This article was the literature review carried out by Julia as part of her Masters Degree Action Research Project.

The purpose of her action research study was to investigate the impact of a form of professional development which focused on teachers’ professional and personal renewal through a reflective group exploration of core values and purpose. Three teachers participated in a professional development program titled This Teaching Life of Mine which comprised six workshops over the course of three consecutive months, where the content of reflective conversations focused on core personal values and deeper purpose. Data was collected from the conversational interactions, participants’ results from A Values Inventory (AVI), participants’ reflective journals, their stories of Most Significant Change (MSC) and researcher’s field notes and reflective journal. Interviews were also conducted with each participant four months after completion of the workshops.

By understanding the current ‘era’ we can understand the prevalent values and emotional cues and triggers underpinning our society. This understanding is vital to getting the look, feel and tone of our messaging right and can help us pull the emotional levers that will have the most impact.

Democracy was the most successful political idea of the 20th century. Why has it run into trouble, and what can be done to revive it?

Economists have powerful mathematical tools at their disposal which, like all tools, are means to ends. What those ends are depends on our values, writes Robert Grant. 

Against a back drop of ongoing reform of health and adult social care in “austere” economic conditions much of the rhetoric in England from politicians, statutory bodies and commissioners appears to focus upon what can not be done and what is “wrong”. Using a case study of a provider of independent living support services, we present a snap shot of what is possible and what can go “right”. Through triangulating the lived experiences of individual disabled people, the personal values prioritised by trustees and staff who support those people and an employee engagement survey we describe the functioning of a medium sized voluntary sector social care organisation. Drawing upon our findings we suggest that, even at a time of significant resource constraint, person-centred practice delivered through a consciously values aligned culture is not an impossible dream but an achievable goal.