Recent
Insights from three generations of mothers
The report seeks to answer some specific questions about the changing face of motherhood and determine the extent to which modern ‘solutions’ to motherhood are more or less beneficial than the solutions of the past. more
Report of an independent assessment
Two years ago, in the Children's Plan, the DCSF committed itself to commission an independent assessment of the impact of the commercial world on children's wellbeing. That assessment, led by Professor David Buckingham, is now complete. As part of the process SIRC was commissioned to undertake two major reviews: Children and Family Life: Socio-Demographic Changes and The Ecology of Family Life. more
Psychological impact & the lessons of recession
There can be very few people in Britain who are unaware that we have been living in times of recession…It is clear that people — even those unaffected directly — are worried, especially about their future financial security. But are there some positive lessons to be learnt? more
The role and citizen impact of Public Service Broadcasting
As a complement to the extensive work contributed by other players on the rapid advances in technology and consumer behaviour, the work is designed to review and present the available data on broader social trends which may impact on PSB in the future…more
Shining examples
In contrast to the current Warning Season epidemic of unfounded health scares and alarmist or preachy 'education' campaigns, two initiatives stand out as useful and sensible.
First is the Department of Health's advertising campaign to persuade people to take their minor coughs and colds to the chemist, rather than to already overworked GPs and A&E departments.
Second is the Brooke Advisory Centre's provision of free emergency contraception to teenagers – a pragmatic response to the inevitable unprotected sexual encounters which will occur during the extended Christmas and Millennium celebrations.
These are realistic damage-limitation exercises which represent rational, practical anticipation of genuine problems. A glance at SIRC's Media Watch 'panics and scares' column, however, suggests that GPs and hospitals will not have much time to be grateful for these isolated outbreaks of sanity, as they will be busy dealing not only with real illness and disease but with the victims of irresponsible scaremongering.
