Partnering with government to embed health in urban decision making
A University of Bristol-led research collaboration is reshaping national policy to help ensure healthy communities sit at the centre of urban development funding decisions.
News
Partnering with government to embed health in urban decision making
A University of Bristol-led research collaboration is reshaping national policy to help ensure healthy communities sit at the centre of urban development funding decisions.
New award examines the implications of prevention of future deaths reports for learning disabled people
New award from NIHR School for Social Care Research examines the implications of Prevention of Future Deaths (PDF) Reports for social and health care support and services for learning disabled people.
New outreach programme to encourage open conversations about intimacy after female genital cutting
A new community outreach programme to help women and their partners who are managing the consequences of Female Genital Cutting or Circumcision (FGC) is set to launch following a successful pilot.
Epilepsy can lead to earlier deaths in people with intellectual disabilities, study shows
A combination of missed prevention opportunities and health inequalities can result in the early deaths of people living with epilepsy and intellectual disabilities, new research has shown.
Prof Angeliki Papadaki who champions Meals on Wheels services invited to meet Her Majesty the Queen
A University of Bristol academic who has helped champion awareness of Meals on Wheels services through her research was invited to Clarence House this week as part of a reception hosted by Her Majesty the Queen to celebrate Meals on Wheels Week (3 to 7 November).
Social Harm Policy Group secures new funding to address Inequality and drive policy change
The Social Policy Association’s Social Harm Policy Group has secured another two years of renewed funding to continue its influential work addressing the structural causes of social harm, linking inequality, marginalisation, and political change to real-world impacts on communities and policy.
School for Policy Studies postgraduate students honoured with prestigious doctoral prize for outstanding research excellence
Two postgraduate researchers from the University of Bristol’s School for Policy Studies - Dr Lois Peach and Dr Bintu Mansaray - have been awarded the Faculty of Arts, Law and Social Sciences 2024/25 Doctoral Prize for outstanding excellence in a doctoral dissertation.
Book by SPS academic receives top award from the British Academy
Congratulations to Dr Lucy Series, from the School for Policy Studies, whose book has been awarded the 2025 Peter Townsend Prize by the British Academy.
International partnership unveils key insights into early childhood education across Namibia
A three-year collaboration between the University of Namibia (UNAM) and the University of Bristol, funded by the Perivoli Foundation through the Perivoli Africa Research Centre (PARC), has just concluded a study on early childhood education in Namibia.
Social Policy ranked 4th in The Times Good University Guide
Social Policy at Bristol has been ranked 4th in the UK in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026.
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SPS academic’s new book wins prestigious human rights award
Congratulations to Dr Sandhya Fuchs from the School for Policy Studies (SPS) whose new book has won the 2025 James Busuttil Medal and Prize for human rights scholarship from the Royal Asiatic Society.
Dr Oliver Russell, 1936-2025
Dr Oliver Russell, co-founder and first director of the University’s famous Norah Fry Research Centre (now the Norah Fry Centre for Disability Studies in the School for Policy Studies), died on 25 July. His colleagues offer a remembrance.
SPS hosts pioneering research funded by Defra to help tackle violence against women and girls
A new research programme has been launched to explore the interconnection between the use and abuse of animals by domestic abuse perpetrators and domestic abuse-related homicide-suicide.
Celebration for Class of 2025 graduates
We were delighted to celebrate with graduates from the Class of 2025 at an informal event in Priory Road Gardens after the formal graduation in the Wills Memorial Building.
Experts come together in Bristol for first International Child and Family Conference
Research and policy specialists in child and family life were welcomed to Bristol in June for the inaugural International Child and Family Conference.
Article wins prestigious Social Work award
Congratulations to Beth Tarleton, a senior lecturer in the School for Policy Studies, who was part of the research team which scooped the 2024 Kay McDougall British Journal of Social Work Prize for best article.
Social Policy ranked 3rd in the UK
Social Policy at Bristol has been ranked 3rd in the UK by the Complete University Guide 2026.
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Bristol hosts first international child and family conference
Renowned experts in childhood and family life will be in Bristol in June for the inaugural International Child and Family Conference.
Congratulations to Dr Angeliki Papadaki on becoming a University Enterprise Fellow
We are delighted to announce that Dr Papadaki from the School for Policy Studies has been named as one of the University’s 2025-2026 Enterprise Fellows.
Young people turn school uniform into compelling anti-knife crime art
More than 100 school shirts emblazoned with compelling messages capturing children and young people’s feelings about knife crime are set to be publicly exhibited.
Professor Geraldine Macdonald becomes Academy of Social Sciences Fellow
We are delighted to announce that Professor Geraldine Macdonald, Professor of Social Work from the School for Policy Studies, has been named as one of the new cohort of outstanding social scientists to join the Academy of Social Sciences.
Prof Nicola Dandridge leads study on what university students think about their higher education choices
New research reveals undergraduates and graduates overwhelmingly believe in the importance of getting a degree, but a high proportion think with the benefit of hindsight they would have made a different decision about what or where to study.
Professor Geraldine Macdonald awarded Senior Investigator status by the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR).
Congratulations to Professor Geraldine Macdonald, Professor of Social Work in the School for Policy Studies, who has been appointed as a new NIHR Senior Investigator.
Key network to ensure rights for parents with learning disabilities & learning difficulties is moving to a new home
Vital service that supports professionals working with parents with learning disabilities/difficulties is moving from the University of Bristol to Research in Practice
‘Nothing is impossible’ says Somali refugee who juggled Uber driving and studies to fulfil graduation dream in tribute to late brother
When Abdullahi Abdi threw his mortarboard in the air on graduating and looked skyward, his sense of elation was overshadowed by huge sorrow.
Congratulations to our Class of 2024
We were delighted to celebrate with graduates from the Class of 2024 at an event St George's after the formal graduation in the Wills Memorial Building.
Statement on the abduction of alumnus Jesús Armas
The University of Bristol is calling for the release of alumnus Jesús Armas, a human rights activist who has been detained against his will in Venezuela.
Childhood Studies alumna Dez Holmes awarded MBE
Congratulations to Dez Holmes who has been awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours list for services to improving social care practice.
The preventable murder of Sara Sharif
Professor Aisha K Gill speaks about the horrifying murder of Sara Sharif and what can be done to help prevent anything like this happening again.
School for Policy Studies retains core membership of NIHR School for Social Care Research and successfully secures fourth phase of funding
The University of Bristol is one of the six leading academic centres demonstrating excellence in social care research that make up the membership of the School for Social Care in this next phase
Pioneering research reveals growing dangers and repression of climate activism globally
A new report has uncovered the many risks of participating in climate and environmental protests across the world – and how more countries are criminalising and repressing this activity in a bid to keep it in check.
New report suggests trust still broken in policing violence against women
The report has revealed that trust remains a key issue in the policing of violence against women and girls in Black and minoritised communities – and this type of crime is much less likely to result in an offender being charged compared to other offences.
New research shows impact of migration on home ownership
Findings from a first-of-its-kind study into migration and housing tenure indicate that settlers into a new country are the group least likely to have a home of their own.
Launch of first-ever UK-wide Meals on Wheels map
Researchers from the School for Policy Studies have this week launched a groundbreaking online tool designed to help connect individuals across the UK with vital Meals on Wheels services.
Sarah Ayres announced as Chair of the Regional Studies Association
School for Policy Studies Professor, Sarah Ayres, takes up leadership role at the RSA as the Association marks its 60th anniversary
New programme, MSc Global Health Policy, launched at the School for Policy Studies
We are delighted to announce the launch of this new interdisciplinary social sciences programme, for entry in September 2025. The programme is designed to provide the knowledge and skills needed for real-world global health influence.
Religious arbitration of marriages involving domestic abuse
Dr Natasha Mulvihill and Dr Nadia Aghtaie host a symposium exploring the religious arbitration of marriages involving domestic abuse.
Policy Studies’ academic receives prestigious international research award
Dr Bai Li has been honoured with the Sedentary Behaviour Research Network (SRBN) Practice Leadership Award for her work on sedentary behaviour amongst children and adolescents.
Celebration for Class of 2024 graduates
We were delighted to celebrate with graduates from the Class of 2024 at an informal event Priory Road Gardens after the formal graduation in the Wills Memorial Building.
Research to help tackle knife crime in Bristol makes headway
Researchers at the University of Bristol are joining forces with Bristol City Council and other partners in a bid to help reduce knife crime locally and beyond.
Ultra-processed food makes up almost two-thirds of calorie intake of UK adolescents
Adolescents consume around two-thirds of their daily calories from ultra-processed foods (UPFs) new research from the Universities of Bristol and Cambridge has found.
Comparing COVID-19 experiences in prisons to inform future pandemic preparedness
SPS lecturer, Dr Nasrul Ismail, awarded a new British Academy Grant to lead an international research team comparing COVID-19 experiences in Southeast Asian prisons to enhance future pandemic preparedness.
New citation metrics for Policy & Politics
We’re delighted to announce that Policy & Politics (P&P) has achieved an impressive result in the 2024 Journal Citation Reports with a 2-year Impact Factor of 4.3.
New PhD to investigate mental health benefits of surfing
A new University of Bristol PhD will study the relationship between surfing and mental wellbeing, after a new report found the sport boosts physical and mental health.
SPS academics nominated for Inspiring and Innovative teaching
Julian Molina and Francisco Palma Carvajal were both nominated for the Inspiring and Innovative Teaching Award for the Faculty of Social Sciences and Law. Julian won the award at yesterday's BILT Teaching Awards Celebration Event.
Celebrating 20 years of our Masters in Public Policy (MPP)
We were delighted to be able to mark 20 years of our Masters in Public Policy programme with a celebration event last week (May 30th).
New Report - Homes for all. Convening a coalition for change.
SPS Professor Alex Marsh among collaborators delivering new report offering a distinctive intervention in the housing policy debate
Bristol expert backs bold national bid to save a million children in the UK from poverty
An ambitious campaign to lift one million children from relative poverty in the UK was launched today – and leading child poverty researcher Professor David Gordon is among the top experts showing his support.
Report warns that performing arts under threat from future global shocks unless lessons are learned from pandemic
Live performing arts are facing an existential threat from a range of potential global shocks unless there is significant and sustained investment in resilience planning.
Prof David Abbott appointed Senior Investigator by National Institute of Health and Care Research
School for Policy Studies academic has been awarded Senior Investigator status by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).