At Inverclyde Educational Psychology Service we see social justice as lying at the heart of our work.
| What do we mean by social justice?
“…full and equal participation of all groups in a society that is mutually shaped to meet their needs. Social justice includes a vision of society in which the distribution of resources is equitable and all members are physically and psychologically safe and secure” (Bell, 1997, p.3). Bell, L. A. (1997). Theoretical foundations for social justice education. In M. Adams, L. A. Bell, & P. Griffin (Eds Teaching For Diversity and Social Justice (1st ed., pp. 3–15). London: Routledge. |
Following a social justice model as a service we:
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- use evidence-based practice in our partnership working to close the poverty-related attainment gap
- promote equity and justice for Inverclyde’s children and their families
- inform our communities of practice about approaches that facilitate or undermine opportunities for children and young people to achieve academic, physical, and psychological wellbeing
- increase our own and others’ awareness of the contextual factors which impact on the lives of children, staff, parents/carers, and community members
- support collaboration between education staff and the community
- encourage dialogue within educational settings that advance critical thinking about a variety of social justice issues to develop practice
- conduct or support collaborative and emancipatory research in Inverclyde (i.e. collaborative action enquiry and implementation science) that directly or indirectly informs socially-just educational practices
- advocate for children, families and services and provide practitioners and stakeholders with support to address social justice issues
- prioritise the voice of the child and promotes the right of the child as laid out in the UNCRC (United Nations Convention of Rights of the Child, 1989).
- recognise our role as corporate parents
