
The Centre for Research & Innovation in Social Policy and Practice
1. Civil Society
Over the past few years, CENTRIS has created a baseline for civil society development work in the UK by contributing to the literature, changing the climate by influencing policy, and working on increasing resource allocation to the sector. In 2011 Centris started working with the Webb Memorial Trust to help develop its 'Poverty and Inequality' programme. This is a 5 year project which will seek to ascertain what a good society free from poverty would look like in the UK. It also hopes to leave a lasting legacy in memory of Beatrice Webb.
2. Families - including Fathers and Masculinity
CENTRIS authored a book entitled A Question of Balance for Fathers Plus, a project of Children North East that aims to involve men in child-rearing by ensuring that the needs of men are met in service delivery. Latterly Centris has helped in a study of child poverty in the north east of England and in November 2011 Centris facilitated the Children North East Conference on Child Poverty held in Newcastle.
3. Social Justice and Philanthropy
A key part of CENTRIS' work in this area has been research into the effectiveness of funding in creating social justice and Centris has worked closely with the Ford Foundation in the USA.
CENTRIS is also helping Foundations for Peace, a network of community and independent foundations working in divided societies. The aim of the Foundations for Peace network is to support each foundation's work in its own community, and to enable foundations to work collaboratively, and together create a platform for the common aims of social justice, inclusion and peacebuilding.
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