Children’s social care
- Topic
- Child welfare
Children Act 1989Section 1 · Original source
Also connected to Legal
People. Research. Lived experience.
A broader perspective starts here.
The person who could help may be beyond your usual network.
A frontline worker facing a difficult situation. A policymaker weighing a decision. An academic trying to understand what happens in practice.
When you are working through a complex question, it helps to have people to think it through with.
Knowledge crosses boundaries.
Explore the connections between sectors, topics and original sources.
Education
- Topic
- Education otherwise than at school
Education Act 1996Section 19 · Original source
Also connected to Legal
Mental health
- Topic
- Mental disorder definitions
Mental Health Act 1983Section 1 · Original source
Also connected to Legal
Criminal justice
- Topic
- Public authorities and Convention rights
Human Rights Act 1998Section 6 · Original source
Also connected to Legal
Bring the question
you’re working through.
Reach beyond your own team, organisation or country. There is more than one way to take part.
Find your place in the networkAsk a question.
Bring the context that matters, with the option to remain anonymous.
Explore the knowledge.
Find relevant research and responses from the network, with sources you can explore.
Share what you know.
Contribute experience and learning that could help someone else think it through.
Leave out identifying details about the people involved.
Understanding grows when different kinds of knowledge meet.
A paper can explain the evidence. A practitioner can explain the everyday reality. Lived experience can show what it means in someone’s life.
Academia
Published findings that help us examine what is known and ask better questions.
Operational realities
The understanding that comes from doing the work, navigating services and making decisions.
Lived experience
Knowledge of what systems and services mean in people’s lives, contributed to the conversation.
Designed by people
who understand the work.
ATN was designed by people working across the sectors it serves, tackling complex problems and trying to improve lives. That experience shapes what we build and how we use AI.
Meet the people shaping ATN
Knowledge with people
and evidence behind it.
We actively develop the knowledge ATN draws on: academic publications, expert insight, best practice, operational learning and lived experience.
AI helps people find and make sense of relevant knowledge, with sources and context they can explore.
Human checkpoints throughout.
People remain involved in questioning, checking and improving the system, so it supports informed professional judgement.
Knowledge review
The knowledge we bring into ATN.
Development and testing
How the AI is developed, tested and reviewed.
Ongoing review
Checking responses and learning where the system can improve.
People’s lives cross systems.
Our understanding should too.
Shared questions and learning can reveal recurring difficulties, gaps and connections between services. ATN’s analytical work aims to help us understand those patterns and where a more joined-up response could help.
What we learn together can help us see the bigger picture.
Help us knit
the knowledge together.
If your organisation publishes research, evidence reports, evaluations or learning from practice into the public domain, we would love to hear from you.
Help connect that knowledge with the people who could benefit from it, across social justice.
Explore contributing knowledge media@askthenetwork.co.ukGood questions.
Clear answers.
A little more about the network, your privacy and getting started.
Talk to the teamWho is Ask The Network for?
ATN connects professionals, researchers, policymakers, students and people contributing lived experience across social justice. It is for people who want to learn beyond their own team, organisation or sector.
Can I ask a question anonymously?
ATN supports anonymous questions. Leave out names, case details and other information that could identify someone. Your role, country or topic may provide context; see our privacy policy for how information is handled. Read our privacy policy.
Does AI replace the people in the network?
No. AI helps people find and make sense of relevant knowledge. Research, professional judgement and lived experience remain central to the network.
How can my organisation contribute?
If your organisation publishes research, evaluations or learning from practice, we would like to hear from you. Visit our partnerships page to explore contributing knowledge or expertise. Explore partnerships.
How do I get access to the mobile app?
Join the waitlist to hear about access to ATN. Membership options are Bronze, Silver and invitation-only Gold. We will share the next steps when access becomes available.
There’s a place for
your perspective.
Bronze
Students and early-career professionals.
Silver
Experienced practitioners and specialists.
Gold
Invited expert contributors.
Let’s connect.
Join the waitlist and hear when you can get started with ATN.