Food Insecurity in Infancy Webinar | November 2024
Published: 17 October 2024
This webinar will explore emerging evidence on the experiences of food insecurity during financial crisis in families with infants and the current approaches to support them.
Food Insecurity in Infancy Webinar
Date & Time: Tuesday 12th November, 1pm
Platform: Microsoft Teams
Join us to hear talks from Dr Emma Hunter (Robert Gordon University), Emma Smith and Mike Burns (Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership) exploring food insecurity in infancy.
Rising levels of food insecurity are a nationwide concern but the extent of the problem in infancy is not well understood. In this webinar we will discuss emerging evidence on the experiences of food insecurity during financial crisis in families with infants and current approaches to support them. This webinar is organised by SCAF Theme 4: Food Security, Environment & Community and chaired by Dr Ada Garcia.
Dr Emma Hunter: “Financially it just doesn't add up… Relying on friends, family and third sector organisations”
Dr Emma Hunter is a Research Fellow at Robert Gordon University. Emma completed a BSc (Hons) Psychology with the Open University, an MSc in Health Psychology and a PhD in Applied Health Sciences, both from the University of Aberdeen. Emma is currently involved in two UKRI funded projects which have a focus on reducing health inequalities within the UK food system to enhance public health and equity. Emma’s research interests include health inequalities, health behaviour change around diet and physical activity and how behaviour change is shaped by social and environmental contexts.
Emma’s talk will present findings from interviews with parents and carers of babies (0-6 months), living on a low income, exploring their experiences of feeding their baby during the cost-of-living crisis.
Emma Smith is a Children’s Services Manager in Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) with responsibility for Northwest Health Visiting Services and Glasgow City School Nursing Teams. She leads on the UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative for Glasgow which has included an evaluation of the implementation of a cash-first approach as an immediate response for children and families who experience sudden financial hardship.
Mike Burns: “Tackling Child Poverty through radical public reform: including lessons learned from a cash first approach in Glasgow City HSCP”
Mike Burns is Programme Director for Child Poverty and Prevention for Glasgow City Council. He was previously the Assistant Chief Officer for children’s services in the Glasgow Health and Social Care Partnership, with a career spanning 38 years in social work and over 16 years in integrated children’s services. He has worked in 6 local authorities in Scotland and as a Team Leader (Child Protection) in Melbourne Australia.
Mike is also a member of Social Work Scotland (the National Body for Social Work Managers and Leaders) for 18 years and was previously the Convenor for the Children and Families Committee for Social Work Scotland from 2013 to 2016 and again in 2023.
In his talk, Mike will provide an overview of tackling child poverty through radical public sector reform. Emma Smith will contribute to this by speaking about the implementation of section 22 cash-first payments for children and families who experience sudden financial hardship.
SCAF Webinar Series
We host a series of online webinars every 6 weeks to showcase the depth and breadth of work relevant to the alliance. Webinars are held either during the working day at 1pm, or in the evening, at 7pm. Each webinar will feature two speakers presenting for ~20 minutes, followed by a discussion and Q&A.
We are looking for speakers! Whilst we aim for a research and innovation focus, we would like to feature the work across sectors and disciplines within the broader topic of food. Early career members are particularly encouraged to come forward.
Register yourself or nominate someone to speak at a webinar
First published: 17 October 2024