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BIHR - The British Institute of Human Rights

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BIHR - The British Institute of Human Rights

BIHR is a charity committed to bringing human rights to life across the UK by empowering people and organisations to know, use and protect human rights.

BIHR is an independent human rights charity that is committed to challenging inequality and social justice in everyday life in the UK. We want a society that has become stronger because all human beings are equally valued, can participate fully and are treated with fairness, dignity and respect. We believe that human rights have meaning and benefit for everyone. They are not just abstract or legal

concepts and documents – they can be brought to life, and used practically to create a fairer, more tolerant society and tackle inequality and disadvantage. We think that this can only happen if human rights are understood, applied and claimed, outside the courtroom and by a wide range of people and organisations.

12/08/2026

"But we also knew this could not be about collecting stories."

Five years on from interviewing BIHR's first Lived Experience Consultants, our CEO Sanchita reflects on what we've learned about lived experience, human rights and making change happen.

At BIHR, people with lived and practitioner experience, work alongside us to connect what is happening in people's lives with the Human Rights Act, and help shape practical solutions for change.

In our new blog, Sanchita explores what we've learned about bringing together lived experience, human rights law, practitioner insight and policy expertise - and why lasting change needs investment not only in identifying problems, but in putting human rights into practice.

These lessons are also helping shape BIHR's new Strategy for Everyday Justice.

🔗 Read the blog: https://buff.ly/JEQgNgx

Our CEO Sanchita reflects on five years of putting lived experience at the heart of change

11/08/2026

'Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.'

For mental health professionals working in inpatient settings, there can be a difficult balance between managing risk, keeping people safe, and respecting their autonomy, dignity, and other human rights.

In our latest article, we explore what human rights-based approaches can bring to mental health inpatient care, drawing on what practitioners have told us through our training and work with public authorities. We also look at why understanding the Human Rights Act matters in everyday decision-making, and the practical challenges professionals face in applying it.

If this is an issue your organisation is considering, our upcoming CPD-accredited online course, Embedding Human Rights in Mental Health Inpatient Care, explores these questions in more depth.

The 3-part course has now run twice previously and is designed for senior professionals working across NHS, local authority and independent mental health inpatient services.

⬇️ Read the article and find out more about the course

“Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.” That was one participant’s reflection during a BIHR workshop on human rights and mental health inpatient care.

10/08/2026

"Human rights must be built into how these services work from the outset."

The UK government has announced a £343 million expansion of community mental health support across England, including 100 new community mental health centres and 59 dedicated mental health emergency departments.

BIHR welcomes investment aimed at helping people access support earlier and closer to home

From our work with people accessing mental health services and those delivering them, we know that when early support is missing, people can become increasingly unwell until they reach crisis point - where restrictive interventions become more likely and legally protected human rights can be put at greater risk.

The Human Rights Act already provides a practical framework to help staff make person-centred decisions, understand their impact and consider less restrictive ways of providing support.

As these new services are developed, this is an important opportunity to embed that framework from the outset.

➡️ Read BIHR's response: https://buff.ly/saRJMJ8

BIHR welcomes new investment in community mental health support and calls for human rights to be embedded in new services.

07/08/2026

❓What makes human rights training useful in everyday health and social care practice?

Giving evidence to the Joint Committee on Human Rights last year, Alex Ruck Keene KC highlighted BIHR’s approach to training health and social care professionals.

He described how our training can help practitioners recognise:

“This is what I’m doing, this is how I’m balancing human rights… oh, I see it makes sense.”

That practical approach is at the heart of our CPD-accredited open course on human rights in mental health inpatient care.

Across three online workshop, senior mental health practitioners will explore how the Human Rights Act applies to everyday decisions in inpatient care, including how to navigate complex situations and balance people’s human rights in practice.

The course begins next month.

⌛ Booking enquiries close at 4pm on Wednesday 19 August.

➡️ Find out more or send us a booking enquiry:
https://buff.ly/eePUHub

Find out about BIHR's 3-part online human rights capacity-building programme which seeks to build knowledge of the Human Rights Act to support the rights-respecting application of mental health law, now and in the future.

04/08/2026

⌛ Two weeks to go.

Booking enquiries for our open course on human rights in mental health inpatient care close on 19 August.

Starting in September, BIHR’s CPD-accredited, 3-part online course will support senior mental health practitioners to strengthen their understanding of the Human Rights Act and apply it to everyday decisions in inpatient care.

Participants will explore key human rights, legal duties and practical frameworks for navigating complex situations and supporting rights-respecting practice.

The course is designed for senior practitioners working across NHS mental health trusts, with people in equivalent local authority and independent and inpatient roles also considered.

⏰ Booking enquiries close at 4pm on Wednesday 19 August.

Places are limited and allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

➡️ Find out more or send us a booking enquiry:

30/07/2026

What happens when appearing happy is treated as consent?

In the second blog in our Rethinking the Right to Liberty series, Charli, a Lived Experience Expert and member of BIHR’s RITES Committee, shares their perspective on the Supreme Court’s AGNI judgment.

Drawing on their own experience of inpatient mental health care, Charli raises concerns about liberty safeguards being removed where people may appear happy in restrictive places.

“For me, self advocacy became a survival tactic I learnt on the spot - not something I was taught or supported with.”

Read Charli’s blog on what the judgment could mean for disabled and neurodivergent people:

Rethinking the Right to Liberty is BIHR's five-part blog series on how the Supreme Court’s AGNI judgment redraws the line on Article 5 of the Human Rights Act. In our second blog, we hear from Charli, a Lived Experience Expert and member of BIHR’s RITES committee, sharing their views on the judg...

29/07/2026

💙 Social care should be built on dignity, choice and respect.

BIHR welcomes the Prime Minister's commitment to making social care a national priority.

As discussions begin about the future of social care, we believe it's important to remember that many of the values we want to see in the system are already reflected in the Human Rights Act.

Human rights aren't just there when things go wrong. They help shape better everyday decisions, supporting people to maintain relationships, live independently, stay connected to their communities and have a say in the choices that affect their lives.

For over 25 years, BIHR has worked alongside people drawing on care, families, advocates and public services to make human rights meaningful in practice. We've seen first-hand how a rights-based approach can change lives, improve services and help build a culture of dignity and respect.

As Government develops its plans for reform, we hope this is a moment not only for change, but for investing in the implementation of the Human Rights Act so that everyone can live with equal dignity, choice and respect.

📖 Read our full response and discover inspiring stories from people whose lives have been positively impacted by human rights in social care: https://buff.ly/yjlTaIv

BIHR welcomes social care reform announcement; highlighting the Human Rights Act as a practical framework for dignity, choice & independent living.

28/07/2026

What does it mean to respect, protect and fulfil people’s human rights in mental health inpatient care?

BIHR’s CPD-accredited open course will support senior mental health practitioners to explore how the Human Rights Act applies to the everyday decisions that shape people’s care and treatment.

The second workshop will be co-delivered with a Lived Experience Expert, bringing together human rights law, professional practice and lived experience.

The 3-part online course begins in September and is designed for senior mental health practitioners working across inpatient services.

⌛ Booking enquiries close at 4pm Wednesday 19th August.

➡️ Find out more, register for the taster session, or send us a booking enquiry:

21/07/2026

Last week, more than 30 people from community groups across London came together for our Summer Human Rights Communities Event.

It was a powerful day of learning, connection and action. Participants explored how the Human Rights Act can be used in everyday community work to uphold dignity, respect and non-discrimination.

Community leaders shared examples of how human rights can empower people, strengthen advocacy and help hold decision-makers to account. Participants left feeling more confident to identify human rights issues, raise them with public bodies and support their communities to be heard.

The event showed why long-term investment in community-based human rights work matters. When communities know their rights, they are better equipped to claim them, protect them and turn them into change.

We are hugely grateful to everyone who joined us, and to The Baring Foundation and City Bridge Foundation for making this work possible.

Read more:

Find out about our recent Summer Human Rights Communities Event in London.

20/07/2026

“Informative, insightful, engaging, empowering.”

That’s how participants described our previous mental health inpatient care course.

We’re now re-running this CPD-accredited online training programme, designed for senior mental health practitioners working with the Mental Health Act.

While the course starts in September, we're offering a FREE taster session this week to introduce you to the programme.

This open course aims to enhance the knowledge and confidence of senior leaders in inpatient mental health care to promote human rights-based approaches and build a culture of respect for human rights in their service.

FREE TASTER SESSION:
Wednesday 22nd July 11.30am-12.15pm

⌛ Booking enquiries close at 4pm Wednesday 19th August.

➡️ Find out more, register for the taster session, or send us a booking enquiry:

Address

UK-wide Not Office Based
London

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 4pm
Tuesday	10am - 4pm
Wednesday	10am - 4pm
Thursday	10am - 4pm
Friday	10am - 4pm

Telephone

+442078825850

Website

http://www.bihr.org.uk/

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