OUR WHY
Read more about why we think making human rights accessible is important on this page.
At present, the current service delivery in the UK is built on issue or needs based approaches, which can exacerbate problems people face for a number of reasons from eligibility criteria and waiting times to IT poverty.
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We need UK wide social change to tackle systemic issues.
Reach recognise that using a human rights framework to educate, train and empower can help to address these problems.
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This is why our approach is uniquely based on :
Equality Act
(2010)
Covers everyone in Britain and protects people from discrimination, harassment and victimisation. This legislation highlights specifically the protection of minority groups ( protected characteristics) in all aspects of life ( social determinants of health) and was produced to be a streamlined version of the human rights act 1998.
Through this we concentrate on the rights of
ALL HUMANS
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The training we offer enables individuals to understand and apply the rights established above and use this knowledge to safeguard the rights and responsibilities of everyone in society.
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Although, legislation and former human rights acts legally stipulate that Scottish governing bodies and respective organisations have a responsibility to be working from a human rights-based approach, the data we have collected from trainees demonstrates that despite employees knowing that their services should work from a human rights based approach, they do not have the knowledge or understanding in how to apply it to their work:
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From frontline staff, 65% claimed their service worked from a human rights based approach however 97% of participants were unable to apply a human rights framework within their work.*
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Reach can accommodate frontline organisations and individuals becoming synonymous with government legislation and current strategies to use a human rights based approach through our SQA approved training .
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*from a series of human rights based workshops based in SW Scotland.
It is recognised that a human rights based approach can bring a common thread to public service reform, health and social care that will ensure this standard is met for everyone regardless of external factors. . .
The above diagram depicts the
8 social determinants of health :
Access to Health Services
Family Income
Employment
Our Communities
Social
Support
Education
Housing
Childhood experiences
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These are the conditions in which we are born, we grow and age, and in which we live and work.
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RECENT REPORTS ON POLICY REFORM ...
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REACH were selected as a case study by the Christie Commission to illustrate the benefits of working from a human rights framework at a community level. Helping to demonstrate the above point that
very little can be addressed in isolation from other issues.
*Christie Commission on the future delivery of public services
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The NHS report on Human rights and the right to health (2018)
states:
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Protecting, respecting and fulfilling human rights is therefore necessary if we are to address health inequalities and realise the right to health for everyone in Scotland. Embedding a
Human Rights Based approach (HBRA)
in policy and practice will help us do this.
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The Scottish Government's treatment strategies recognise the need for a human rights based approach to be synonymous with any work engaged with by NHS health boards, ADP boards and or local authorities. Recent reports such as the "Recommendations for a new human rights framework to improve people's lives report" - Report to the First minister (2018) specify these responsibilities.
