In October 2017, Alliance members launched the third programme - DTA Social Policy – which employed an interdisciplinary approach, bringing together criminologists, sociologists, social care and social policy experts in response to a range of societal challenges we all face.

Through the methodological approaches utilised by its researchers, the programme aims were to address two key global challenges: Social Cohesion and Social Futures. It brought together doctoral students and their supervisors from across a range of universities, equipping them with the necessary skills and experience to contribute effectively to the social policy challenges facing communities and societies in increasingly complex global contexts.

Between October 2017 and November 2023, 7 universities and 38 doctoral researchers benefited from being part of this national network of social policy researchers. Over the years, the programme has been led by leading academics from across the network:

• Professor Paul Crawshaw, Professor of Public Policy, Director of Institute of Social Innovation, Teesside University
• Dr Cheryl Allsop,Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Director of Cold Case Unit, University of South Wales 

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