Partnership Working
At bthechange CIC, partnership is at the heart of everything we do. We believe that meaningful and lasting social change happens when organisations, communities, and individuals work side by side with shared purpose, shared values, and a commitment to inclusion and fairness.
Our approach is grounded in the Principled Space Model©—an anti oppressive- and trauma-informed framework that prioritises trust, psychological safety, and compassion. This model guides everything we do, from frontline delivery in prisons to system-wide cultural change programmes. It ensures that every space we create, and every partnership we form, is grounded in dignity, respect, and a genuine belief in people’s potential.
How We Work With Partners:
1. Co-Design and Co-Production
We work with partners, not for them.
We design programmes collaboratively with:
- people with lived and living experience
- statutory services
- prison & probation teams
- community organisations
- grassroots and culturally specific groups
This ensures that what we build is relevant, responsive, and rooted in real need. It also strengthens ownership, accountability, and impact across the whole system.
2. Trauma-Informed, Culturally Competent Practice
Our team has extensive expertise in:
- procedural justice
- cultural competency
- anti-racist practice
- psychological safety
- lived reality leadership
We help partners to embed approaches that strengthen trust, reduce harm, improve staff–service user relationships, and create environments where people feel heard, valued, and safe. Through reflective practice, supervision, facilitated learning spaces, and specialist education, we support organisations to build cultures that are compassionate, equitable, and resilient.
3. System Change Through Collaboration
We work across the criminal justice, community, health, and voluntary sectors to address the conditions that create inequity. This includes:
- reducing racial disparity and disproportionality
- supporting prisons with use-of-force scrutiny and cultural change
- improving transitions from custody to community
- strengthening multi-agency cooperation
- supporting community recovery after racial harm
- building trust in reporting processes such as DIRFs
- connecting grassroots voices with strategic leadership
We often act as a bridge—linking people, groups, and institutions that may not otherwise come together, and helping them build shared understanding and shared goals.
Why Partners Choose bthechange:
Credibility
We work with more than 500 people each year and are trusted by HMPPS, local authorities, health partners, and community organisations to deliver meaningful, trauma-informed change. Our credibility is built on consistent practice, strong relationships, and a deep, working understanding of the full criminal justice pathway.
Lived Reality Leadership
Our work is informed by people who have lived through the systems we seek to influence, ensuring authenticity, insight, and relevance. This lived reality is central to how we design, deliver, and review our work.
Innovation & Responsiveness
We respond quickly and intelligently to the emerging needs of the people and systems we serve. Our work is rooted in curiosity, creativity, and a willingness to challenge traditional approaches when they are not delivering for communities. We identify gaps early and design solutions that are practical, people-centred, and grounded in evidence. This includes pioneering initiatives such as our Safe Haven emergency accommodation programme, which provides immediate stability for people at risk of homelessness on release, and our racial disparity deep dives, which help organisations understand and address inequity with clarity and accountability. Our innovation is not about novelty for its own sake—it is about listening deeply, working collaboratively, and building interventions that genuinely reduce harm, strengthen trust, and create fairer outcomes.
Values-Driven Practice
Relationship, Authenticity, Compassion, and Equity guide every decision we make. These values are not just words for us—they shape how we show up, how we listen, how we lead, and how we work alongside others. We build relationships grounded in trust and honesty, ensuring that everyone we work with feels heard, respected, and valued. Our commitment to authenticity means we bring our whole selves to the work and create spaces where others can do the same.
Compassion underpins every interaction, recognising the humanity and lived realities of the people and communities we serve. Our unwavering focus on equity ensures that our efforts challenge systemic barriers, reduce harm, and promote fairness at every level of the system. Our partners know that our practice is principled, evidence-informed, and rooted in deep care for people and communities. These values are the foundation of bthechange CIC—and they are reflected in every partnership we form.
Work With Us
We welcome partnerships with organisations that share our commitment to developing meaningful and trusting relationships, working with authenticity and transparency, leading with compassion in every interaction, and implementing equitable practices that actively challenge inequality and create fairer outcomes for individuals and communities.
We believe that when organisations come together with these shared principles, we can design stronger services, influence cultural change, and build systems that genuinely support people to thrive.