Our vision and mission

The Children’s Centre for Wellbeing (CCW) focuses on research which addresses all aspects of children’s health and well-being encompassing both physical and mental health and well-being as broadly defined by the World Health Organisation. CCW has a collaborative mission which includes a commitment to participatory research relationships with children and young people (CYP) which fulfil the rights of children as enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Children (UNCRC) (1989) and maximises participant agency across the whole range of research methodologies and methods. CCW also works to address CYP wellbeing from a systemic perspective. We are working to establish ways of including CYP in developing sustainable systems of consultation about our research agenda and the ways in which we carry out research on issues important to CYP.  

Vision

A thriving hub of research activity exploring a wide range of children and young people’s health and wellbeing issues. CCW will be recognised within the Open University, and more widely, for ground-breaking research, knowledge exchange and impact encouraging, generating and disseminating studies about CYP wellbeing. The work will embed equity, diversity and inclusivity by design.

Mission

To achieve this vision, the Centre will:

• Establish a creative hub where CYP health and wellbeing research can flourish.
• Continuously build research excellence which: 
  • Positively impacts practice, knowledge exchange and public engagement in CYP health and wellbeing issues.
  • Extends the range and variety of research within the UK and internationally.
  • Strengthens collaboration and participatory research practices with CYP.