Partnership Work

At Inclusion Barnet we believe that real change happens when we work together.

Collaboration is at the heart of what we do, bringing the diverse perspectives, experiences and expertise together to create lasting impact.

We’re proud to partner with and collaborate on a range of projects with organisations that share our commitment to inclusion, equity and equality.

Through these partnerships, we combine our expertise and lived experience of disability with the specialist knowledge of our peers and colleagues in other sectors, learning from one another and driving forward progressive, innovative and evidence-based solutions.

Here’s some of the current partner projects we’re working on.

Propel advice project

Our Propel advice project is a partnership between Inclusion Barnet and Inclusion London, alongside four other Deaf and Disabled People’s Organisations (DDPOs), to deliver peer led advice work. Between us we employ five trainee caseworkers and five caseworker supervisors across London. Our advice workers all have lived experience of disability. Alongside this we provide training (in partnership with Advice UK) and support for all our advisers through a peer forum.

We also contribute to several important steering groups through the Advice Work Development Fund and the London Advice Strategy together with organisations such as Advice UK, London Legal Support Trust, Advice Services Alliance and Citizens Advice. Here we aim to collectively improve accessibility for Disabled people who want to work in advice.

Our impact

At Inclusion Barnet, the Propel project funds and supports our Touchpoint Benefits Advice Service. More information about our Touchpoint service, including how to make a referral can be found on our website Touchpoint pages.

Our work helping to inform research on pay and conditions has contributed to the Mayfield Report. Read the Pay and Conditions report.

We recently spoke about our work at the Helping Hands conference in June 2025

What our beneficiaries say

Peer workers on this project have told us that they never would have applied for a job in the advice workforce without it being open to trainees with no previous experience, and without the roles being in a DDPO:

“Because for the first time I felt I could talk about my impairment or health issue without that being seen as a negative or something I needed to disguise or dampen down or not discuss”

“The project lead has been an immense source of support, helping me to plan induction and training for our trainee and triage worker.”

Funded by

We are proud to be funded by the London Legal Support Trust as part of the Propel Workforce Development Programme.

Workforce Development Programme – London Legal Support Trust – LLST

Community of Practice Network

Our Community of Practice Network for strategic communications brings together people who have comms responsibilities at all levels in London based DDPOs (Deaf and Disabled Peoples Organisations).

Network event September 2025

The network was born out of a two-year research project co-lead by Inclusion Barnet and Inclusion London in partnership with six other DDPOs. The project culminated in the development of a practical Talking About Disability guide designed to transform the way we talk about disability. It is the first step toward building greater public understanding of the equal worth of Disabled people, the causes of disability inequality, and the essential role of DDPOs in creating positive change.

The guide provides DDPOs with tools to help strengthen strategic communications practices and embed a shared approach to framing and messaging across the sector.

To ensure the guide’s principles were applied in practice, we established this Community of Practice (CoP) that we continue to run in partnership with Inclusion London. This is a collaborative network that connects Comms practitioners with a shared goal to embed best practice, support one another and strengthen the collective voice of Disabled people in London.

What we do

Over 20 London DDPO members meet bi-monthly to:

Share learning and resources that help embed the principles of values based strategic comms in our organisations.
Provide peer support through open discussion and collaborative problem solving.
Explore sector-wide training needs and create upskilling opportunities for those with comms responsibilities.
Align our messaging to help unify the collective voice of Disabled people across the sector.

Our long-term vision

As our network grows, we aim to:

Build a stronger, more connected comms community across the DDPO sector.
Develop a sector wide media and press strategy that amplifies the voice of Disabled people.
Continue to influence and shape the future work of DDPOs, ensuring that Disabled people are more accurately represented in our communities and our society.

Join the network

Whether you are a CEO, comms professional or simply responsible for comms in addition to your day job, the CoP offers a space to collaborate, learn and make an impact. Together, we’re building the future of strategic comms in the London DDPO sector. Email claire@inclusionbarnet.org.uk or rensa.gaunt@inclusionlondon.org.uk

Barnet Together

One of Inclusion Barnet’s five key priorities is for Disabled people to take a leadership role in creating a thriving and socially just society.One way we achieve this is by also delivering wide range of general community services, i.e. non-disability specific.

As well as running two libraries and a Healthwatch, we provide free capacity building support to the borough’s Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) sector as part of our partnership, Barnet Together.

The Barnet Together partnership was established in 2018 between Young Barnet Foundation, Volunteering Barnet and Inclusion Barnet.

Barnet Together supports local VCFSEs with funding, training, resources and advice, and offers a platform for stronger sector representation, voice and connection.

The Barnet Together Alliance is the long-term, cross sector partnership with the London Borough of Barnet, which increases development and capacity building support for Barnet’s vital Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) sector, enabling the borough to strengthen, innovate and thrive.

This partnership helps us to create and deliver more borough-wide services and opportunities, based on real partnership and active collaboration.

Find out more on the Barnet Together website and view our Community Organisation Support offer.