Devolution has offered Scotland the chance to reshape social security around the voices of those who use it. Drawing on findings from Changing Realities, this article examines how these devolved polic...

Families on low incomes with children must not be forgotten, and must be considered when looking at ways to resolve the cost-of-living crisis.

An impossible move? Households’ experiences of trying to escape the UK’s benefit cap

Andy Burnham's new cabinet meets for the first time.

Now I'm worried that all of that work could be pushed aside.

The air is stifling, hot, with high humidity. It’s actually a bit hard to breathe. Working in school today, staff were wondering why the floors were wet. At first they thought something was spilt and not cleaned up. The heat and unbearable moisture in the air condensates on the flooring, adding another risk to having too many children and adults in spaces never designed for these high temperatures. No one knows what the rules are. Guidance from the DfE is light on decision making but there is a definite lean towards: don’t close schools as schools are the best place for children to learn.

Work and Pensions Committee and Education Committee

Changing Realities will be hosting a public-facing roundtable session from our mental health campaign

The reforms to asylum and refugee policy anounced by the Home Office are already having a negative impact on assylum seekrs and their children.

Changing Realities will be hosting a public-facing roundtable session from our mental health campaign

Changing Realities will be hosting a public-facing roundtable session from our mental health campaign

I am writing this letter to apologise for failing you as a parent.

I have just returned home to Cornwall from London. Not on a trip to see the Queen as the rhyme goes but to see the Secretary of State. I was part of a crew of people who presented their lived experience of juggling poverty and being a parent of a child or children with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND) in response to the recent White Paper on SEND reforms.

A working father describes how talk of a cost of living crisis misses the point that it’s now a cost of survival crisis for many in the UK

After years of dedicated advocacy, thorough research, and the unwavering voices of families affected by the two-child benefit cap, we’re finally seeing a significant and hopeful shift in the social policy landscape of the United Kingdom. This moment didn’t just happen by chance. It’s the result of relentless work by groups like Changing Realities, whose dedication to amplifying the voices of families affected by the cap has been vital. Changing Realities, along with various charities, campaigners, and individuals who have lived through these challenges, have been crucial in highlighting the real human impact of this policy. Their efforts, which have been rooted in shared personal stories and campaigning for lived experience to be regarded as ‘evidence’, have transformed the national dialogue and sparked momentum for change. As we stand on the brink of this long-awaited reform, there’s a palpable sense of relief, renewal, and cautious optimism in the air.

Trying to make ends meet is an impossible effort, and things are rapidly getting worse. It’s time the government listened to people like us, says Ella Michalski of Changing Realities, a project…

Trying to make ends meet is an impossible effort, and things are rapidly getting worse. It’s time the government listened to people like us, says Ella Michalski of Changing Realities, a project workin...

Trying to make ends meet is an impossible effort, and things are rapidly getting worse. It’s time the government listened to people like us, says Ella Michalski of Changing Realities, a project workin...

Trying to make ends meet is an impossible effort, and things are rapidly getting worse. It’s time the government listened to people like us, says Ella Michalski of Changing Realities, a project workin...

The Scottish parliament election takes place on the 7th May this year.

As an SEN parent, it can often feel as though the whole world is against you. Exhaustion and overwhelm are embedded deeply in daily life, and the navigation through school support is dark, fruitless and treacherous to say the least. The glimmering hope of light at the end of the tunnel started with the publication of the SEND White Paper a few days ago.

I've avoided all forms of media so that I could sit down and (skim) read through the two documents published by the Department of Education today and form my own opinions of the contents.

The schools white paper must be a turning point for Send provision

The Schools White Paper is a vital opportunity to reform school support so that it works for all children. Changing Realities parents, who are all raising children on a low income, have set out what they would like to see in the White Paper on SEND reforms, parental engagement, and on the government’s approach to enrichment. Parents want to work directly with government to deliver the ambitious changes needed. While we may not agree on everything, one thing on which we all – and we believe government too – do agree is that the current system of SEND support is completely broken, and requires urgent and radical reform.

EVERY day, around 125 babies are born in Scotland. Each new life represents a new beginning but also significant, and often scary, changes for their…

On December 18, 2025, I stepped through the iconic black door of No. 10 Downing Street, carrying more than just a diary appointment. I brought with me hope, memories, and the quiet weight of every family whose story has intertwined with the mission we pursue at Changing Realities.

So it came as a massive surprise to me that not only were we listened to but some of the things we called for – for example, the removal of the cruel two-child limit – were actually implemented.

So it came as a massive surprise to me that not only were we listened to but some of the things we called for – for example, the removal of the cruel two-child limit – were actually implemented.

The language of 'Benefits Street' is a rhetoric completely devoid of compassion. Those using it should hang their heads in shame.