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| Social Exclusion Unit | |
|---|---|
| Name | Social Exclusion Unit |
| Formation | 1997 |
| Dissolved | 2006 |
| Jurisdiction | United Kingdom |
| Parent organization | Cabinet Office |
| Headquarters | London |
Social Exclusion Unit The Social Exclusion Unit was a British policy unit formed to address exclusionary outcomes affecting communities through coordinated interventions across departments such as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom offices, Cabinet Office, Department for Education and Employment, Department of Health and Home Office. Established under the administration of Tony Blair and linked to initiatives like the New Labour programme and the 1997 general election, it sought cross-cutting responses comparable to earlier bodies such as the Urban Programme and later bodies such as the Department for Work and Pensions. The unit produced influential reports informing policy debates alongside actors including Local Government Association, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Barnardo's, and Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust.
The unit was created in 1997 following commitments made in manifestos connected to Tony Blair and Gordon Brown and in the context of policy discussions involving Hazel Blears, David Blunkett, Esther Rantzen and advisors from Noel Buxton, drawing on comparative models from New York City approaches and lessons from Scandinavian welfare states. Early steering groups involved civil servants from the Treasury, officials linked with Prime Minister's Strategy Unit and contributors from institutions such as Institute for Public Policy Research, Policy Exchange and Centre for Social Justice. The unit's remit reflected debates raised by reports like The Child Support Act 1991 inquiries and commissions including the Rutherford Committee and references to international frameworks such as the European Social Fund.
Mandated to advise ministers across departments including Department for Education, Department of Health, Home Office, Ministry of Justice and Department for Work and Pensions, the unit concentrated on reducing concentrated deprivation, exclusions affecting families referenced by organisations like Save the Children and improving links with statutory bodies such as National Health Service trusts, Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service and local authorities like London Borough of Islington. Objectives included coordinating interventions similar to Sure Start programmes, promoting measures akin to Working Families Tax Credit reforms and aligning with targets exemplified by Public Service Agreements and Comprehensive Spending Review cycles.
Major publications addressed issues ranging from youth offending to long-term unemployment, producing thematic reports modeled on initiatives like A New Commitment to Neighbourhood Renewal and partnering with think tanks such as Institute for Fiscal Studies and Smith Institute. Notable outputs examined homelessness alongside agencies like Shelter (charity), substance misuse with references to Alcohol Concern, and persistent poverty with analytical links to Joseph Rowntree Foundation findings and statistical inputs from the Office for National Statistics. Initiatives included pathways for intervention similar to Turning the Tide projects, pilot schemes resembling New Deal employment programmes and cross-departmental pilots coordinated with Local Strategic Partnerships.
The unit influenced policy instruments used by ministers including Frank Field and Iain Duncan Smith while drawing critique from academics at London School of Economics, commentators associated with The Guardian, The Times and advocacy groups such as National Children's Bureau and Child Poverty Action Group. Supporters credited it with shaping strategies comparable to Neighbourhood Renewal Unit work and feeding into legislation debated in House of Commons committees; critics argued about remit overlaps with entities like Department for Communities and Local Government and questioned effectiveness against benchmarks from Equality and Human Rights Commission reports. Evaluations referenced longitudinal studies by researchers at University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, University College London and policy analysis from Kings Fund.
After disbandment, functions migrated to units within the Cabinet Office, elements absorbed into the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit and later into programmes overseen by Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Communities and Local Government. Its legacy informed subsequent agendas from politicians such as David Cameron and Theresa May and shaped NGO work by organisations including Resolution Foundation, Turn2us and Institute for Fiscal Studies. Internationally, comparable frameworks appeared in policy dialogues involving Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and European Commission exchanges.
The unit operated with small cross-departmental teams, drawing expertise from civil servants seconded from HM Treasury, analysts from think tanks like Centre for Policy Studies, and external advisers including academics from London School of Economics and practitioners from charities such as Barnardo's and Shelter (charity). Methods combined policy reviews, pilot programmes akin to Sure Start pilots, stakeholder consultations with bodies such as Local Government Association and data analysis using statistics from the Office for National Statistics and program evaluation protocols similar to those employed by the National Audit Office.