen Elizabeth II has highlighted some key fragilities and controversies within the monarchy, arguably the most prominent being Prince Andrew and his affiliation with convicted child sex traffickers Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. The association was also coupled with accusations … Continue reading “The Monarchy: Wealth, Power and Exploitation”

By Dr Marisol Reyes and Gabriella D’AvinoInstitute for Research into Superdiveristy, University of Birmingham Several months have passed since the Russian invasion of Ukraine and more than 7,5 million Ukrainians have been displaced across Europe. In March 2022, the UK government introduced a scheme intended to meet the needs of forced migrants escaping the conflict … Continue reading “Homes for Ukraine: A toolkit for hosts and guests”