The research of Spencer Millham, who has died aged 82, had a major impact on social policy for children and young people. The closure of residential schools for offenders, the introduction of a therapeutic approach for the most disturbed young people and the protection of the rights of parents whose children are taken into foster care – all came about partly thanks to his work.
As director of the Dartington Social Research Unit, an independent charity based in Devon, Spencer encouraged an intellectual environment that welcomed leading researchers of the day to sit alongside government policymakers. The research contributed to several changes in legislation and guidance, most notably the Children Act 1989, which gave parents more rights and brought into a single framework private law, for example, what happens to children when parents divorce, and public law, affecting children supported by the state.
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