Revolving Doors Agency

Revolving Doors Agency is a national charity that aims to change systems and improve services for people in the revolving door of personal crisis and crime. We bring independent research, policy expertise and lived experience together to support effective solutions to end the revolving door. We work alongside policymakers, commissioners, local decision-makers and frontline professionals to share evidence, demonstrate effective solutions and change policy. We embed the involvement of people with lived experience in our work, including through peer research, interviews, lived experience teams and forums based in London, Birmingham and Manchester.

We are currently conducting a multi-year process and impact evaluation of Birmingham Changing Futures Together. Working with peer researchers, we have explored different aspects of the programme including:

the experiences of people facing multiple and complex needs across Birmingham
the impact of Psychologically Informed Environment (PIE) training on staff and their ways of working
the impact of the Every Step of the Way ‘Expert by Experience’ programme on the wider system
the impact of the navigator function on BCFT and across Birmingham more widely (forthcoming).

We also regularly release reports and blogs about our learning. For example, we recently published a blog that highlighted the recent learning from our evaluations and published the New Generation Evidence Briefing, which brings together the latest evidence on young adults in the revolving door of crime and personal crisis and makes the case for targeting resources to them.

Latest

NEW £5,000 Community pledge from Tesco & easyfundraising

Tesco and easyfundraising have come together again to support voluntary organisations, charities, and CICs. They will donate £1000 funding pots to 5 community organisations this May. Follow these simple steps for a chance to win.
Community Event and Energy Cafe - How to Reduce Home Energy Bills

Warm Home Pack giveaway, Informal Workshop and Discussion. Tea/Coffee and light snacks.
Social Economy FORUM for West Midlands VCFSE sector, facilitated by BSSEC CIC

Did you know that BSSEC CIC facilitates a VCFSE sector-led knowledge network across the 7 West Midlands Combined Authority localities?Numerous trading, frontline social enterprises, charities, not-for-profits, faith and community-led, and employee-owned organisations are levering social economy insights as part of the regional eco-system.
Arabic Speakers wanted as Volunteer Educational Mentors

Are you an Arabic Speaker? Do you want to help young refugees in helping them learn English? Apply with us We're actively recruiting volunteers in Birmingham to become mentors, committing one hour per week for a minimum of six months to provide educational support in subjects like English GCSE, ESOL, and Maths in supporting young refugees and asylum seekers (age 14 - 25) in their education.

The State of Economic Justice in Birmingham and the Black Country 2021 Report

This is the second report by the New Policy Institute about the state of ‘economic justice’ in Birmingham and the four local authority areas of Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton that make up the Black Country. It sets out how different groups are experiencing economic wealth and opportunity, and the ongoing systemic and structural barriers faced by many in achieving financial resilience.
M.E.L Research

M·E·L Research is one of the UK’s leading social research, evaluation and behavioural insights consultancies. Founded 35 years ago, we stand for measurement, evaluation, learning – three essential principles underpinning evidence-based public service excellence.
The Social Effectiveness Research Centre

The Social Effectiveness Research Centre provides a mix of information and support services for non-profit making organisations, particularly voluntary or community projects and organisations. Our starting point is that organisations and projects already contain within them the potential knowledge and learning that could lead to better solutions to many of the problems facing society.
Kusminder Chahal

Kusminder Chahal is Senior Research Fellow at the School of Social Sciences at Birmingham City University. His research interests include race and racism, lived experience, hate crime, victim support and service responses, health and housing, community-based engagement and research and knowledge exchange.
Greater Manchester Centre for Voluntary Organisation

GMCVO is the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector support and development organisation covering the Greater Manchester city region. We publish predominantly qualitative research and evidence based on our projects, contributing to Greater Manchester’s understanding of the role of VCSE activity and how to develop the wider social economy.
Dr Bob Bates

From 1987 to 1994 Bob Bates was deputy manager of the Government's Inner City Task Forces in Wolverhampton and East Birmingham. During this time he was involved in the development and monitoring of over 40 projects of which around 80% were focused on the BAME community.
Alun Severn

Alun Severn has almost thirty years’ experience of working in, with or for the voluntary and social enterprise sectors. Trading as Third Sector Services he has been providing independent freelance services since 1997.
Angela Ellis Paine

Angela Ellis Paine is a research fellow at the Third Sector Research Centre and the Health Services Management Centre at the University of Birmingham. She has a long standing interest in research on voluntary action. Angela is currently working on a number of different research studies, which focus on community responses to covid-19, change in the voluntary sector, and the role and contribution of volunteers.