OUR THEORY OF CHANGE

How are we going to bring about our vision? 

 

It's a challenge, but here's our theory of change in three steps. 

 

STEP 1: EARS ON THE GROUND

We develop relationships with partner organisations – NHS trusts, care homes, universities, housing associations – and engage with traditionally excluded groups (via projects like Lifeline (business support to young people), Heart 2 Heart (health awareness amongst BME women), and Armchair Advocates (helping older people lobby for better services)) – to understand how inequality operates on the ground. These projects might be in Manchester, Birmingham, London, or somewhere in between. The key thing is that we learn the issues and barriers people and organisations are facing on the frontline. We’re particularly interested in the skills people need to deliver equality, what human rights infringements ‘look like’, and the impact of globalisation.

 

 

STEP 2: BEING PART OF THE SOLUTION

We use this knowledge to refresh equalities thinking and practice – either in organisations or in the types of project we deliver. We deliver training, support on organisational development, advice, and clarity around service design. In particular, we show organisations how they can change their organisation’s culture, embed human rights practice, and resolve conflict fairly. Finally, we monitor the impact of this support to better understand how and why what works.

 

 

STEP 3: SPREADING THE KNOWLEDGE

Another thing that makes us different – we campaign and lobby national (and, increasingly, international) decision makers to get them to adopt the best practice we’ve identified. We attend meetings, write consultation responses, produce papers, give lectures, deliver seminars, and much more. In this way, progressive, innovative equality approaches become mainstreamed, leading to better, fairer services.