Claudia is Deputy Director of Demos. Her primary research interests are health and social care, public service markets and personalisation, ageing, disability and benefits reform.

Before joining Demos in 2008 Claudia was Head of Policy and Research at the Resolution Foundation, a research organisation focusing on the welfare and life chances of low-income groups.
 
She spent 5 years at the Social Market Foundation think-tank as a senior researcher and fellow working on early years policy, social mobility and education reform, before being seconded to the Prime Minister's strategy unit in 2005 to work on the Education and Inspection Bill.

Apr 4

£53 – More than a number

You can't boil hardship down to a number, writes Claudia Wood.

Mar 28

A foolish proposal

Claudia Wood on the news that councils might restrict what the Social Fund can be spent on.

Mar 27

Destination Unknown: April 2013

Claudia Wood reveals the latest findings of our Disability in Austerity study, showing that disabled people stand to lose £28.3bn in benefits.

Mar 15

A predictable problem

It was inevitable that the changes to Housing Benefit would lead to rent arrears, says Claudia Wood.

Feb 11

Too little, too late?

By committing to so little, so far off, Claudia Wood asks if the Government is not taking the imminent social care crisis seriously enough?

Feb 7

Room for improvement

Forget emotional arguments against the 'bedroom tax' - it's not even clear how much money it saves, writes Claudia Wood.

Jan 31

Differing perceptions of poverty

A policy focused on drugs and alcohol neglects the majority in poverty, writes Claudia Wood.

Jan 29

The power of prepaid

Claudia Wood argues we musn't lose sight of the potential benefits of prepaid to the financially excluded.

Jan 21

Making work pay better

Those proposing Living Wage Zones are on to a winner, says Claudia Wood.

Jan 8

A mis-sold Bill

The Benefits Uprating Bill will hit the working poor as hard as the unemployed, says Claudia Wood.

Jan 3

Don't stigmatise food banks

Claudia Wood on Cllr Chris Steward's comments and the difference between absolute and relative poverty.

Dec 20

The DCLG's hidden messages

Claudia Wood on the DCLG's ‘50 ways to save’ advice to local authorities.

Dec 13

When is a scrounger not a scrounger?

When they help boost the government’s employment statistics, argues Claudia Wood.

Dec 5

A sleight of hand

Claudia Wood reacts to the welfare changes announced in the Chancellor's Autumn Statement.

Dec 5

Poverty in Perspective: pensioners

Claudia Wood talks through our pensioner poverty types.

Nov 29

With poverty, one size fails all

Claudia Wood argues that household poverty is complex, varied and often hidden from public view.

Nov 15

The holy trinity

Claudia Wood on how health, housing and care can work together to cope with an ageing population.

Nov 9

Fighting poverty: yes, we can

Claudia Wood argues that recycling old arguments against the Living Wage misses the point about the real solutions to poverty.

Oct 17

Making a contribution

Claudia Wood on how to re-establish the contributory principle to the welfare system.

Oct 4

A controversial, but vital, debate

Claudia Wood on how to interpret our recent polling results on controlling benefits.

Sep 18

Teaching to the test

Claudia Wood says the scrapping of modular courses risks only testing exam technique.

Sep 17

Does the Universal Credit fit with the reality of low income family life?

Claudia Wood discusses the stumbling blocks to introducing the Universal Credit.

Aug 31

How to make work experience work

Claudia Wood on how work experience can be changed to benefit young jobseekers.

Aug 29

Mind the gap

Claudia Wood argues that the Paralympics will highlight the problems disabled people have accessing London's transport network.

Aug 13

Personal budgets and paternalism

Claudia Wood argues that the government's regulation of personal budgets harms individual responsibility.

Aug 1

Looking beyond 120,000 'troubled families'

Claudia Wood makes the case for a multi-dimensional measure of poverty.

Jul 31

Is the WCA fit for work?

Claudia Wood on the potential impact of last night's documentaries about the Work Capability Assessment.

Jul 11

Show me the money!

Claudia Wood sees a financial black hole at the heart of the Social Care White Paper.

Jun 21

The human cost of welfare reform

Claudia Wood introduces the final instalment of the Disability in Austerity study.

Jun 13

Survival of the neediest

Claudia Wood says social housing providers should broaden their offer to tenants. 

May 28

Cinderella's Little Sister: Social housing

Claudia Wood says housing provders should offer support across the board.

May 17

The pressure is on

Following Liam Byrne's speech to Demos, Claudia Wood looks at the challenge the Labour has set itself on disability and welfare.

May 17

Care funding: back to the drafting board

Claudia Wood asks whether social care funding is back in the 'too-difficult' box.

Apr 30

The end of ESA

Claudia Wood blogs on the changes to disability benefits starting tomorrow.

Mar 26

U-turn on social care targets

Claudia Wood looks at the Government's 'heavily prescriptive' targets for social care.

Mar 20

The Government is right to scrap universal child benefit

Claudia Wood argues that the Government's plan to abolish universal child benefit is a blunt but necessary measure.

Mar 7

The problems at Remploy

Claudia Wood outlines the tricky path from Remploy to re-employment.

Mar 6

The value of everything

Claudia Wood takes a look at the Public Services (Social Value) Bill.

Feb 23

Work experience has important benefits

Claudia Wood defends work experience as a way to get people into permanent jobs.

Feb 22

Empowering consumers where it matters most

Claudia Wood welcomes the introduction of the Good Care Guide.

Feb 20

Experience can work

Claudia Wood says the Government is undermining work experience as a valuable way to get people into jobs.

Feb 6

A dangerous precedent

Claudia Wood is alarmed by the consequences of the Commons' use of ‘financial privilege’.

Jan 9

Byrne, Beveridge and welfare myths

Claudia Wood is disappointed at Liam Byrne's recent attack on welfare claimants.

Dec 2

How are our six disabled families coping with the cuts?

Claudia Wood describes the latest findings of our Disability in Austerity tracking study.

Nov 29

All together now

Claudia Wood comments on Osborne's Autumn Statement and asks how it will affect the most vulnerable.

Nov 15

Good growth is not a luxury

Claudia Wood argues the case for the new Good Growth Index outlined in our latest report.

Oct 7

Personalisation is more than just a personal budget

Claudia Wood blogs on Andrew Lansley's announcement on personal health budgets. 

Oct 5

IDS shows his Victorian values

Claudia Wood offers a damning assessment of Iain Duncan Smith's address on welfare.

Sep 19

Bad timing

Claudia Wood supports the Lib Dems' rejection of the proposed time limits on ESA.

Sep 12

Coping with Cuts to Disability Services

Claudia Wood explains Demos' new interactive map showing cuts to disability services.

Sep 1

Let's not forget what DLA is for

Claudia Wood argues that the factors affecting living costs should be a major consideration in DLA reform. 

Aug 31

Duty of care

Claudia Wood discusses the ill-timed release of social care budgetary changes.

Aug 23

Care market conundrum

Claudia Wood discusses the problems faced by the residential care market.

Jul 13

Open Public Services

Claudia Wood says the Open Public Services white paper needs popular support.

Jul 4

Who's rushing on disability?

Claudia Wood looks at accusations of unneccessary haste on disability benefit reforms.

Jun 10

Principles or practicalities for disabled jobseekers?

Claudia Wood asks how possible ending segregated employment is in the current economic climate.

Jun 8

False economy

Claudia Wood argues that care decisions should not be made on the basis of cutting costs.

May 30

What does 'fit to work' actually mean?

Claudia Wood looks at how changing definitions impact on how we view benefit claimants.

May 24

Councils in the dock over disability

Claudia Wood warns councils may be tempted to cut the services least likely to get them sued.

May 12

One person's localism is another person's neglect

Claudia Wood argues that the Munro report shouldn't be used as an excuse to cut corners in child protection.

May 9

What does disability in austerity feel like?

Claudia Wood writes about our latest report tracking five disabled families through the cuts.

Apr 28

“399 fiddlers!” doesn’t make such a good headline

Claudia Wood clears up dodgy reporting of stats on welfare claimants.

Apr 20

Informal Adoption Limits Are Not The Answer

Claudia Wood says councils should not allow older children to become 'unadoptable'.