Integrating Britain: Increasing social networks

Chloe Smith, MP for Norwich North, last week met with Louise Casey CB, Director General of the Troubled Families unit and author of the forthcoming Casey Review into opportunity and integration. The event brought together leading decision makers and opinion formers to suggest ways to improve social integration in the UK. 

Recent research has suggested that policies which diversify the social networks of different ethnic minorities from disadvantaged backgrounds through key public services such as nurseries and schools have a key role to play in combatting poverty and boosting life chances.

Chloe is leading work in Norwich to respond to the recent Social Mobility Index which showed that the poorest youngsters in Norwich have some of England's worst life chances.

Commenting on the event Chloe said:

 

“I'm passionate about people having the chance to get on.  I know from Norwich community groups like BME Youth that integration and the chance to meet all kinds of people is very important.  I was interested to see this research on how integration and networks can improve life chances and employment prospects. Simply put, life chances mean that whoever you are and wherever you’re from you should be able to go on to succeed.”

 

Strong social networks are a form of social capital, often defined as the links, shared values and understandings in society that enable individuals and groups to trust each other and so work together. The evidence suggests that disadvantaged people from ethnic minority backgrounds may benefit from social networks that are diverse in socio-economic and ethnic terms. Empirical studies increasingly demonstrate that social networks have the greatest potential to deliver longer-term material gains, such as employment opportunities.