News
Making Places Work For Women: guidance on gender and systems change
Late last year saw the release of a discussion paper entitled Making Places Work for Women from Agenda, the Alliance for Women and Girls At Risk. The introduction sets the, ah, agenda:
While there is a growing body of evidence around place-based systems change, there has been limited work which takes a gendered approach. That is why Agenda, supported by the Lankelly Chase Foundation, wanted to commission this discussion paper to build on the existing evidence base and consider how systems and services in a locality can be redesigned to take into account the particular experiences of women and girls.
With the systemic problems facing women outlined [herein], local authorities and organisations coming together to understand the issues women face and taking a new joined-up approach to tackling them, could have a hugely positive impact on the most disadvantaged women
The paper first examines obstacles to change that persist in the current regime, before moving on to five principles toward making the difference for women experiencing multiple disadvantage — some of which are just as applicable to improving service design more generally:
- Build a shared understanding of the population of women experiencing multiple disadvantage
- Outcomes are attached to the system and defined by and with women, not for them
- Services that work together, not just alongside one another
- Visible leadership at all levels of the system
- Look below the surface to address unconscious dynamics
Lots of good advice for trusts and foundations, for local authorities and commissioners, and even some recommendations for central government on this crucial but still all-too-often overlooked issue. Download your copy directly.