Cameron Watt: What a week!

Never have I been so relieved to reach a Saturday as this one. The Centre for Social Justice, of which I am Deputy Director, and Social Justice Policy Group hosted nine events between Monday and Thursday. Most of these were linked to the launch of the Policy Group’s Breakthrough Britain report with its bold and detailed proposals to mend our broken society, for which Iain Duncan Smith deserves great credit.

For the last 18 months, Philippa Stroud has inspired the Group’s staff to work harder than we ever thought we could. Our team of able young graduate interns (some pictured here with June Sarpong) has done superb work in supporting the volunteer chairman of the Group’s working parties. As one our friends reflected, “It’s amazing what you can achieve with kids!”

However in recent weeks I was most nervous about overseeing the third Centre for Social Justice Awards, sponsored by the Pears Foundation, which JPMorgan Asset Management hosted on Wednesday evening. Now in its third year, the Awards showcase the work of exceptional small groups successfully tackling poverty to politicians of all parties.

Extensive coverage of Breakthrough Britain (brilliantly secured by Nick Wood) focused overwhelmingly on the proposals to strengthen marriage. Although this has to be central in any strategy to sustainably reduce poverty, no-one in the Group has been suggesting that it is some sort of magic bullet, as some of the coverage implied.  Rather the proposals on marriage are part of a much broader agenda to help every child and family, including family services hubs, relationship education vouchers and the front-loading of child benefit.

Groups honoured at the CSJ Awards give an exciting glimpse of how much can be done to strengthen marriages and families of all types. Time for Familes conduct relationship education in prisons which strengthens prisoners’ primary relationships – the research shows prisoners who are able to maintain contact with their families are up to six times less likely to re-offend. Bristol Fathers helps disadvantaged young dads take responsibility for their kids, developing both their parenting skills and capacity to support their families through work. Young mums in hard-pressed parts of Oxford are supported by OXPIP to effectively bond with and nurture their babies in the vital first three years.

I spent much of the Awards evening fretting about the non-arrival of June Sarpong and her companion Nancy Dell'Olio. We were let down badly by the car company that was supposed to be collecting them. However June arrived just in time to present the CSJ Staff Award to Save the Family. Having visited the project in Flintshire in north Wales, June movingly testified how intensive support in a residential setting enabled a young mother who had been addicted to heroin to overcome her addiction and learn the parenting skills to keep her children and bring them up well. Save the Family excels in enabling such vulnerable families to become healthy and resilient.

The show was stolen by powerful performances of song and dance by the Young Zulu Warriors of God’s Golden Acre from South Africa (pictured above), the winner of the International Award.

The Centre is enormously grateful to cricket commentator Mark Nicholas for hosting the event.  Awards were also presented by John Bird MBE, Richard Briers CBE, Simon Callow CBE, Rt Hon Sir Menzies Campbell QC MP, Jon Culshaw, Julian Fellowes, Dame Kelly Holmes, Rt Hon Dr John Reid MP, June Sarpong MBE, and David Willetts MP. Individual awards were sponsored by Accenture, Lewis Communications, Sovereign Capital, the Telegraph Media Group and Westpac.

Two people must take great credit for a superb show. Murray Gough has generously given his time and money to film winning projects and stage the Awards. Mandy Duncan Smith and Media Natura did a superb job in producing the event. On behalf of the Centre and the winning groups, thanks for your amazing contribution.

For profiles of all the groups celebrated, please download the Awards brochure.

Comments

[Editor]

Many congratulations Cameron on what really was a terrific week for the CSJ. You should all be mighty proud of what you have achieved.

[Kent Green]

I was there at the awards event -- abolutely brilliant

[Tory T]

Cameron - you and the Social Justice center do outstanding work. IDS's report is a major first step in defining our answer to social breakdown. Thanks for this very strong article.