Our Directorates

Policy & Social Change

Our Directorates

Policy & Social Change

Policy and Social Change uses research and influence to help create safer systems and strong protection for babies, children and young people. 

Anna Edmundson

Anna Edmundson

Executive Director of Policy & Social Change

What makes Policy & Social Change such a rewarding place to work is the opportunity to turn evidence and expertise into meaningful change for children. We bring together people with different perspectives and specialisms, all united by a desire to better understand the issues affecting children and use what we learn to help make things better. It’s a thoughtful, collaborative team where curiosity is encouraged, ideas are welcomed and everyone has a part to play.

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Why join Policy & Social Change?

Some of the biggest changes for children happen far beyond the NSPCC. Laws change. Policy evolves. New evidence emerges. Public understanding shifts. And decisions made by governments, organisations and institutions can shape the lives of children across the UK.

In Policy & Social Change, you’ll help us influence those decisions. You could be generating evidence that changes how we understand an issue, developing policy solutions, building relationships with decision-makers or making the case for change when systems aren’t working well enough for children.

You’ll join colleagues who combine expertise with curiosity and ambition. People test ideas, challenge assumptions and bring different perspectives together to build credible arguments for change.

It’s an opportunity to use what you know to influence something bigger, helping turn evidence, experience and the voices of children and young people into lasting social change.

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About Policy & Social Change

Our Policy & Social Change directorate helps turn what we know about children’s lives into action.

We bring together research, evidence, policy and influencing expertise to understand the issues affecting children, develop credible solutions and help shape the systems around them.

Our work is grounded in evidence, practitioner expertise and children’s lived experiences. We use that knowledge to build our understanding of child protection and safeguarding, develop clear policy positions and influence the people with the power to create change.

Sometimes that means identifying an emerging issue. Sometimes it means building the evidence for a solution, challenging an established approach or making sure an issue affecting children receives the attention it deserves.

Whatever the challenge, our role is to connect evidence with influence, helping make sure decisions affecting children are informed by what we know and ambitious about what needs to change.

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Our teams

Our Policy & Social Change teams bring together complementary expertise in research, evidence, policy and influencing, working towards the same goal: creating lasting change for children.

  • Our Research & Evidence team helps deepen our understanding of child abuse, safeguarding and the experiences of children and young people. They conduct and commission high-quality research, bringing together robust evidence, practitioner expertise and children’s lived experiences to understand what works, what needs to change and where we need to know more. Their insight informs work across the NSPCC, from our policy positions and influencing priorities to the way services and approaches develop. The team also provides specialist research advice and ethical oversight through our Research Review Clinic, helping make sure research involving children and safeguarding is safe, proportionate and capable of creating meaningful insight.
  • Our Policy & Public Affairs team turns evidence and expertise into influence. They develop the NSPCC’s positions on important child protection issues and work with governments, policymakers and other decision-makers across the UK and Channel Islands to help shape laws, policy and guidance. They build political relationships, respond to developments and help bring children’s experiences into national conversations. And where systems aren’t working well enough for children, they help make the case for change, combining evidence, expertise and effective influencing to strengthen protection for children and young people.

What we’re looking for

Critical thinking 

Complex social issues rarely have simple answers. You’ll be comfortable examining information carefully, testing assumptions and considering different explanations and perspectives. You’ll ask what the evidence really tells us and be equally interested in what it doesn’t.

Evidence-led judgment

Strong arguments need strong foundations. You’ll use evidence thoughtfully, recognise its strengths and limitations and avoid reaching conclusions simply because they support an existing view. Whether you’re conducting research or developing a policy position, you’ll care about getting to a credible answer.

Influence and communication

Having good evidence is only part of creating change. You’ll be able to turn complex information into clear, compelling arguments and adapt the way you communicate for different audiences. You’ll understand what matters to the people you’re trying to influence and build credibility through the way you engage with them.

Curiosity 

The issues affecting children continue to change, and there will always be more for us to understand. You’ll be interested in emerging evidence, different viewpoints and developments beyond your immediate area of expertise. You’ll ask questions, seek out new perspectives and be willing to change your thinking when the evidence points somewhere different.

Seeing the wider system

Policy decisions don’t happen in isolation. You’ll think about how different organisations, policies, behaviours and wider social factors interact and consider the possible consequences of change beyond the immediate issue. You’ll be interested not only in what should change, but what could make that change possible and sustainable.

Collaboration

Lasting social change rarely comes from one organisation acting alone. You’ll work constructively with colleagues, researchers, practitioners, policymakers and external partners, recognising the expertise different people bring. You’ll be comfortable sharing ideas, hearing challenge and building common ground without losing sight of what needs to change for children.

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The application process

What to expect when you apply for a role with the NSPCC

 
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Once you have created an account, you can dip in and out of this process and come back to it
 
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Please spend some time on the ‘Supporting Information’ section. Provide examples to evidence how your skills and experience meet our person specification, as we use ONLY this information to shortlist applicants for interviews.
 
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If you meet our person specification and declare a disability, you’ll automatically be shortlisted for interview
 
Log in to your online account
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Make sure you fill in all of the mandatory sections in full
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Please spend some time on the ‘Supporting Information’ section. Provide examples to evidence how your skills and experience meet our person specification, as we use ONLY this information to shortlist applicants for interviews.
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Did you know?
If you meet our person specification and declare a disability, you’ll automatically be shortlisted for interview

 
If not, you will
be invited to share your experience.
 
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We’ll contact you either way to let you know if your application has been successful. If so, we’ll invite you to a panel interview.
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If you’re through to interview, you should start gathering information you’ll need for the next stage of the process, like employment references and address history for the last five years
 
Did you know?
You can contact our People team on 0113 887 1122 if you have any questions about the process at this stage
 
We’ll contact you either way to let you know if your application has been successful. If so, we’ll invite you to a panel interview.
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If not, you will be invited to share your experience
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If you’re through to interview, you should start gathering information you’ll need for the next stage of the process, like employment references and address history for the last five years
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Did you know?
You can contact our People team on 0113 887 1122 if you have any questions about the process at this stage

 
The interviews might be face-to-face or online, depending on the role
 
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Our interview processes will explore your skills, knowledge and values – and this can be done over more than one stage.
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We’ll always provide feedback to all applicants following their interview, whether successful or not
 
Did you know?
Our interview panels are made up of the hiring manager for the role and a range of other relevant professionals selected from across our organisation
 
Our interview processes will explore your skills, knowledge and values – and this can be done over more than one stage.
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The interviews might be face-to-face or online, depending on the role
down-arrow
We’ll always provide feedback to all applicants following their interview, whether successful or not
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Did you know?
Our interview panels are made up of the hiring manager for the role and a range of other relevant professionals selected from across our organisation

 
If you’re successful, we’ll give you a conditional offer, and ask for more info so we can complete our safeguarding checks and referencing procedures
 
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You’ll hear directly from the hiring manager after your interview, with feedback if unsuccessful
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You can contact your hiring manager directly at any point during this stage.
 
Did you know?
We do this for all roles – some are more in-depth than others – and we can’t make any final offers until these are completed
 
You’ll hear directly from the hiring manager after your interview, with feedback if unsuccessful
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If you’re successful, we’ll give you a conditional offer, and ask for more info so we can complete our safeguarding checks and referencing procedures
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You can contact your hiring manager directly at any point during this stage.
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Did you know?
We do this for all roles – some are more in-depth than others – and we can’t make any final offers until these are completed

 
Due to the nature of our work, it is important we complete a variety of checks and vetting procedures, which will vary with each type of role.
 
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While the referencing process is taking place, we’ll regularly update you on its status
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We’ll also share a welcome pack, so you can start getting a feel for the role and our organisation before you start
 
Did you know?
We need to rely on third parties to complete criminal records checks, and this can cause delays outside of our control (sometimes around 6-8 weeks).
 
While the referencing process is taking place, we’ll regularly update you on its status
down-arrow
Due to the nature of our work, it is important we complete a variety of checks and vetting procedures, which will vary with each type of role.
down-arrow
We’ll also share a welcome pack, so you can start getting a feel for the role and our organisation before you start
down-arrow
Did you know?
We need to rely on third parties to complete criminal records checks, and this can cause delays outside of our control (sometimes around 6-8 weeks).

 
They’ll email you with all the details you need before you start, including your contract of employment and your start date
 
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Your hiring manager will get back to you directly to confirm your final offer
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You’ll receive an induction email – with a welcome message from our CEO, information on what to expect, your team, available training and groups you can join
 
Did you know?
Once you start, we’ll email you with a link to the ‘New starters’ page on our intranet, the Green.
 
Your hiring manager will get back to you directly to confirm your final offer
down-arrow
They’ll email you with all the details you need before you start, including your contract of employment and your start date
down-arrow
You’ll receive an induction email – with a welcome message from our CEO, information on what to expect, your team, available training and groups you can join
down-arrow
Did you know?
Once you start, we’ll email you with a link to the ‘New starters’ page on our intranet, the Green.

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