We will be gathering evidence for the inquiry using a number of methods. We are calling for evidence from individuals, organisations and service providers, based on their experiences, positive and negative. We are commissioning research on specific areas that we have identified will help with the inquiry. We also expect to use other methods, like inquiry panels to hear evidence from witnesses.
We need your help!
Our inquiry is about establishing how public authorities, such as hospitals, schools or local and national government offices, make sure they treat people well and in line with legal requirements under the Human Rights Act.
Although the Human Rights Act directly applies to public authorities, we are also interested in looking at private and voluntary organisations that carry out public functions such as private or voluntary care homes financed by public bodies.
We need you to help us build up an accurate picture of how well things are working now so that we can recommend improvements for the future. The inquiry is currently covering England and Wales but we are discussing options for similar or parallel work to be carried out in Scotland with the newly formed Scottish Human Rights Commission.
- Are you working for an organisation that provides public services in line with the Human Rights Act?
- Do you know of an organisation that treats its customers with dignity and respect or tailors its services to suit the needs of different individuals?
- Or have you ever used a public service where you felt that you weren't treated fairly, or that your treatment may have breached legal requirements under the Human Rights Act?
Tell us about your experiences – positive or negative – using one of our downloadable forms.
The form is short and should not take you long to complete. The evidence you give us will be vital in helping to make this inquiry as comprehensive as possible.
To make sure your contribution informs the inquiry report, please send it to us by 21 June 2008.
Please use one of our feedback forms to send in your response. To download the relevant response form, follow the links on the feedback forms page.
Next steps
We are currently developing further methods of gathering evidence for the inquiry which will include a series of inquiry Panels to hear evidence from witnesses relevant to the inquiry's Terms of Reference. We will be publishing details with regard to these as soon as possible. Please subscribe to the inquiry RSS feed to receive updates on this subject.