Centre for Social Justice
 | |
| Formation | 2004 |
|---|---|
| Type | Think tank |
| Legal status | Company limited by guarantee (non-profit) |
| Location | |
Chief Executive | Andy Cook |
Budget | Approximately £1.6m |
| Staff | 14 |
| Website | http://www.centreforsocialjustice.org.uk |
The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) is an independent[1] centre-right[2] think tank co-founded in 2004 by Iain Duncan Smith, Tim Montgomerie and Philippa Stroud.[3]
Political positions
The organisation's stated aim is to "put social justice at the heart of British politics".[4] While the think-tank states it is politically independent, it has been labelled one of the most influential on the British Conservative Party under the leadership of David Cameron.[5]
Policy programmes and impact
One of the CSJ's most notable reports was Breakthrough Britain.[6] It has also produced well-publicised reports into gang culture,[7] modern slavery,[8] addiction,[9] family breakdown,[10] and educational failure.[11] In 2012, the CSJ announced it would carry out the study Breakthrough Britain II.[12] The CSJ has also played important roles in the design and development of Universal Credit (a major welfare reform programme) and championing the introduction of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.
More recently, notable policy programmes and impact include:
2019
- A report called on the government to increase the state pension age to 75. [13]
2018
- A Woman-Centred Approach called on government to scrap plans for up to 5 new women's prisons and to put funds towards community-based alternatives. The Ministry of Justice subsequently announced they would scrap the new prison plans and set out proposals to pilot five residential centres for women in the community.[14]
2017
- Housing First recommended placing homeless people dealing with problems like alcohol and drug abuse in permanent accommodation and giving them access to care and training. The approach, known as Housing First, had been trialled in the US and adopted by Finland with positive results. Conservative Communities Secretary Sajid Javid had said he was keen to examine the scheme.[15] While the CSJ called for a nationwide roll-out of Housing First, the Government announced and allocated £28m funding for a number of Housing First pilot sites in the West Midlands, Liverpool and Manchester.[16]
- Growing the Local called on the government to give Police and Crime Commissioners additional flexibility to increase the police precept, a set of proposals subsequently adopted and providing additional resources for policing and crime.[17]
- Lowering the Stake on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals called on government to reduce the stake from £100 to £2 for fixed odds betting terminals, which the government duly did in 2018.[18]
Structure and operation
Historically, the CSJ's work was project-based with projects and staff members changing regularly. Recently, under Andy Cook, the latest Chief Executive, the CSJ has created a number of dedicated policy units with specific unit heads to lead on their designated area.
| Policy area | Unit head |
|---|---|
| Education | James Scales |
| Work and Welfare | Patrick Spencer |
| Addiction and Criminal Justice | Adrian Crossley |
| Family | Christina Odone |
| Modern Slavery | Tatiana Gren-Jarden |
| Financial Inclusion | Joe Shalam |
The CSJ also has an alliance of "front line poverty fighting charities" and runs an annual Centre for Social Justice Awards ceremony celebrating some of the best voluntary and non-profit organisations in the UK. In addition the CSJ regularly holds events at the major political party conferences.
Awards
In addition to holding their own Awards ceremony, the CSJ has also won a number of awards in the past:
- The CSJ won Prospect Magazine UK Social Policy Think Tank of the Year 2013[20]
- The CSJ won Prospect Magazine Think Tank of the Year 2009
- The CSJ won Prospect Magazine Best Publication of the Year 2008 for its report entitled Breakthrough Britain.
Notable members
Past and present:
- Iain Duncan Smith
- Tim Montgomerie
- David Blunkett MP, Co-Chairman of the CSJ Advisory Council
- Camila Batmanghelidjh, former CEO of the now defunct Kids Company
- Johan Eliasch, Chairman and Chief Exec, Head N.V ; Chairman, Cool Earth; Prime Minister's Special representative on deforestation and clean energy
- Frank Field MP, Member of Parliament for Birkenhead (Independent)
- William Hague MP, former Foreign Secretary, former leader of the Conservative Party, former Member of Parliament for Richmond, Yorkshire (Conservative)
- Syed Kamall MEP, Co-founder of Global Business Research institute, MEP for London (Conservative)
- Paul Marshall, Chairman of Management Committee of Centre Forum; Adviser to Rt Hon Nick Clegg MP, Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the Liberal Democrat Party
- Kevin Tebbit, Former Director of GCHQ and former Permanent Under Secretary of the Ministry of Defence
- Natalia Grosvenor, Duchess of Westminster
Funding
The CSJ acknowledges some funders in individual reports, but this information is not collated on its website or in its annual accounts, and there is no indication of the proportion of funders acknowledged, resulting in the think-tank being graded E for transparency by the Who Funds You? project in June 2018. The CSJ has been upgraded to a D grade for transparency by Who Funds You? as of July 2018.[21]
See also
- List of UK Thinktanks
- Universal Credit (welfare reform programme)
- Modern Slavery Act 2015
- Housing First
References
- ^ "List of thinktanks in the UK". the Guardian. 2013-09-30. Retrieved 2018-06-28.
- ^ Justice, The Centre for Social. "Iain Duncan Smith bids to rescue state school sport - The Centre for Social Justice". The Centre for Social Justice. Retrieved 2018-06-28.
- ^ "Philippa Stroud: I worked with IDS for five years. Now I'm back at the CSJ". Retrieved 2019-02-27.
- ^ Iain Duncan Smith. "The CSJ Story". The Centre for Social Justice.
- ^ "Centre for Social Justice and Policy Exchange are best regarded think tanks by ConservativeHome's 'influentials panel'". Conservative Home. 1 April 2010.
- ^ "Breakthrough Britain, Tory recommendations". The Telegraph. 10 July 2007.
- ^ politicshome: "CSJ backs gangs plan and calls for 'relentless effort' to make streets safe" 1 Nov 2011 Archived October 4, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Buchanan, Michael (10 March 2013). "UK anti-trafficking efforts need overhaul, report says". BBC News.
- ^ "UK is 'addictions capital of Europe'". BBC News. 1 September 2013.
- ^ "Million Children Live In Fatherless Households". Sky News. 10 June 2013.
- ^ Adam Withnall (3 September 2013). "'Education underclass' of children in the UK is still in nappies when they start school". The Independent.
- ^ "Breakthrough Britain II Overview". Centre for Social Justice. Archived from the original on 11 July 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
- ^ "Pension age should rise to 75, Tory think tank report says". 2019-08-18.
- ^ "Female Offender Strategy". GOV.UK. Retrieved 2018-06-28.
- ^ Helm, Toby (2017-03-11). "Government considering plans to house addicts who sleep rough". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-05-27.
- ^ "Government announces £28m funding for Housing First pilots". Inside Housing. Retrieved 2018-06-28.
- ^ "Police to get 'extra £450m funding'". BBC News. 2017-12-19. Retrieved 2018-06-28.
- ^ Davies, Rob (2018-05-17). "Maximum stake for fixed-odds betting terminals cut to £2". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-06-28.
- ^ Justice, The Centre for Social. "CSJ Staff Archive - The Centre for Social Justice". The Centre for Social Justice. Retrieved 2018-01-21.
- ^ prospectmagazine.co.uk: "Think Tank Awards 2013 Winners" Archived July 14, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Who Funds You? - Centre for Social Justice". Who Funds You?. Retrieved 2018-06-29.