TCRU researchers will showcase the unit’s interdisciplinary work across childhood studies, health, gender, and family policy at the upcoming International Child and Family Conference on 17-19 June 2025.
Organised by the University of Bristol, the conference is expected to bring together researchers from around the globe to examine how rapid societal transformations – economic, environmental, political, and cultural – are reshaping children’s lives and family structures.
As conversations around children’s lives continue to grow in urgency and complexity, the TCRU team’s contributions promise to resonate both in academic circles and policy debates.
Exploring the intersections of family, policy, and childhood
We are pleased to present TCRU researcher’s work across multiple panels, which will spotlight the research unit’s deep expertise in family life, childhood studies, and social policy. UCL TCRU’s involvement at the inaugural occurrence of this conference is testament to the unit’s leadership in this evolving field.
TCRU contributions by panel
Panel 9: LGBTQ+ family structures
Susie Bower-Brown, alongside Sarah Foley and Vasanti Jadva, presents research on co-parenting dynamics in LGBTQ+ three-parent families. Their paper, “The Three Musketeers,” offers a nuanced triadic analysis of shared parenting roles, illuminating the lived realities of non-traditional family forms.
Panel 10: 50 years of motherhood research
Charlotte Faircloth, with colleagues Ann Oakley and Meg Wiggins, reflects on a landmark longitudinal study in “50 Years of Becoming a Mother.” The session revisits the social history of maternal identity and experience — themes central to TCRU’s long-standing work on parenting and gender.
Panel 13: Parental leave and family policy
An organised panel convened by Clare Stovell focuses on family policy through the lens of social reproduction and sustainability.
- Clare Stovell examines how UK parental leave policy shapes mothers’ and fathers’ caregiving desires.
- Margaret O’Brien presents on the role of evidence in shaping effective leave policies.
- Alison Koslowski explores how a sustainability framework can guide future family supports.
Panel 41: Health visiting and proportionate universalism
Jenny Woodman convenes this timely symposium exploring what equitable early years support looks like in practice.
- Jenny Woodman outlines the policy and research context.
- Louise McGrath-Lone shares analysis of health visiting services between 2016–2020.
- Alison Lamont discusses how frontline health visiting teams navigate support for families facing adversity.
We’re also pleased to highlight contributions from our PhD students:
- Victoria Pratt, presenting in Panel 9 on children in solo mother by choice families.
- Haoyue Tan, contributing to Panel 23 with research on how urban, middle-class millennial men in China are redefining fatherhood today.
- Maisie Matthews, also in Panel 44, sharing findings on bisexual fathers and the intersection of sexuality and family life.