What does day-to-day life involve for those who receive out-of-work benefits? Is the political focus on moving people from ‘welfare’ and into work the right one? And do mainstream political and media accounts of the ‘problem’ of ‘welfare’ accurately reflect lived realities?For whose benefit? The everyday realities of welfare reform explores these questions by talking to those directly affected by recent reforms. Ruth Patrick interviewed single parents, disabled people and young job...

Money was already tight for UK families living on a low income before the COVID-19 pandemic, but national lockdowns made life much harder.Telling the stories of these families, this book exposes the ways that pre-existing inequalities, insecurities and hardships were amplified during the pandemic for families who were already in poverty before COVID-19, as well as those pushed into poverty by the economic fallout it created.Drawing on the Covid Realities research programme,...

Available Open Access digitally under CC-BY-NC-ND licence.In the latest volume of the long-established Social Policy Review series, leading experts critically assess key developments and debates in social and public policy over the past year.Offering a wide-ranging exploration of contemporary issues – including labour market transitions, migrant experiences, welfare governance and inequalities in care – this book brings together research that reflects the diversity and dyna...

Demonstrating the relevance of theory to political and policy debates and practice, this lively and accessible second edition helps students to grasp the real-life implications of social policy theory.The updated text includes consideration of contemporary shifts in welfare ideologies in the context of global austerity and the UK Coalition and Conservative governments since 2010. With a new chapter focusing on critical debates about disability, sexuality and the environment, this t...

The political and economic landscape of UK social security provision has changed significantly since the 2008 financial crisis. This fully revised, restructured and updated 3rd edition of a go-to text book covers all the key policy changes and their implications since the elections of 2010 and 2015.With contributions from leading academics in the field this book critically examines the design, entitlement, delivery and impact of current welfare provision. The first half of the book...

Connect with God as a family in just a few minutes each nightYou love your children and want to pass your faith on to them, but in the busy activity of daily life, it's not as easy as it sounds.This helpful, hopeful family resource is exactly what you need to strengthen your faith as a family. It includes 90 days of biblically grounded devotions, prayers, and action steps. As you walk through these pages together at the end of each day, you will not only in...

The transition from “married” to “married with children” can be tough. Before they know it, a once youthful and energetic married couple finds themselves in a minivan loaded with noisy kids and littered with Cheerios, crusty Sippy cups, banana peels, and missing library books. As much as you love your children and work hard to nurture and train them for the future, the challenges that come with parenthood can make the “for better or for worse” promise a hard one to honor.For Be...

Enjoy family devotions that will help you raise faith-filled kids who know, love, and live for God.With 100 devotionals, the Faith Forward Family Devotional by authors Patrick and Ruth Schwenk will equip you to nourish faith in your children that lasts a lifetime.You've passed down to your kids your last name, your love, and maybe your sense of humor or favorite hobbies. But have you passed down the most important thing: your faith...

Your Storm Doesn’t Have to Sink YouAt some point in our lives, we all find ourselves in a boat in the middle of a lake. We might be there due to a job loss or the death of a loved one. Maybe disability, divorce, or financial insecurity has stranded us. Patrick and Ruth Schwenk found themselves feeling battered after five miscarriages and then surrounded by the waves with Patrick’s cancer diagnosis at age forty-three. They were alone. Drifting. And that’s when their...

Enjoy family devotions that will help you raise faith-filled kids who know, love, and live for God.With 100 devotionals, the Faith Forward Family Devotional by authors Patrick and Ruth Schwenk will equip you to nourish faith in your children that lasts a lifetime.You've passed down to your kids your last name, your love, and maybe your sense of humor or favorite hobbies. But have you passed down the most important thing: your faith...

Your Storm Doesn’t Have to Sink YouAt some point in our lives, we all find ourselves in a boat in the middle of a lake. We might be there due to a job loss or the death of a loved one. Maybe disability, divorce, or financial insecurity has stranded us. Patrick and Ruth Schwenk found themselves feeling battered after five miscarriages and then surrounded by the waves with Patrick’s cancer diagnosis at age forty-three. They were alone. Drifting. And that’s when their...

Connect with God as a family in just a few minutes each nightYou love your children and want to pass your faith on to them, but in the busy activity of daily life, it's not as easy as it sounds.This helpful, hopeful family resource is exactly what you need to strengthen your faith as a family. It includes ninety days of biblically grounded devotions, prayers, and action steps. Organized into three sections, this devotional helps parents answer three importa...