Across Britain, paid and unpaid care work remains undervalued and ignored: here are six ways governments can change that

Silvia Galandini Poverty in the UK, Research, Women's Economic Empowerment

Being a parent, unpaid carer or paid care worker in Wales, Scotland or England too often means being forced into hardship. Silvia Galandini and Claire Spoors introduce Oxfam’s new paper, which sets out how to break the link between care and poverty.

Don’t see the value of care, carers and informal workers? We have some messages that might just change your mind…

Sanika Sawant Influencing, Research, Women's Economic Empowerment

Tired old narratives such as care is not ‘real’ work need to be challenged. Sanika Sawant, Alex Bush, Anam Parvez Butt, Blandina Bobson, Silvia Galandini and Regis Mtutu on new Oxfam research from Kenya, Zimbabwe and the UK that tested new narratives with exciting potential to build government and public support for care, carers and informal workers.

Lisa Nandy on the UK’s future development policy under Labour

Duncan Green Events, In the news, Influencing

‘People know better than we do’, the opposition party’s shadow minister for international development tells the Overseas Development Institute. Duncan Green on what he thinks her first major speech in post potentially means for UK policy and for the “development cluster” of academics, think-tanks and NGOs.

Four ways to build youth activism for peace: insights from one UK student’s campaigning on Yemen

Yasmin Turner Active citizenship, Humanitarian, Influencing

Oxfam campaigner Yasmin Turner on how she is working to draw attention to the crisis in Yemen and pressure the UK government to stop the British arms sales fuelling the conflict – from hosting a photographic exhibition to writing to her local MP.

I’m an unpaid carer: I have no paid job – but I do have value

Katy Styles Influencing, Poverty in the UK, Women's Economic Empowerment

The value of unpaid care for disabled, ill and older people in the UK is equal to the entire budget of the NHS, yet it’s not even counted in our GDP. In a blog for Carers Week, Katy Styles explains why she founded the grassroots, volunteer-led We Care campaign to demand a new deal for the millions of invisible carers like her.

How can we tell a new story that boosts support for all care and carers?

Silvia Galandini Influencing, Poverty in the UK, Research

The millions of paid and unpaid carers across the UK – including parents and guardians of children, social care and childcare workers, and unpaid carers for disabled, ill and elderly people – desperately need a new deal. Silvia Galandini, Anam Parvez (both Oxfam GB) and Nick Gadsby (The Answer) introduce a new toolkit that can help build public pressure for change, by constructing a fresh and compelling narrative about the value of all care.

It’s time for the UK to start caring about its carers

Anam Parvez Gender, Poverty in the UK, Women's Economic Empowerment

Millions of people provide essential paid and unpaid care such as support for children, disabled, ill and older people. Yet their huge contribution contrasts starkly with threadbare state support for their work. Anam Parvez and Silvia Galandini look at the high price carers, and especially women, pay for society undervaluing care – and the policies we need to fix our broken care infrastructure.

Are schools facing a squeeze on social justice activism and debate?

John McLaverty Active citizenship, Education, Youth Participation

New government ‘impartiality guidance’ advises teachers in England to provide ‘opposing views’ to campaigning movements such as Black Lives Matter – and to discourage students from taking any action that aims to change policy. John McLaverty and Safia Mizon Thioune set out their concerns

Levelling up: how wealth taxes can reduce inequalities

Oliver Pearce In the news, Inequality, Poverty in the UK, Tax

How far will this week’s budget go in ‘levelling up’ the UK in line with the government’s stated aims? Whilst much of the public debate has centred on what changes to taxing and spending the new Chancellor Rishi Sunak could make, there has been less analysis about how proposed measures could reduce economic inequality, which is surely a key hallmark …