HerInsight
Elevating womens voices in research
HerInsight centres women's, lived experiences and insight to shift and improve understand of issues related to complex motherhood.
Our work challenges stigma, informs professionals, and contributes to national conversations around child removal, motherhood and trauma.
Our Approach
We use feminist, trauma-informed, and narrative methodologies that:
-
Place women at the heart of the work
-
Prioritise ethical storytelling and safety
-
Turn research into action for system change
Featured Research: Still a Mam (2022)
In partnership with Fulfilling Lives Newcastle Gateshead.
Originally undertaken when Her Circle was known as Reform, this powerful research shares the life stories of women who have experienced child removal.
It explores the systems they've encountered, the trauma they've survived and their ideas for change.
Key themes:
-
The ripple effects of child removal
-
How early trauma shapes adult experience
-
The need for respectful, relationship-based professional support
-
Powerful calls for systemic reform
Listening Project (2024)
In partnership with the Maternal Mental Health Alliance.
This moving and insightful research, carried out under our former name Reform, brings together the voices of women who have lived through the trauma of child removal linked to drug and alcohol use. Their stories reveal not only the pain and complexity of their experiences but also the strength and clarity with which they call for change. By centring lived experience, the research challenges stigma and highlights the urgent need for more compassionate, joined-up support for mothers navigating addiction, mental health struggles, and the care system.
Key themes:
-
The deep emotional and psychological impact of child removal
-
How addiction and mental health challenges are rooted in early trauma
-
The importance of non-judgemental, relationship-based support
-
Urgent calls for systemic change grounded in lived experience
Dismantling Disadvantage (2023)
In partnership with Agenda Alliance and Changing Lives.
This collaborative research brought together women with lived experience, service providers, and policy influencers to explore how public services can better support women facing multiple unmet needs in Northumberland and Tyne and Wear. Her Circle members played a vital role throughout the project, contributing to both the expert advisory group and the community of practice. Their insights helped shape a powerful vision for more responsive, trauma-informed, and gender-aware services. The report highlights the urgent need for systems that truly listen to women, value their experiences, and work together to create lasting change.
Key themes:
-
The impact of fragmented and under-resourced services on women’s lives
-
The importance of co-production and lived experience in service design
-
The need for trauma-informed, gender- and culturally-responsive support
-
Clear recommendations for systemic reform and cross-sector collaboration
HerStories
I do feel the fear, but when I face the challenge of my fears I feel more empowered, more assertive, I feel like I’ve got a voice today
Every woman has a voice and each story matters.
These are the real experiences of some of our members; their strength, their pain, their hope, and their victories.
Shared with honesty and courage, their words are changing the conversation... and the system.
Get involved
Are you a professional, researcher or policymaker interested in our work?
Contact us to collaborate, co-design research or help us share findings.