Ruby Chau
Associate Professor of Public and Social Policy, School of Sociology and Social Policy, University of Nottingham
The Conference
Two-thirds of respondents in the feedback survey for the 2026 SPA Teaching and Learning Day Conference said that their conference experience was ‘exceptional’.
The Conference title was ‘Social Policy Education: Where are we and where are we heading?’ It was funded by the SPA and jointly organised with the International Centre for Public and Social Policy (IcPSP) at the University of Nottingham and Social Policy and Society (SPS). It took place on 16 April 2026 at the Nottingham Jubilee Conference Centre and was attended by 31 Social Policy academics and students online and in person.
The conference aims to facilitate discussion of the current state and contemporary themes in Social Policy education in the UK and internationally. The programme comprises three main parts. The first is a report on the key findings of a desk-based audit of the current Social Policy teaching provision in the UK and a SPA-commissioned qualitative study entitled ‘Co-defining Social Policy and Social Policy Education – Our discipline, our say’. The second part consists of case studies of Social Policy education in Australia, Canada, Germany and Hong Kong. The third part is a hot-desk discussion, in which participants can rotate to different groups to share their views on various themes on Social Policy education.
Participants Felt Inspired
The majority of the respondents said the conference had influenced their future research and teaching practice of Social Policy in multiple ways, including being inspired to critically reflect on their research and teaching practice; being motivated to strengthen the international dimensions of their Social Policy research and teaching; and having the opportunity to network with other Social Policy educators and to develop potential collaboration and/or knowledge exchange.
Others said they became more interested in research on Social Policy education and would consider applying the different approaches highlighted in the international case studies.
Participants’ Favourite Parts
Almost all respondents said their favourite part of the programme was the report of the findings of the SPA-commissioned study and the desk-based audit. It not only provided an overview of the current state and trends in Social Policy education in UK higher education but also enhanced participants’ understanding of how Social Policy educators viewed their discipline and the education they provided.
More importantly, they were inspired to understand Social Policy education more conceptually. Based on the findings of the qualitative study mentioned above, a framework has been developed to illustrate the reciprocal relationships among the Social Policy discipline, higher education, and Social Policy education. The relationships between each pair of these are influenced by social forces such as commodification and neoliberal managerialism. Educators and students, as the main actors in Social Policy education, can and should exercise their agency to influence these complex relationships and pursue the discipline’s aims. Further elaboration on the framework is provided in Section 2.4 of the full report (Chau et al, 2026).
Figure 2.1 Domains of the Social Policy Education Research (Chau et al, 2026, p. 7)
Many respondents also found the country-based case studies stimulating. Participants said the international perspective had widened their understanding of the scope of and approaches to Social Policy education.
Many respondents enjoyed the hot-desk discussion on the five contemporary themes in Social Policy education, namely accessibility for disabled students; Employability, Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Skills (EEE); Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI); Generative AI; and Sustainability. They are highlighted in the latest QAA Social Policy Subject Benchmark Statement. The discussion enhanced their understanding of these themes. One participant said the hot-desk discussion was the highlight of the conference for them, and the double round of discussion, each lasting for 30 minutes, was ‘perfect’.
A Fresh Perspective Amid the Current Challenges
In their written feedback, respondents said they found the conference engaging, and the presentations and the hot-desk discussion were interesting and motivating. The overall atmosphere was informal yet inspiring. Many were touched by their committed colleagues who share the passion for Social Policy and Social Policy education.
One respondent said they felt hopeful for the discipline and its education again after the conference. Evidently, the conference has given many participants a fresh perspective amid the challenges they face in their institutions during the current financial crisis in the UK higher education.
Ways forward
The Conference witnessed growing interest in the discussion of Social Policy education, which has yet to receive the attention it deserves in the current academic debate. Professor Ann-Marie Gray, the Chair of the SPA, seemed to be equally excited by the discussion and participants’ passion for the discipline. In concluding the Conference, she said the next three years will be a busy time for the SPA Teaching and Learning Portfolio because the Conference has opened many opportunities and offered valuable insights for the development of Social Policy education.
The conference recording and the research report will be available at the Teaching and Learning page on the SPA website as soon as possible.
Reference
Chau, R, Yu, S., and Ho, F. (2026). ‘Co-defining Social Policy and Social Policy Education – Our discipline, our say’ Research Report. Social Policy Association and International Centre for Public and Social Policy at the University of Nottingham.
Biography
Dr Ruby Chau is an Associate Professor in Public and Social Policy and the Centre Lead of the International Centre for Public and Social Policy at the School of Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Nottingham. She is also responsible for SPA’s Teaching and Learning Portfolio. She has been the Principal Investigator of two SPA-commissioned studies on Social Policy education in 2021/22 and 2025/26, and the organiser of two SPA Teaching and Learning Day Conferences in 2022 and 2026, respectively. Please visit the Teaching and Learning page on the SPA website to download the reports and watch the recordings.
Email: ruby.chau@nottingham.ac.uk
Staff Profile: https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/sociology/people/ruby.chau
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruby-chau-20651274/
ORCID: 0000-0003-3118-4669