National Space
Connecting local practice, learning and system change.
Sport for Confidence’s National Space shares our community-based learning to enable organisations and systems to do things differently, exploring how movement can reduce inequalities.
It’s not separate team, but a connecting layer across Sport for Confidence. It helps capture what our organisation learns through practice, research, lived experience and partnerships, and use this to strengthen services, workforce development and wider systems. We support organisational and systemwide change through a variety of learning opportunities, working alongside partners across the system, and sharing our expertise in meaningful movement through involvement in local and national conversations.
The work of the National Space is broad, spanning research, evaluation, workforce development, healthcare and occupational therapy practice, physical activity, education, inclusion and systems leadership. It supports the sharing of ideas, evidence and learning across health, social care, voluntary sector, leisure, sport, universities and community settings.
Why This Matters
Physical activity can play an important role in health, wellbeing and prevention. But for many people, participation is shaped by barriers such as disability, long-term conditions, confidence, transport, poverty, social isolation, environment and lack of access to inclusive opportunities.
Sport for Confidence focuses on creating the conditions that enable people to take part in ways that are meaningful to them. Through the National Space, we use learning from practice to strengthen partnerships, support workforce development and contribute to wider system change, creating a continuous cycle:
What the National Space does
Partnerships and system influence
Partnership working is central to the National Space. Sport for Confidence works with partners across health, social care, sport, leisure, research, education, VCSE and disability sectors.
These partnerships help connect local experience with national conversations, strengthen learning across sectors and support more inclusive approaches to participation, movement and wellbeing.
The National Space contributes to partnerships, conferences, research projects, communities of practice and collaborative learning opportunities across multiple systems.
Latest Partnerships News
Focus Areas
Research, evaluation and system learning
Learning, education and workforce development
Explore how learning and collaboration are improving outcomes for communities.
See how Sport for Confidence is helping embed movement into communities, practice and systems.
Movement Beyond Medicine
MovingOTs
Find out how education, placements and partnerships are shaping future ways of working.
Learn how MovingOTs is helping shape workforce confidence, learning and national conversations.
Supported by Sport England
The National Space has been made possible through Sport England’s System Partner long-term investment and support, enabling Sport for Confidence to strengthen research, workforce development, partnership working, evaluation and national learning connected to physical activity, participation and health.
Sport England’s 10-year strategy, Uniting the Movement, sets out a vision to transform lives and communities through sport and physical activity, with a strong focus on tackling inequalities and supporting the people and communities who have the most to gain from being active.
Uniting the Movement’s vision aligns strongly with our work at Sport for Confidence; our aim is to narrow the gap in occupational, health, and social outcomes by embedding inclusive, person-centred practice into local systems and everyday community life.
MAKING A POSITIVE IMPACT
Find Out More
If you’d like to discuss partnering with us please get in contact.
