Who are we?
ABOUT ROOT
Root Research and Impact is a consultancy service that believes in the grassroots. Whether it is designing services, writing policy, or evaluating outcomes - we know that the people who are most affected should be at the centre. With decades of experience working directly with communities, policy makers and world leading researchers, we recognise the value of understanding the bigger picture and know how to create space for different sectors and communities to work together.
Root works with clients to get to the heart of the challenges they or their end users are facing, and to find sustainable and inclusive solutions that go beyond the status quo.
ABOUT BETHANY
Bethany Waterhouse-Bradley
Founder and CEO
Bethany began her career in the voluntary sector - working with a range of groups in Washington, DC including unhoused people and people in mental health crisis before moving to Belfast in 2003, where she continued working in direct service provision. She was the Policy Officer for the first ever Northern Ireland Strategic Migration Partnership, where she supported local and national policy teams to translate migration research and policy for local implementation. As a Programme Manager for PEACEPLUS at the Special EU Programmes Body she developed an assessment tool to measure sustainable development contributions, worked alongside Irish and NI departments to align the Programme with local needs, and specialised in environmental and mental health themes.
During her academic career, Bethany designed and implemented research in mental health, help-seeking, post-traumatic stress disorder, migrants and racialised groups, cultural policy in post-conflict societies, people with dementia and their families, and representations of gender in the media. She has successfully secured more than £1million in funding for research and evaluation projects and has managed projects and programmes ranging from £30,000 -£30,000,000.
Bethany has completed evaluations of medical interventions, online self-help tools, and public services using a range of traditional and creative methods. After being selected for the Digital Economy Crucible at Swansea University, she began work on the risks of automated decision-making in the public sector and has presented papers internationally on ethical AI in public policy. She has more than 21 publications including peer reviewed articles and commissioned reports.
Bethany has been invited to present oral and written evidence to Committees in Westminster, the NI Executive and Dáil Éireann. She has a first class honours degree in degree in Social Policy, a Post-Graduate Diploma in Higher Education, and a PhD in Public Policy exploring the public engagement and the policy Process. She has recently trained in Python for Data Science, and is undertaking further qualifications in Sustainability in Business.