Our pioneering Classics researcher, Prof Arlene Holmes-Henderson, has joined a government project exploring the key factors that influence and shape the future of childhood in the UK.
The Future of Childhood and Adolescence project will examine the societal, environmental and technological shifts that impact children and teenagers.
The project’s experts will analyse how forces such as AI, social cohesion and health shape young people - and explore how these factors might change over coming decades.
The aim is to help policymakers plan for the opportunities and challenges facing young people across the UK.
Arlene, who has already undertaken extensive work to inform UK education policy, is the first Humanities specialist appointed to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s Expert Exchange Programme.
Drawing on more than a decade of classroom experience, as well as extensive research on oracy, educational inequalities and youth justice, Arlene will contribute her expertise grounded in real-world insights.
Her role will ensure that evidence from the Arts and Humanities is assessed alongside STEM and Social Sciences research, bringing a richer picture of childhood to inform national policy discussions.
During the secondment, Arlene will spend two days a week working with teams in the Government Office for Science in both Whitehall in London and the Darlington Economic Campus in North East England.
Arlene will continue her teaching commitments at Durham which include her new ‘Engaging Policymakers with Arts and Humanities Research’ MA module.
During this year-long module, students are brought directly into conversation with civil servants to build their capacity and anchor theoretical research in professional practice.
Arlene said: “It’s exciting to bring a Humanities lens to a cross-government project of this scale.
“I hope this work not only contributes to a stronger evidence base for policy, but also opens the door for more Humanities researchers to be part of expert teams working alongside civil servants in government.”
Arlene’s secondment to The Future of Childhood and Adolescence project will run until summer 2026.
It will culminate in the publication of a final report by the Government Office for Science.
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