#LinkingLeeds DWP Day at University of Leeds - life as a DWP analyst 'reflections, analysis and methodology'

This day is part of the successful #LinkingLeeds series of events which aims to connect research with policy and has seen researchers at Leeds at other Universities building strong connections with policy-makers, analysts and strategists at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

This day will take place at the University of Leeds and is designed to provide information about opportunities at the Department for Work and Pensions, as well as insight into life as a policy analyst, focusing on reflections, analysis and methodology. It will also provide opportunity for researchers and students at Leeds to hear about topics of interest from a policy perspective.

Who is this event for?

This event is for University of Leeds students and researchers of all levels who are interested in policy engagement, finding out more about opportunities to work or engage with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), and/or the specific topic areas represented in the programme. Please see the day's programme below for further details.

If you have any questions about this event, please contact Hannah Crow (H.E.Crow@leeds.ac.uk) or Katie Barclay (K.Barclay@leeds.ac.uk).

Event Programme

10.00 - 10.30 Registration & Informal Networking

10.30 - 11.15 Kimberley Newcombe, Abbey Fish, & Thomas Hamlyn - 'Starting at DWP'

• A presentation on recruitment pathways towards being a civil servant with an insight into Kim's experience. DWP placement students will also talk about their year at DWP and what it has to offer for placement students.

11.15 - 12.15 Alex Hayes & Emma Watson (Children, Families and Disadvantage Policy, DWP)

• Alex will set out what it is like to work for DWP as a Policy Adviser. He will take about his area of policy, child maintenance, and how this related to the DWP's Areas of Research Interest (ARI). Emma will talk about her work in DWP in the Family Policy team and her role on the Reducing Parental Conflict programme.

12.15 - 13.15 Lunch

13.15 - 14.15 Katie Pybus - 'Extending the parity of esteem agenda: Mental illness and stigma from a socioeconomic perspective'

• Katie will aim to provide an overview of her PhD research which explores how socioeconomic conditions interact with the stigma associated with mental illness. She will discuss the historical and current context of socioeconomic disadvantage for people with mental illnesses and use this to argue that achieving parity of esteem between physical and mental health requires a move beyond ensuring equal access to healthcare funding and towards engaging with broader social policy initiatives.
  

14.15 - 15.15 Peter Matejic (DWP Child Poverty Unit) - 'Measuring low living standards over time'

• What statistics are currently used to determine low living standards and how has this changed over time? Peter Matejic, the DWP statistician lead for the official low income statistics, will give a whistle-stop tour of how poverty has been measured over time and its interaction with official statistics. He will then cover how the current measures are constructed and describe current trends, before concluding with possible future developments.

15.15 Close