Understanding Poverty and Social Rights through Lived Experience

'Poverty kills dreams and cages the dreamer'

- research participant with lived experience of poverty

Hosted jointly by ATD Fourth World, Just Fair and Amnesty International UK, this conference will bring together lived experience, research, policy, and practice perspectives on understanding and addressing poverty from across the country.

ATD Fourth World will share the findings and key messages from Understanding Poverty in All Its Forms: a participatory research study into poverty in the UK. Co-researchers from the project will give a personal account of the research journey they have been on.

Drawing inspiration from this ground-breaking research, the goal of the conference is to explore together an agenda for change: one that is built on the promotion of social rights and the participation of people with direct lived experience of the issues.

If you are interested in this conference but might have difficulty with transportation or child care, please let us know via registration form. We have a limited number of travel and child care bursaries available.

Programme

9:30. Arrival, registration and coffee

10:00. Welcome and introductions

10.15. Opening address by Baroness Ruth Lister, Emeritus Professor of Social Policy, Loughborough University

10:30. Panel 1: The research journey - process and method

• Elaine Chase, Understanding Poverty Co-researcher, Institute of Education, UCL
• Susan McMahon, Understanding Poverty Co-researcher, Poverty Truth Community, Scotland
• Mark Healy, Recovery Coordinator, North West Recovery Communities
• Tania Burchardt, Department of Social Policy, LSE

Panel moderator - Rachel Bray, Department of Social Policy and Intervention, University of Oxford and member of the International Research Team

11.40. Coffee break

12.00. Panel 2: The six dimensions of UK poverty and the key research messages

• Thomas Mayes, Understanding Poverty Co-researcher and ATD Fourth World parent activist and director
• Rachel Broady, Understanding Poverty Co-researcher, journalist and historian on poverty
• Kait Laughlin, Researcher & Human Rights Campaigner
• Tracey Herrington, Manager, Thrive Teesside

Panel moderator - Ruth Patrick, Department of Social Policy and Social Work, University of York

13:15. Networking lunch

14:15. Parallel workshops

1. Developing better indicators and benchmarks using lived experience and participatory methods.
2. Do your duty for equality! - Campaigning on the socio-economic duty locally and nationally.
3. Communicating our message - staying safe and protecting your rights.
4. Influencing policy through participatory action and deliberative democracy - Learning from the poverty truth journey.

15:15. Coffee break

15:30. Feedback from parallel workshops

15.45. Panel 3: The human rights agenda for change - UK poverty solutions

• Moraene Roberts, Understanding Poverty Co-researcher, ATD Fourth World
• Jenny McAteer, National Development Manager, Groundswell
• Kartik Raj, Western Europe Researcher, Human Rights Watch
• Koldo Casla, Policy Director, Just Fair

Panel moderator - Allan Hogarth, Head of Advocacy and Programmes, Amnesty International UK

16:55. Reflections and take-homes

• Amanda Button, Understanding Poverty Co-researcher
• Tom Croft, ATD Fourth World National Co-ordination Team

17.30. Networking drinks and nibbles at Amnesty UK