The Social Policy and Practice Research Group aims to provide a space for researchers to share ideas, build capacity, and create impactful research in a multi-disciplinary context. Drawing on expertise from across the School of Education and Social Policy (Health, Social Care, Housing, Social Work, Policing, and Youth Work), the group is developing a strategy for sharing and generating research around topics such as health, family policy, wellbeing, housing, community engagement, professionalism, and welfare provision. We engage with partners from our networks beyond the university to ensure that the research agenda and production within the group responds to urgent social policy priorities in Wales, the UK, and in an international context.

The group is aligned with the Centre for Health, Activity and Wellbeing Research (CAWR) as part of the Health and Human Performance Global Academy at Cardiff Met. Beyond the University, the group is well-positioned to engage with and inform social policy debates at UK Government and Welsh Government levels. The work developed and ways of working reflects the Welsh Government’s Wellbeing of Future Generations agenda.

The group hosts regular meetings, seminars, and workshops. We aim for this to be a research group which is hosted by Cardiff Met, but with members from practice organisations and universities across Wales, the UK, and internationally.