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Researchers, parents and carers from Changing Realities were invited to No 10 Downing Street to share their experiences of public participation in policymaking with the Prime Minister's Office and the Cabinet Office.

Participants had the opportunity to shape the future vision for public participation and highlight both what works well and what could be improved, during a workshop session.

Changing Realities is a collaboration of over 200 parents and carers in poverty, researchers at the University of Glasgow and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and the Child Poverty Action Group, working together to push for much needed change.

This is the latest visit to No 10 by the group, who have been regularly meeting with senior government officials across the UK to share their experiences. In December 2025, former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer praised Changing Realities for their contribution to shaping the Child Poverty Strategy, which launched that month.

Joanne Baker-Marsh was part of the workshop. She said: “Our first visit to Number 10 to begin work with Central Government on the Child Poverty Strategy, in the winter of 2024, felt a million miles away from our most recent visit. I felt proud for us all, on the Changing Realities project, then and now for being courageous and tenacious enough to undertake this work. The critical friendship we spoke about with Secretary of State, Bridget Phillipson, could be the next step in participatory policymaking in the UK. Same room, same principles - now let’s act.” 

Fellow parent Ella Michalski added: 'We were invited to a workshop at No10 dedicated to unpacking the role public participation should play in policy making, and spent time collaborating with other groups to brainstorm what works, what doesn't, and how we can move forward together - so that more voices of those with lived experience are at the forefront of how policies are formed. It was a time of reflection and learning, and was a positive ignition of a conversation which is needed now more than ever, and crucially must be continued beyond the workshop."

Professor Ruth Patrick, who leads Changing Realities at the University of Glasgow, said: “At Changing Realities, we have worked incredibly hard to promote better and more forms of participatory policymaking so that those with the expertise that comes with lived experiences can be part of vital change-making processes. The possibilities inherent to this way of working can be genuinely transformative for all involved, as evidenced in Changing Realities’ impactful and innovative engagement with senior levels of government in the UK’s Child Poverty Strategy, which led to the removal of the two-child limit. 

“It is encouraging to see a commitment from government to try and do more participatory policymaking in the future, and we hope this event will lead to further partnership working, harnessing the expertise of over 200 parents and carers on a low-income who take part in Changing Realities, and who have invaluable knowledge and experiences to share if the Government delivers a transformation in participatory policymaking across the UK.”

The focus on participatory policy making is particularly significant, as it follows the UK Government’s Rewiring the State Cabinet Statement, which outlines a major devolution framework to shift power, funding, and accountability from Whitehall to local leaders and mayors across England. A comprehensive white paper and implementation timetable are  anticipated this autumn. 

First published: 12 October 2026