N8 Research Partnership

Discover the key insights from the SEND report in this at-a-glance infographic. See how the findings link to building a country that truly works for all children and young people.     If you work in education, healthcare, or local government, don’t miss out on the practical how-to guides - full of actionable steps to help improve outcomes.     Explore the guides today and see how you can help make a difference! https://lnkd.in/ef5-Jsgg #ChildrenFirst N8 Research Partnership, Centre for Young Lives 

Schools lack the resources to support the 1.28 million children in England with special educational needs The latest update from Child of the North reveals: 🚸 Geographical inequalities leave children in disadvantaged areas further impeded by system failures 🚸 There is a widening gap since 2023/24 in severe school absence 🚸 The provision of Education Health and Care (EHC) plans has become increasingly delayed  🚸 Schools lack the skills, confidence and resources to support the 1.28 million children in England with SEN 🚸 Evidence suggests SEN support can shift from a diagnosis-led to a needs-led system. There is an urgent need to implement whole-system level support for children with special educational needs. We need the government, policymakers, practitioners, academics, communities and young people to work together to build a country that works for all children and young people. Support our #ChildrenFirst campaign: ✅ Read and share the latest update: 'Addressing the SEND crisis update: Implementing what works in a worsening crisis’.  https://lnkd.in/eM_vaB_Y ✅ Read and share the original report 'An evidence-based plan for addressing the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) assessment and support crisis' which provides rigorous research and pragmatic, evidence-based recommendations: https://lnkd.in/eUcqQEhC ✅ Re-visit the online discussion: https://lnkd.in/euvtrkiN ✅ Implement and share our practical toolkits, designed to support schools, child health workers and local authorities: https://lnkd.in/ejEfQJdu ✅ Join the conversation here and on your own channels #ChildrenFirst. ____ #ChildrenFirst is a twelve week campaign running from September to December 2025, and builds on a major series of reports produced last year on key topics identified by Northern child health leaders as major issues of concern, including poverty, special educational needs, school attendance and mental health. Each week we release the latest findings and launch new toolkits to help schools, child health workers and local authorities take practical steps to improve the health and wellbeing issues faced by the children and young people in their care. Learn more about the campaign: https://lnkd.in/ef5-Jsgg #SENDcrisis

You can now listen to our panel event from Labour Party Conference 2025, held in partnership with The York Policy Engine, where we heard from Kate M Proctor from Save the Children UK, Dr Sam Rushworth MP, Graham Whitham - CEO of Resolve Poverty, Professor Kate Pickett from University of York, and Professor David Taylor-Robinson from University of Liverpool.     In this event we explored how national policy and local strategies can work hand-in-hand to reduce child poverty and close the health and opportunity gap experienced by children across the UK, particularly those in the North of England.     The message was clear: poverty is neither inevitable nor irreversible. By investing in the young people today, we can secure a healthier, fairer future for the whole country. Watch the panel event here: https://lnkd.in/eij5hS29

“Poverty has no return on investment”    The Resolution Foundation estimates that scrapping the two-child limit would lift over 400,000 child out of poverty immediately. It is therefore crucial that removing this limit remains a central point of discussion in plans to eradicate child poverty.   Read Alexis Darby’s recent blog post, outlining the impact the two-child limit has on child poverty in the UK and the work Health Equity North has been doing to research and spread awareness of this critical issue.     Read here: https://lnkd.in/e_jKGmkv

The Government could save upwards of £20bn and support more than 220,000 people back into employment through return-to-work schemes, according to new analysis.      ‘Return to Work’ is a new report, commissioned and funded by the Work and Pensions Select Committee and produced by Health Equity North with academics from Newcastle University, The University of Manchester, University of Liverpool, and University of Glasgow, outlining the potential effectiveness of the Government’s ‘Getting Britain Working’ programmes.     The report estimates that:    - Getting 5% of unemployed under-25s back into work would save £903 million.   - Getting 5% of under-25s workless due to sickness or disability back into work would save £631 million.   - Getting 5% of unemployed over-25s back into work would save £6.67 billion.   - Getting 5% of over-25s workless due to sickness or disability back into work would save £11.9 billion.     Debbie Abrahams, MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth and Chair of the Work and Pensions Select Committee, has said: “In the past we have seen the value of supportive welfare-to-work programmes, such as the New Deal for Disabled People and New Deal for Young People, which addressed the needs of the whole person in helping them to get into work. It’s imperative that these Government ‘Trailblazer’ schemes are ramped up – if we can get even a small proportion of the out-of-work population working again, we will see extraordinary gains, not only fiscally, but for these individuals, their families and across communities, workplaces, and public services alike.”     Research such as this offers solid solutions that the Government should consider in order to create effective support for those out of employment and achieve the UK’s full productivity potential.    Read more about the new report here:  https://lnkd.in/eGdq3mkt

Applications are now open for N8 Policing Research Partnership - Policing Priority Grants. Access pump-priming funds for collaborative, targeted research into high-priority areas, new challenges, and pressing concerns in policing. Projects must be led by an academic at one of the N8 universities and must be in collaboration with N8 PRP police partners. For full details visit: https://lnkd.in/eXQHskmT ____ The N8 Research Partnership is a collaboration of the eight most research intensive Universities in the North of England: Durham University, Lancaster University, University of Leeds, University of Liverpool, The University of Manchester, Newcastle University, The University of Sheffield, and University of York N8 PRP police forces: Cheshire, Cleveland Police (UK), Cumbria Police, Durham, Greater Manchester Police, Lancashire Constabulary, Merseyside, North Yorkshire, Northumbria, South Yorkshire, and West Yorkshire Police.

📣 Children across the North are facing a health crisis due to inactivity and inequality Analysis from the Child of the North’s #ChildrenFirst campaign highlights the urgent need to tackle health inequalities affecting children in northern communities.  According to statistics outlined in an updated report, 2.2m children and young people in England are classed as inactive, with children in the North losing up to 10 years of life due to inactivity and inequality. The report outlines seven key actions for policymakers, including adopting a whole-school approach to physical activity. 💬 Professor Mark Mon-Williams, from the University of Leeds' School of Psychology and the Bradford Institute for Health Research, said: “The reality is if you are born near Bradford Royal Infirmary, you are likely to die 10 years earlier than if you were born in Wharfedale. This is unacceptable in the UK in 2025.” The #ChildrenFirst campaign, includes the launch of weekly toolkits to support schools, child health services and local authorities to implement the report recommendations and improve outcomes for children.  Read the report 👉 https://lnkd.in/eRntuYYt Child of the North campaign 👉 https://lnkd.in/ef5-Jsgg University of Leeds I N8 Research Partnership

Children across the North are facing a health crisis and experts say physical activity must be at the heart of the solution. As part of the national Child of the North #ChildrenFirst campaign, the University of Bradford has joined with universities across the North to call on the Government to adopt a “whole-of-school” approach to physical activity, backed by new research and international recommendations. The campaign, coordinated by the N8+ group of universities, highlights the urgent need to tackle health inequalities affecting children in northern communities. Find out more about the campaign: https://bit.ly/4nYY7Ck University of Leeds, Lancaster University, University of Liverpool, The University of Manchester, Newcastle University, York University, The University of Sheffield

Discover the key insights from the physical activity & nutrition report in this at-a-glance infographic. See how the findings link to building a country that truly works for all children and young people.     If you work in education, healthcare, or local government, don’t miss out on the practical how-to guides - full of actionable steps to help improve outcomes.     Explore the guides today and see how you can help make a difference! https://lnkd.in/ef5-Jsgg #ChildrenFirst N8 Research Partnership, Centre for Young Lives