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Champion Network

Promoting and embedding research and innovation

The aim of the champion network is to establish direct and mutually beneficial links between IRISS and social services workforce. Our champions come from local authorities, voluntary and private sector organisations and from academic institutions. The network ensures IRISS can be responsive to the issues facing the workforce.

Find out about our current champions.

What does being a champion involve?

  • Encouraging a culture of innovation, evidence-informed practice and continuous improvement
  • Updating IRISS about the challenges faced by your organisation to inform our future work and priorities
  • Working with IRISS and identifying others to work with us on specific projects, activities and resources (shaping projects, undertaking activities in partnership and providing feedback)
  • Helping to disseminate and promote IRISS resources, events, information, and the IRISS mailing list

What are the benefits of being a champion?

  • Having a designated staff member in IRISS as a first point of contact
  • Direct access to assistance from IRISS, each champion is entitled to 2 days of direct individual support per year
  • Opportunity to inform IRISS’s work around key issues and problems affecting practice
  • Access to peer support networks through contact with other champions
  • Exchange of good practice and knowledge sharing
  • Invited each year to attend an exclusive 2-day residential event for champions

What is the time commitment of being a champion?

  • The role of champion will not demand lots of your time and should be core to your everyday activities.
  • You will be expected to make time for a catch-up phone call or meeting with your IRISS contact person every two months.
  • We will periodically ask you to disseminate resources, promote our mailing list or opportunities to work with us.
  • From time to time we may ask you to peer review one of our publications (eg an IRISS Insight (evidence summary), report or blog) before we make it widely available.
  • Initially, being a champion involves a six month commitment after which we can review together how being a champion is fitting with your role or if you’d like to nominate a replacement.

Further information

Login to the Champions' Network

Want to be a champion? Contact Ellen Daly or Rikke Iversholt for more information.

Resources from our Champions Network event, October 2012:

Resources from our first Champions Network event, 6th and 7th October, 2010:

 

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