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Main projects

Current main projects

New one year project funding from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (May 2008)

We have just received funding for a new one year project.  More details about this project will be added soon.  We will be looking for five user controlled organisations to help us with this work - details will be posted on SOLNET, our networking website at www.solnetwork.org.uk

Beyond the Usual Suspects: Developing diversity in involvement

This is a three year project which started in July 2005 and is funded by Department of Health ‘Section 64’. Click here for more about Beyond the Usual Suspects.


The Standards We Expect

This is a two year project which started in January 2006, funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. It is working with eight partner services across the UK to develop person-centred support and now starting work on its final report. Click here to visit the Standards We Expect website.


SOLNET – the Shaping Our Lives Networking Website

This project has been going informally for some years but funding from SCIE has enabled ideas to become a reality and the networking site at www.solnetwork.org.uk has now been running for over a year. Have a look at the site to find out more!


Service User Involvement in Social Work Education

This work is funded by the Social Care Institute for Excellence. Shaping Our Lives runs a reference group which has helped inform policy in this area and has worked on a number of publications. See the publications section of this site for details.

Past projects

Networking and Knowledge project (2002–4)

More details will be added soon.


Outcomes Development Projects

Shaping Our Lives set up four development projects in the year 2000 to test out the findings that came out of its initial research on user perspectives on outcomes.

These four projects were based with the following groups:


Our Voice in Our Future and Network Project 2000

OVIOF is a subsidiary project run by Shaping Our Lives as part of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s Future of Rights and Welfare programme.


User Perspectives on Outcomes 2000

Shaping Our Lives started as a research project in 1996 looking at service users’ perspectives on outcomes. It was a response to service providers, politicians and academics placing an increasing emphasis on assessing support services in terms of their outcomes, ie their results.


Putting the Person First 2000

Early in 2000 Shaping Our Lives undertook a short project to assess users’ views on the codes of conduct and practice being introduced for social care workers and employers. The views expressed reflect on the proposed codes and on the general qualities and standards that users want from social care.

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