Policy Research Briefings and Reports

PolicyBristol brings together policy-relevant work from across the University to make it more accessible to research users outside academia so that it can inform and shape policy.

Search for Policy Research Briefings by theme:

Arts & Culture Business & Economy Education Energy & Environment
Health & Medicine Politics & Society Technology

If you can't find the briefing you are looking for, try searching through our earlier briefings here.

Below is a series of our most recent policy research briefings and reports based on the work of researchers across the University of Bristol. Use the search box to find Policy Briefings by title, author, date and keywords (e.g. education, Brexit).

Date	Title of project	Authors	Keyword
Nov 2023	Implementing the ‘Liberty Protection Safeguards’ is an urgent priority	Series, Lucy	Politics and Society, Liberty Protection Safeguards care, human rights, Mental Capacity Act 2005, deprivation of liberty safeguards, DLOS
Nov 2023	Centre equity to create enduring UK-ASEAN Relations	Yates, Robert; Edwards, Scott	Politics and Society, UK, ASEAN, Southeast Asia, UK foreign policy, Indo-pacific tilt
Nov 2023	Paediatric incontinence: early identification and treatment needed to prevent mental health problems	Joinson, Carol et al	incontinence, mental health, child health, Bladder and Bowel UK, ERIC, Davina Richardson, Juliette Rayner, Sarah Fowler, Alina Lynden
Oct 2023	The use of sexual behaviour evidence in rape trials: challenging legal reasoning and decision-making	Conaghan, Joanne; Russell, Yvette	Politics and Society, RASSO, Rape and Serious Sexual Offence, legal, law, trials, evidence, sexual violence, justice, Law Commission, prosecutions, rape myths, legal reasoning, decision making, Joanne Conaghan, Yvette Russell
Oct 2023	Meals on Wheels: awareness-raising of the service and its benefits is needed to aid prevention in adult social care	Papadaki, Angeliki	Health and medicine, adult social care, meals on wheels, prevention, disability, care, carer, independence, awareness raising, policy, commissioning, service, Angeliki Papadaki, Miranda Armstrong, Paul Willis, Ailsa Cameron
Oct 2023	Trauma-informed approaches in healthcare: piecemeal implementation needs UK-wide leadership, strategy and evidence	Lewis, Natalia	Health and Medicine, trauma, organisational change, TAP CARE, Bristol, Adverse Childhood Experiences
Oct 2023	Increasing renewable distributed generation for resilient energy communities.	Souto, Laiz	Energy and Environment, renewable energy, resilience, decarbonization, energy systems, renewable energy
Sept 2023	Domestic Abuse: awareness and action needed on chemical control	Walker, Sarah-Jane et al	Health and medicine, domestic abuse, domestic violence, violence against women, medication, chemical control, Sarah-Jane Walker, Marianne Hester, Elizabeth McCarthy, Women's Aid, criminal justice, coercive control, psychological abuse, financial abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, physical abuse
Sept 2023	Supporting children’s physical activity beyond the COVID-19 pandemic	Jago, Russ et al	Education, children, physical activity, covid-19, Department for Education, Russ Jago, Dani House, Ruth Salway, Robert Walker, prevention, health, MVPA, policy, physical activity guidelines, physical activity strategy, sedentary time, socio-economic status, targeted support, girls, primary schools, PE & Sport premium
Sept 2023	Improving language learning and integration outcomes for adult migrant and refugee learners of English	Court, Jill	Education, adult learners, ESOL, integration, migrant, refugee, Jill Court, teacher training, policy, policymaking, DfE, English for Speakers of Other Languages
Sept 2023	Children who fail to meet UK dietary guidelines have worse cardiometabolic health as young adults	Buckland, Genevieve; et al	School food, education, child health, Eatwell Guide, ALSPAC, Caroline Taylor, Pauline Emmett, Kate Northstone, cardiovascular disease, heart, health
July 2023	How to improve oracy and strengthen universal language provision in early years and primary schools	Bakopoulou, Ioanna	Education, oracy, primary, early years, teaching, Ioanna Bakopoulou, spoken language skills, wellbeing, speaking, listening, schools, professional development, learning culture, evidence base, policy, training
July 2023	Responsible drone use in biodiversity conservation	Millner, Naomi; et al.	Biodiversity Conservation, Environment, Best Practice, Guidelines, International
June 2023	‘Substituted parenting’ in the family courts: “too much” support for parents with learning disabilities considered harmful for children.	Tilbury, Nadine; Tarleton, Beth	Politics and society, substituted parenting, family courts, family law, learning disabilities
June 2023	Guaranteeing public sector adoption of trustworthy AI - a task that should not be left to procurement	Sanchez-Graells, Albert	Business and Economy, public sector, AI, Artificial Intelligence, procurement, AI regulation, regulation, Data Protection and Digital Information Bill, automated decision making, policy,
June 2023	UOB Position Paper: Contextual offers	Jennings, Doug	position paper, contextual offers, students, Bristol
June 2023	What happens when migrant pupils turn 16?: A scoping study of 16+ provision for young migrants in the UK	Sharples Robert; Godfrey, Jules; Ahmed, Syd	Education, Politics and Society, migrants, migration, post-16 education, young people, UK
June 2023	How green jobs and skills can ensure a just transition for young people	Atkins, Ed	Energy and Environment, Green Jobs and Skills, Just Transition, Young People
May 2023	Practical and financial advice within suicide prevention services can make them more effective	Farr, Michelle; et al	health and medicine, suicide prevention, Hope, Jon Banks, Joni Jackson, Theresa Redaniel, Marina O’Brien, Christian Costello, Hope project, Second Step
May 2023	Improving the social acceptability of Highly Protected Marine Areas (HMPAs)	Pieraccini, Margherita	Energy and Environment, conservation, coastal, marine, social acceptability, Highly Protected Marine Areas, HPMAs
May 2023	Inequality in action sports: How marketing and media can help foster inclusion	Spotswood, Fiona; Hurcombe, Martin; Marsh, Barney	health and medicine, sports, Fiona Spotswood, Martin Hurcombe, Barney Marsh
May 2023	Services to support family and friends affected by someone else’s gambling should be included in strategic commissioning plans	Collard, Sharon; Davies, Sara; Cross, Katie	Politics and Society, gambling, mental health, wellbeing, Sharon Collard, Sara Davies, Katie Cross
Apr 2023	Let’s talk about death: All children in England should receive grief education at school	Dawson, Lesel	Education, grief, death, bereavement, children, PHSE
Apr 2023	How the Great British Insulation scheme can help the most vulnerable	Atkins, Ed	Energy and Environment, Energy Efficiency, Just Transition, Vulnerable, Great British Insulation scheme
Mar 2023	Encouraging take up of low carbon heating solutions requires better information provision, new value creation and financing models	Chitchyan, Ruzanna	Energy and Environment, low carbon heating solutions, net zero
Mar 2023	Universal free school meals in secondary schools are a feasible and acceptable way to address food insecurity	Kidger, Judi; Carlisle, Vicky; Jessiman, Tricia; Breheny, Katie et al.	Education, Health & Medicine, Rona Campbell, Russ Jago, Steve Strong, Marcus Robinson, universal free school meals, food poverty, Universal Credit, Hammersmith and Fulham, secondary schools
Feb 2023	Skills required for future ‘smart local energy systems’ need new approaches	Bird, Caroline; Chitchyan, Ruzanna	Education, Technology, Energy and Environment, Smart Local Energy Systems, training and qualifications
Feb 2023	Women refugees impacted by narrow definitions of torture	Canning, Victoria	Politics and society, torture, refugees, women
Jan 2023	Local Action for the Global Goals: A Case Study of Bristol	Macleod, Allan; Fox, Sean; Aguirre, Raquel	Sustainable Development Goals, Voluntary Local Review, Bristol
Jan 2023	Generational attitudes to facial recognition: How retailers and policymakers should approach the use of developing facial recognition technology	Pantano, Eleonora; Marikyan, Davit; Vannucci, Virginia	Politics and Society, facial recognition, technology, CCTV, generational attitudes
Dec 2022	Successful procurement digitalisation requires more data, in-house expertise, and improved governance mechanisms	Sanchez Graells, Albert	Politics and Society, digitalisation, procurement
Dec 2022	Alternative Rites of Passage: What is their role in FGM/C abandonment?	Van Bavel, Hannelore; Hughes, Lotte; Kaul, Arunav; Newell-Jones, Katy	Politics and Society, health, FGM/C, Alternative rites of passage, East Africa
Dec 2022	From mothers for mothers - supporting financial resilience through user centred services	Angsten Clark, Anne; Royall, Claire	Politics and Society, Financial Resilience
Dec 2022	The response to Covid-19 in Northern Uganda should be disability-inclusive	Sandhar, Jassi Kaur	Health and Medicine; Politics and Society; Uganda; Covid-19; disability; disabilities; inclusivity
Nov 2022	Reform Development Finance Institutions (DFI's) grievance mechanisms to uphold human rights	Ferrando, Tomaso	Politics and society, Business and economy, Development Finance Institutions, human rights
Nov 2022	Digital Inclusion in the energy system	Chambers, Joseph; Robinson, Caitlin; Scott, Matthew	Energy and Environment, Digital Inclusion
Nov 2022	After a decade of austerity, urgent changes are needed to improve prison services	Ismail, Nasrul	Politics and Society, austerity, prison services, prison reform
Nov 2022	Urgent reforms are needed for prison healthcare services after a decade of austerity	Ismail, Nasrul	Politics and Society, Health, Prisons, prison healthcare, austerity. prison reform
Oct 2022	Community-centred services support residents to build financial resilience	Angsten Clark, Anne; Collard, Sharon; Holme, Caitlin; Jenkins, Daniella; Ahmed, Moustapha; Dimitrui, Claudia; Duucale, Elmi; Osman, Iqbal; Dora, Lisa; Ramakrishnan, Hari	Politics and Society, Economy, financial resilience, community
Oct 2022	Regulating digitisation of critical infrastructures	Michalec, Ola; Milyaeva, Sveta; Rashid, Awais	Technology, digitisation, critical infrastructure, regulation, Operational Technologies
Oct 2022	Tackling precarious work through financial regulation and private debt relief	Gouzoulis, Giorgos; (Takis) Iliopoulos, Panagiotis; Galanis, Giorgos	Business and Economy, precarious work, financial regulation, debt relief
Oct 2022	Mental Capacity, Self-Neglect, and Adult Safeguarding Practices: Evidence Synthesis and Agenda for Change	Miles, Flora; Lariviere, Matthew	Health and Medicine, mental capacity, self-neglect, adult safeguarding, Safeguarding Adult Reviews
Oct 2022	Targeted support needed for researcher wellbeing	Hammett, Jessica; Garcia-Reyes, Karina; Nunan, Claire	Arts and Culture, Health and Medicine, Politics and Society, wellbeing, mental health
Oct 2022	‘We shouldn’t have to shout to be heard’: Valuing Parents as Experts	Charnock, Hannah; McLellan, Josie; Hutchen, Jude; Evans, Sharon; Selassie, Jendaye; Hussein, Muna; Whittmore, Becky; Hamid, Roofi	Politics and Society, COVID-19, Parenting, pandemic, children, education, mental health, wellbeing
Oct 2022	Climate Change education: A “world-leading strategy” would benefit from being research-informed	Howard-Jones, Paul; Dillon, Justin	Education, Climate Change, school, teachers, research
Sept 2022	Implementing the UK’s Indo-Pacific Tilt in Southeast Asia through equitable and sustainable partnerships	Edwards, Scott; Yates, Robert	Politics and society, Southeast Asia, security, UK, strategy
July 2022	Fostering art-science collaborations to tackle environmental challenges	Oyarzún, Fernanda; Pinochet, Carla; Valdés, Catalina; Pohl, Nélida; Merchant, Paul	Arts and Culture, art-science collaboration, Chile, environment,environmental challenges
July 2022	Time to make it count: Implementing the UK’s new maritime security strategy	Edmunds, Timothy	Politics and Society, maritime, security, UK, strategy
June 2022	Air navigation services should be funded as a public good	Turnbull, Peter; Thomas, Huw; Harvey, Geraint	Politics and Society, COVID-19, Civil Aviation Industry, airlines, Air Navigation Service Providers
May 2022	Offer choice of different emollient types and support their use in children with eczema	Ridd, Matthew; Best Emollients for Eczema study team	Health and Medicine; eczema, dermatitis, BEE
April 2022	Tackling digital exclusion for survivors of modern slavery	Malpass, Alice; Horwood, Jeremy; McLeod, Hugh; Farr, Michelle et al.	Health and Medicine; Politics and Society
March 2022	Diary Toolkit should be rolled out in schools to support teacher wellbeing	Hennessy, Lauren; Kelly, Lucy; Kelly, Catherine	Education, schools, diary, wellbeing, teachers
March 2022	The impact of COVID-19 on children born with cleft lip and palate	Davies, Amy; Humphries, Kerry; Sharp, Gemma; Southby, Lucy; Wren, Yvonne	Health and Medicine
Feb 2022	Do not renegotiate India and Pakistan’s Indus Waters Treaty	Haines, Dan	Politics and Society, India, Pakistan, Indus River, Indus Water Treaty, Kashmir
Feb 2022	Global Pandemics require a community response	Karlsen, Saffron; Retief, Angelique; Jirde, Sado	Politics and Society, health, COVID-19, community, ethnicity
Dec 2021	Definancialisation and Workspace Regulation as a Public Health Policy Tool	Gouzoulis, Giorgos; Galanis, Giorgos	Business and Economy, definancialisation, workplace regulation, public health, policy
Dec 2021	Eating disorder symptoms and self-harm are linked to higher levels of depression and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic	Warne, Naomi; Heron, Jon; Mars, Becky; Kwong, Alex; Solmi, Francesca; Pearson, Rebecca; Moran, Paul; Bould, Helen	Health and Medicine, ALSPAC, Children of the 90s, eating disorders, self-harm, covid-19, coronavirus, pandemic, mental health, wellbeing
Nov 2021	Regulating digitisation of critical infrastructures: we need diverse experts to translate cyber security risks into the sector-specific contexts	Michalec, Ola; Milyaeva, Sveta; Rashid, Awais	Energy and Environment, cyber security, digital innovations, critical infrastructure
Nov 2021	Is it worth calculating Progress 8 anymore?	Prior, Lucy; Jerrim, John; Thomson, Dave; Leckie, George	Education, Progress 8, COVID-19, qualifications, secondary school
Nov 2021	Undertaking reviews of monuments and street names: Processes to guide public bodies	Stephenson, Ben; Burch Brown Joanna; Gournet, Marie-Annick	Politics and Society, reviews, monuments, street names, public bodies
Nov 2021	An opportunity to rethink opiate addiction treatment policy and practice?	Hines, Lindsey; Kesten, Joanna	Health and Medicine, opiate, addiction, treatment
Oct 2021	Risks of childhood statelessness for the children associated with alleged ‘foreign fighters’ detained in Syria and Iraq	Pougnet, Rachel	Politics and Society, statelessness, childhood, children, foreign fighters, Iraq, Syria
Oct 2021	What are the odds? The appeal of gambling adverts to children and young persons on twitter	Rossi, Raffaello; Nairn, Agnes	Politics and Society, Business & Economy, Technology, gambling
Oct 2021	Seen but not heard: addressing the silent epidemic of child maltreatment in India	Fernandes, Gwen	Health and Medicine, children, India, maltreatment
Oct 2021	Autistic students’ poor mental health: staff training needed to improve outcomes	Sedgewick, Felicity	Health and Medicine, autism, mental health
Oct 2021	Securing a just transition to a climate resilient Bristol: obstacles and opportunities	Dietzel, Alix; Venn, Alice	Politics and Society, climate, Bristol, just transition
Sept 2021	Telling Local Stories: New routes of climate change and nature communication in Bristol	Atkins, Ed	Energy and Environment, climate change, nature, communication, Bristol
June 2021	Evaluating risk level in cities to support tourists and inhabitants during COVID-19	Pantano, Eleonora; Scarpi, Daniele; Vannucci, Virginia; Bilotta, Elenora; Pantano, Pietro	Politics and society, COVID-19, risk, cities, tourism, travel
June 2021	Multiple adolescent risk behaviours should be targeted to prevent cancer risk in young adults	Wright, Caroline	Health and Medicine, cancer, adolescent, prevention
June 2021	The Istanbul Convention and Queer Women Seeking Asylum	Tschalaer, Mengia	Politics and Society, asylum, women, Istanbul Convention, LGBTQI+
May 2021	The UK Investor Visa: History, Aims and Controversies	Kunz, Sarah	Politics and Society, immigration, investor visa
May 2021	Tackling teenage sexual violence: history shows culture, not just technology, should be addressed	Charnock, Hannah	Politics and Society, teenage sexual violence, culture, technology
Apr 2021	Online information and advice to carers during the Covid-19 pandemic	Lloyd, Liz; Bezzina, Agnes; Willis, Paul; Ali, Becky	Politics and Society, COVID-19, social care, online information
Mar 2020	COVID-19: Local coordination delivered emergency food, but food plans must address food insecurity	Lucas, Patricia; et al	Politics and Society, COVID-19, food provision, food insecurity
Feb 2021	A consultancy habit? The use of external management advice in the NHS	Sturdy, Andrew; Kirkpatrick, Ian; Veronesi, Gianluca	Politics and Society, management, consultancy, NHS
Feb 2021	We can't prevent childhood obesity by education alone: lessons from the evidence base	Nobles, James; Jago, Russ; Moore, Theresa; Summerbell, Carolyn; Brown, Tamara	Health and Medicine, childhood, obesity, education, evidence
Jan 2021	Not on the buses: reduce inequality by subsidising bus travel for Bristolian children	Layard, Antonia; McNab, Finlay; Room 13 Hareclive and Ingrid Skeels	Politics and Society, inequality, Bristol, transport, children
Jan 2021	Improving outcomes for young children in refugee families	Allport, Tom; Mace, Jessica; Farah, Fatima; Yusuf, Fatima; Mahjoubi, Lamine; Redwood, Sabi; Jaeckle, Sally	Politics and Society, refugees, child development
Nov 2020	Nutrition labelling helps individuals choose healthier foods	von Hinke, Stephanie; Fichera, Eleonora	Politics and Society, health, nutrition, food
Oct 2020	We need better data to address regional race disparity	Karlsen, Saffron; Retief, Angelique; Kirde, Sado	Politics and Society, South West, race, data
Oct 2020	Can management consultancy be regulated?	Sturdy, Andrew	Politics and Society, management, consultancy, regulation
Sept 2020	Menopause in the workplace: Employers' role is critical	Beck, Vanessa; Nelson, Rosie	Politics and Society, menopause
Sept 2020	Approved Mental Health Professionals’ views on the role of relatives in compulsory mental health admissions: Challenges and opportunities	Laing, Judy; Dixon, Jeremy; Stone, Kevin; Wilkinson-Tough, Megan	Health and Medicine, mental health, family
Sept 2020	Regulating digitisation of critical infrastructure	Michalec, Ola; van der Linden, Dirk; Milyaeva, Sveta; Rashid, Awais	Technology, infrastructure, cyber security
Sept 2020	Responding to child neglect in schools: messages for inter-agency safeguarding practice	Sharley, Victoria	Education, child neglect, schools, safeguarding practice
July 2020	Kept Apart: Immigration system needs reform to stop traumatic separation of families and couples	Charsley, Katherine	Politics and Society, immigration, families
July 2020	Extreme weather and their impacts under climate change	Lo, Eunice; Mitchell, Dann	Energy and Environment, extreme weather, climate change
July 2020	Atmospheric measurements improve global emissions reporting	Hoare, Tilly; Rigby, Matt	Energy and Environment, atmospheric measurements, global emissions reporting
July 2020	Professional understandings of child neglect in Namibia	Sharley, Victoria; Ananias Janetta; Rees, Alyson; Leonard Emmerentia	Politics and Society, child neglect, Namibia
July 2020	Children in informal care arrangements with extended family: messages for best practice in Namibia	Sharley, Victoria; Ananias Janetta; Rees, Alyson; Leonard Emmerentia	Politics and Society, fosterage, family, Namibia
Jun 2020	Returning to growth: the role of management practices in productivity	Burger, Katharine; Pitts, Harry; Smart, Palie	Business, productivity, management, leadership
Jun 2020	The memories of marginalised communities need to be part of peacebuilding and transitional justice in Colombia	The MEMPAZ Collective	Politics and Society, Colombia, peacebuilding, transitional justice
Jun 2020	The Effects of COVID-19 on Queer Asylum Claimants in Germany	Tschalaer, Mengia	Politics and Society, Covid-19, Asylum claimants, Germany, LGBTQI+
Jun 2020	The Recognition of Black Lesbian Asylum Claims in Germany	Tschalaer, Mengia	Politics and Society, Asylum claimants, Germany, LGBTQI+
Jun 2020	Bristol in Brief 1: Drugs in the South West	Torrance, Josh; Khouja, Jasmine; Crick, Emily	Politics and Society, drug use, South West
Jun 2020	Global data on young people who inject drugs suggests harm reduction approaches should be scaled up	Hines, Lindsey	Health and Medicine, drug use, young people
Jun 2020	Exploring hidden narratives in the West African Tramadol trade and transport of migrants	Klantschnig, Gernot; Frowd, Philippe; Apard, Elodie	Politics and Society, West Africa, drug policy, drug trafficking, irregular migration
Jun 2020	Cost-effective tools to reduce the spread of the Hepatitis C Virus in people who inject drugs	Thomas, Clare	Health and Medicine, Drug use, Hepatitis C
Jun 2020	The causes of cancer: implications for policy and practice	Martin, Richard; Relton, Caroline; Wade, Kaitlin; Richmond, Rebecca; Yarmolinsky, James	Health and Medicine, cancer, policy
Apr 2020	Children in Need and Children in Care: Educational Attainment and Progress	Berridge, David; Luke, Nikki	Politics and Society, Education
Mar 2020	Delivering Maritime Security after Brexit: time for a joined-up approach	Edmunds, Timothy; Edwards, Scott	Politics and Society, Brexit, maritime security
Mar 2020	Mayoral governance in Bristol: Has it made a difference?	Sweeting, David; Hambleton, Robin; Oliver, Thom	Politics and Society, Bristol, Mayor
Mar 2020	Mapping science and policy priorities in a Changing Central Arctic Ocean	Hendry, Katharine	Energy and Environment;Arctic Ocean;climate;ocean
Mar 2020	Policy priorities in a Changing Arctic Ocean	Hendry, Katharine	Energy and Environment, Arctic Ocean, climate, ocean
Mar 2020	Provide women with information about the risk of pregnancy to increase contraceptive demand	Valente, Christine	Politics and Society, pregnancy, fertility, women
Jan 2020	How depression relates to academic achievement in adolescence and early adulthood: identifying high risk points	López-López, José	Health and Medicine, depression, Education, disability, adolescence
Jan 2020	Riding Sunbeams: powering our trains with solar PV	Nolden, Colin	Technology, energy and environment