The Centre for Social Policy was established in 1995 to complement the work of the Social Research Unit which has been at Dartington since 1968. The aim was to establish an organisation for researchers, managers and professionals to maintain their interests and facilitate their work during or immediately before their retirement from their principal career. There are presently over 50 Centre Fellows who share dedicated office space with other activities in Warren House Group.

The Centre provides practical support and consultancy to the other activities of the Warren House Group. It maintains a Research Ethics Committee and assists with the publication of the journal Children's Services, a collaboration between SRU and Pier Professional Publishing. There are regular seminars on social policy issues and some Fellows use the administrative and collegiate opportunities offered to undertake their own work. Fellows respond to consultative documents and publish their considerations and conclusions in various forms.

At the 2010 AGM, the Centre had over 50 fellows from several countries (United Kingdom, Israel, USA and Norway). Their disciplines are: social policy research; social work/social services; education; psychiatry/medicine; psychology; youth justice; law ; psychotherapy and publishing.

The Centre for Social Policy seminars for 2009 included a seminar on March 30th and 31st, that discussed the implementation of research into policy and practice using the type II translation model. Speakers included Daniel Perkins from Penn State University, US and Majella Murphy-Brennan, implementation officer for the Triple P parenting programme.

The seminar on June 17th and 18th was on Predicting Risk and the Role of Serious Case Reviews. The speakers were Wendy Rose (Open University) who has undertaken a study of case reviews of children and Gillian Downham (fellow) who has published an article on mental health homicide inquiries. Nick Axford from The Social Research Unit led a discussion on the concept of a 'service'. These papers and the seminar conclusions are posted on the papers section of the website.

The seminar on December 1st and 2nd discussed Symbols and Structures in Social Welfare, Family Justice and Mental Health. The speakers were Cannon Melvyn Matthews from Wells Cathedral, Mervyn Murch, Douglas Hooper and Bill Jordan, CSP fellows. The papers from this seminar are posted in the papers section.

The seminar held on March 22nd and 23rd 2010 discussed evaluation the work of the Robert Owen Communities for learning disabled people and the opportunities for developing a nurturing culture offered by 'urban village secondary schools'. The first discussions was led by visitors from the Robert Owen Communities and Rix Foundation, and the second by CSP fellow James Wetz.

At the seminar held on June 21st and 22nd, Ilan Pappe from Exeter University discussed his publications on understanding the political and social problems in the Middle East, and Eric Emerson from Lancaster University presented findings from his research into disability, inequalities and health. 

The seminar held on November 29th and 30th at Dartington Hall comprised a presentation by the child psychiatrist Bob Jezzard on future developments in child and adolescent mental health services in which he analysed policy documents emanating from the previous and current governments on the organisation and delivery of services and reviewed trends in clinical practice. Michael Little then discussed his work with MP Graham Allen's policy review on prevention and early intervention and explained the difficulties of combining research, political and economic perspectives into a single report.  Michael Wadsworth and John Bynner then discussed the benefits of longitudinal follow-up studies of children and families for planning, policy and practice. They showed how health and educational profiles had changed in the UK in the various decades since World War II.  Finally, Tim Hobbs assessed the strengths and weaknesses of this type of study.

The April 2011 seminar examined the thesis proposed by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett in their book The Spirit Level that the apparent contradiction between the material success and social failings in many modern societies is best explained by inequalities in societies than by levels of poverty per se, and that more unequal societies are bad for almost everyone in them - the well off as well as the poor. Professor David Gordon of Bristol University discussed the proposition in the light of his research and showed that while the thesis was attractive, the reality was more complicated.The claim for any causal link was unproven and inequality and income distribution did not always mirror differences in status. David Jodrell and Vashti Berry from the Social Research Unit then examined the Spirit Level Thesis in the light of the epidemiological studies of the needs of children and families undertaken by the Unit and showed that while poverty is a risk factor affecting children's health and behaviour, it is only one of many and that a life chance perspective is likely to be more fruitful. The seminar closed with a presentation by Ewan Anderson on restorative justice, one of the three guiding planks (along with prevention and integration) in the proposals of the recent Independent Commission on Youth crime and Anti-social Behaviour, Time for a Fresh Start - summarised in Prevention Action on the 18th November 2010, www.preventionaction.org

The seminar held at Lower Hood Barn on June 16th and 17th 2011 comprised four contributions: from David Lane on grievance procedures involving children who have been in care; Roy Parker on the first group (post 1948) of children's officers; Tim Hobbs on childhood stress and resilience; and Roger Bullock on a thirty year follow up of children in care with regard to their criminal behaviour and mortality.

The next seminar on November 21st and 22nd 2011 will be held at Dartington Hall and will include two presentations: Margaret Adcock, Elizabeth Monck and Richard White will consider ways of aiming for long-term security for children in care, and Sonia Jackson will present findings from the YIPEE (Young People from a Public Care Background: Pathways to Education in Europe) project. The Centre AGM will also be held.