About Us
Who are we and why are we passionate about RightSpace
Investing in Children, The Centre for Social Action and Practical Participation have been passionate about participation for social justice and concrete change in the lived lives of children and young people for many years. With the rising tide of rhetoric on the active involvement of children and young people, we believe some tough questions need to be asked about what difference this has made and in whose interests. This, we feel, is all the more crucial at this time of policy and political change because we need all the more to learn and reflect on what has been achieved, what have been the barriers and what do we need to hold onto in this changing climate. The big questions about human rights, leadership and accountability, research and evidence of change arise from our direct work with children and young people where they live and with wider policy makers.
The partnership
Investing in Children is an organisation based in County Durham concerned with the human rights of children and young people. Since 1995 IiC has developed lots of different ways in which children and young people have been supported to say what they want to say, and to improve services used by them, by talking to the adults who run the service.
Practical Participation works with projects and organisations to promote social justice through participation, community building, campaigning, organisational change and the effective use of social technologies.
The Centre for Social Action is based at De Montfort University as part of the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences. We are a Centre which undertakes research, training and consultancy in the field of public participation in health and social care. Our key focus is on the realisation of people’s human rights. We do this through a commitment to partnership working and to the active involvement of people in decisions concerning their communities, services and lives. Centre for Social Action has a particular commitment to emancipatory and empowerment approaches to research and maximizing the involvement of community members, young people and service users.
