About
Real change happens when we break out of our silos.
Equality Collabs is a specialist consultancy co-creating better responses to violence, abuse and harm.
Equality Collabs was founded by Sophie Maskell.
Sophie founded Equality Collabs in 2024 after a decade working across the frontline, the policy and the politics of gender-based violence.
She began her career at Nottingham Women's Centre, leading the Safer for Women project and the national campaign to recognise misogyny as a hate crime. The work increased local reporting by 45%, prompted a Law Commission review into national rollout, and was published as a chapter in the Routledge Handbook of Misogyny Hate Crime.
She went on to join the UK Domestic Abuse Commissioner's founding policy team, building the office's health, family, education, marginalised groups and immigration policy portfolios from the ground up. She co-wrote the Commissioner's Safety Before Status reports, which secured government acceptance of 11 of 16 recommendations for migrant survivors of domestic abuse.
Before founding Equality Collabs, Sophie was a Senior Change Consultant at IMPOWER, leading the firm's co-production workstream and developing new strengths-based approaches to children's social care.
She holds an MSt in Women's Studies from the University of Oxford.
How we work today
Every collaboration is different, so every team is different. Sophie builds a bespoke team around every project, drawing on a trusted network of academics, practitioners, policy specialists and experts by experience.
Some of Equality Collabs’ recent expert collaborators on the team include Professor Amanda Holt (University of Roehampton), Dr Vicky Baker (Manchester Metropolitan University), VAWG specialist Jo Sharpen, and Maria Duah of Silenced CIC.
The wider community
Our work is built with the specialist services, by-and-for organisations and academic partners who hold the expertise we don't. Recent collaborators include Greater Manchester Police, the London Metropolitan Police, Central and North West London NHS Trust, Waythrough, RISE Mutual, Rochdale Women's Welfare Association, Manchester Action on Street Health, and councils across Islington, Merton, Enfield and Haringey.
Let’s build something exciting together
Start the conversation
Whether you’re a commissioner, researcher, practitioner or simply curious, we'd love to hear from you. Bring us a brief, a question, an idea or the first sparks of a thought.