1) We've just published the June edition of our newsletter. It's jam-packed with events for your diary, and recommended reading, listening and watching from across the relationships field. Plus something we've been working on for a while: How to have challenging conversations in relational ways

One week to go until our next book club event! This time we'll be joined by Allison Pugh ((Professor of Sociology at John Hopkins University), who'll be discussing her brilliant book*, The Last Human Job: The Work of Connecting in a Disconnected World (2024).

"If the beginning and endings of relationships are where power concentrates, where meaning is made and where trust is built or eroded, what does it mean to deliberately design for them, rather than treat them as administrative tasks to complete?"

"Meaningful change doesn’t start with programmes or policies—it starts with relationships." relationshipsproject.org/be-more-batt...

1) 10 days to go until our event with the brilliant Dr Gillian Sandstrom about the importance of talking to strangers. When: Thursday 23rd April 2026, 1pm-2pm (BST) Where: Zoom

Join us this spring for a series of discussions with the authors of three brilliant books – all about relationships. Learn more and RSVP: relationshipsproject.org/connect/

Did you know that loneliness can have real health implications? Our latest article explains how human connection is integral to delivering good public services. #CivilService #Delivery #PublicPolicy @rshipsproject.bsky.social

The Sixth Edition of Heywood Quarterly – Time to deliver – is out now! Dive into articles on delivery, long-term thinking and leadership. heywoodquarterly.com/editions/ #CivilService #Policy #PublicPolicy #Government @profserious.bsky.social @rshipsproject.bsky.social

Each month, we host Time Together, space for those in the relationships field to learn about each other’s work, make new connections and explore areas of shared interest. We'd love you to join us. Sign up here: forms.gle/wTojLYhBkHCY...

Last Thursday, the Prime Minister made a speech that would - in any other week - have made some waves. In it, he announced the expansion of the government's Pride in Place programme into forty new areas.

In the latest article from our Sixth Edition, Ray Shostak, Richard Bell and David Robinson explore the power of human connection in public services. Read the full article here: heywoodquarterly.com/the-role-of-... #Government @rshipsproject.bsky.social

Change doesn’t start with systems. It starts with relationships. We've assembled 10 funders who are getting into the possibilities of relational funding over a year-long programme – testing approaches and working through challenges together. On Friday, the cohort came together for the 1st time.

In a new blog, David Robinson shares the wisdom of Wes, his son's football coach who would "scream from the bench like his tracksuit was on fire, “Make yourself big! Make yourself big..."

What inspires people who put relationships at the heart of their work? 💡 In this piece – drawing on contributions from over 170 individuals and organisations on our Relationships Map – we share resources that have shaped people's relational practice. relationshipsproject.org/what-shapes-...

In a new essay, David Robinson shares how he and friends, all teenagers at the time, clubbed together to buy a Routemaster bus, and how meeting people where they were at, literally and metaphorically, brought the community together relationshipsproject.org/notes-on-a-j...

🧵 1) Our Community Bridgebuilders programme is coming to Middlesbrough in January! It's a free programme that supports people to: 🌉 Talk to people who bring different perspectives 🌉 Challenge well while staying open and meeting needs 🌉 Encourage positive changes in your own community

🧵1) "...often, major social changes, from the end of Apartheid in South Africa to women's suffrage in the UK, have been driven by a combination of resistance and filigree bridgebuilding across difference. Yet history doesn’t always make visible this painstaking work."

🧵1) This is a milestone moment. The first (first!) objective of the £5bn UK Government's Pride in Place programme couldn't be clearer:

🧵1) We’ve been thinking about ‘relational readiness’: an individual, organisation or community's receptivity to the values and intentions of relational practice, and ability to embed it in their day-to-day doings. Some places are more ready than others.

Keen to know more about Human Learning Systems or how to create psychological safety within our teams and across systems? This Relational Leadership course from ThemPra looks great: www.thempra.org.uk/thempra/our-...

"We’d run through fire for people we love but most of us study our phones when faced with a stranger." In this short, personal blog, David reflects on the power of kindness, and how caring for and about people we do not know is a human superpower: relationshipsproject.org/four-signs-l...

Our relationships with one another are the foundations, the bedrock, on which all else is built. And yet UK society has consistently undervalued them, marginalising the evidence. David Robinson maps how we could set a different course and build a different future: Read the essay: bit.ly/3SyahnU

Want to engage in conversations beyond your usual circle and meaningfully connect with someone [email protected] is running a free online exchange that brings together adults from different backgrounds. Learn more and sign up 👉: tinyurl.com/yhs2278e

Nick Sinclair and David Robinson reflect on recent policy-driven changes that offer opportunities for achieving #relational neighbourhoods: "an area where connections matter as much as, if not more than, geography." relationshipsproject.org/the-relational-neighbourhood/ @nicksinclair.bsky.social

🧵 1) Nine months have passed since the UK general election; the PM and the Chancellor have declared the intent to do government differently.We believe these plans must include a deep and wide commitment to relational practice. In a pair of blogs, we dig into the practicalities:

"If you want to change the outcomes that emerge from a social system, you need to change the relationships that shape its dynamic and capacity." What's Reflective Relational Practice and how could it be implemented to assess the health of relationships in your organisation or community?

Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz share four ways we can invest in our relationships: ideas.ted.com/how-to-add-n... 1. Feel the power of generosity 2. Practice radical curiosity 3. Communicate understanding back to others 4. Do regular relationship check-ins Which of the four do you already do?

What's unique to human relationships? What is it about human to human relationships that can't be replicated by technology? Respond to our three-question survey and help us to develop ideas around relational approaches to the rollout of new technologies: forms.gle/dC71FxF1qKLJ...

An 'Impact Gallery' 🖼️ is a tool developed by @neighbourlylab.bsky.social to share and elevate the work happening within communities and industries. It can help share best practice and learnings, celebrate success, and bring people together. Learn more: www.neighbourlylab.com/impact-galle...

🔑 Relational offsetting 🔑 Thank you to all who came to last week's conversation on 'relational offsetting'. We left with a lot to reflect on, both in terms of the potential & associated risks. 💡 Full blog 👉 relationshipsproject.org/how-to-have-... 🗨️ Takeaways 👉 docs.google.com/presentation...

📅 ONE WEEK TO GO 📅 Join us on 24/02 1-2.15pm GMT to explore the concept of relational offsetting 🤔 Could you see it having benefit in your place? 🤔 What are the risks? 🤔 Where can tech help and where is a relationship required? Read more & RSVP 👉 relationshipsproject.org/how-to-have-...

🧠 Why our brains need other people 🧠 www.theguardian.com/books/articl... Relationships are vital to the way we think, and can even determine the degree of cognitive impairment following a brain injury or stroke.

🍰 "Social capital is the cake, not the icing, of a strong, well functioning economy" Andy Haldane and David Halpern demonstrate the importance of trust and collaboration within communities Guardian article 👉 www.theguardian.com/business/202... Full paper 👉 demos.co.uk/wp-content/u...

We've had lots of thought-provoking feedback on the concept of 'relational offsetting' (lnkd.in/eQtxZGCk). Join us on Zoom on 24/2 1-2.15pmGMT to think about how relationships can be taken out of one part of a service in order to double down on relationships in another RSVP 👉 lnkd.in/eVBDCQYv

We're delighted to see relationship-centred practice gain ever more prominence in the youth justice space. This paper by HM Inspectorate of Probation offers us an evidence-informed model for effective relational working 👉 lnkd.in/ewhv-gyV

What is relational offsetting? Could it transform public services and allow us to prioritise human relationships where they really matter? We think so: relationshipsproject.org/how-to-have-...

Our friends at the Roots Programme bring together neighbours in neutral spaces to listen deeply and reimagine their place. Read more about how they're bridging gaps and supporting lasting relationships: relationshipsproject.org/the-roots-pr...

Dignity, purpose, understanding. These are things we can't get from a machine, or from AI. They are things we can only get from one another, and things that we all desperately need. Important thoughts from Dr Allison Pugh on the value of connective labour 👉 www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

👋 TIME TOGETHER 👋 Do you want to connect with others interested in relationship-centred practice? Join a small group conversation on Zoom in which we can share a bit about each other’s work & make new connections Sign up 👉 docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F... It'd be a pleasure to have you there 😊

Having a consistent relationship with the GP - 'continuity of care' - has been shown to: 💫 Increase life expectancy 💫 Reduce hospital admissions 💫 Increase medical adherence 💫 Reduce over-prescribing Everything works better when relationships are put first theconversation.com/why-seeing-t...

The new school for Britain’s most dangerous children, putting relationships, trust and understanding first 👉 www.thetimes.com/uk/education...

🏥The Man in the Hospital🏥 David Robinson reflects on a day at the hospital. As Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting consults on the future of the NHS, David makes the case for “critical synergy”, reminding us that we all have a role to play relationshipsproject.org/the-man-in-t...

How can we most usefully respond to the increasing demand for knowledge about relationship-centred practice, and for support in turning that knowledge into action on the ground? @rshipsproject.bsky.social relationshipsproject.org/relationship...

They might end by modestly apologising for the "dull written summary" of numerous conversations with relational workers, but we think this blog series by Beca Sandu & Mel Smith is anything but Here, they summarise 7 insights about whether the term 'relational worker' resonates 👉 lnkd.in/ewdWP-Hp

💫 THE RELATIONSHIPS ACADEMY 💫 How can we respond to the increasing demand for knowledge & support about relationship-centred practice? Here we explain our plans for a Relationships Academy & end with an invitation 👉 lnkd.in/e-Pdm9UF The potential is exciting. Please help us to get it right.