Communities of Practice

At BIHR we want to find new ways to engage with the people we work with.

Every time we finish a human rights session we think, it would be great to have a way to keep this conversation going.

We are now looking at ways to do this through what we are calling, "Communities of Practice."

- What is a Community of Practice? A Community of Practice is a group of people who share a common issue (s) and want to have a space to create change together.

- What you get from joining one of BIHR's Communities of Practice?: When you join the Community of Practice you will have access to a safe space where you can find helpful resources and information which are relevant to you. Never miss information about our free human rights sessions!

- What you give when joining one of BIHR's Communities of Practice?: You do not have to give anything. But we will sometimes ask you to share your expert experience with us. For example, when we are responding to government enquiries we will ask you what you think so that we can tell policy makers what matters to you.

- What you gain from joining one of BIHR's Communities of Practice?:
A safe space for people we’ve supported to continue their discussions about creating change through human rights.

The Communities of Practice will be online. At first, they will be for members who are adults aged 18 and over.

This survey will ask your views about a couple of important things. For example, which platform is better, Facebook or Yammer? And, who would you like to be in a community with?

Question Title

* 1. Which community applies to you the most?

People whose rights are or may be at risk:

This community includes individuals, families and carers who interact with public services. It also includes local self-led support groups and networks.

Some people we've worked with who might join this community include;

-people with learning disabilities and/or difficulties,
- Autistic people,
- people affected by dementia,
- people with mental health issues,
- people with physical health issues,
- people who have experienced abuse or neglect,
- or people of other statuses such as the protected characteristics under the Equality Act (e.g. people of different ages, genders, ethnicities, sexual orientation, belief systems) etc.

Organisations that advocate or campaign with/for those whose rights at risks:
This community includes formal advocates (e.g. IMCA, IMHA, etc.), self-advocates, and other community, campaigning and advocacy groups.

People with legal duties to respect and protect rights:
This community includes those working in public services and those working in private, charitable or voluntary bodies delivering public services. When we say public services we mean health, care, social work, housing, education and more. When we say "those working in," we mean everyone.

Some people we've worked with who might join this community include;

-Frontline staff,
-Policy personnel,
-Managers,
-Commissioners,
-Regulators.

Question Title

* 2. There might be times when we create forums that bring these 3 groups together to share their experiences and views. However, we plan on starting with 3 separate groups (from Q1) in order to create safe spaces for people to share their views. Do you agree with the 3 groups we’ve identified?

Yes

No (if no tell us what you think is missing and/or should be changed)

Question Title

* 3. If you joined a BIHR Community, which platform would you prefer to use?

Please note that all options provided will need a registration or sign-in. Content would only be visible to people who are registered with the Community of Practice. There will be shared rules for how the Community will work, including issues of privacy and sharing, and respect.

A forum page on BIHR's current website (accessed by registration.)

A forum page on a new website (accessed by registration.)

A closed Facebook group (accessed through a Facebook account.)

Yammer -a Facebook like tool from Microsoft (accessed by registration.)

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 4. If you would like us to get in touch about how to be involved in a Community of Practice, please provide us with the following information, and please make sure you tick the box.

First Name

Last Name

Email Address

Question Title

* 5. Is it ok for BIHR to hold my name and email address so they can contact me about the new Communities of Practice.

Yes