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Cumberland Council was awarded funding by NIHR in 2023 to form Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC) Cumberland. Through this collaboration, Cumberland Council aims to increase research capacity within the council and conduct new research with local communities about health inequalities. A strong and clear approach to community engagement was written into the HDRC’s delivery plan to ensure that residents and community organisations felt they were meaningfully involved in research rather that it being done ‘to them’.
There are so many reasons to engage and empower communities. Firstly, we believe it leads to better outcomes as local people know their needs best and what will work to achieve that. Secondly, we think that increased trust and transparency help reduce suspicion and build more credibility with the Council.
We believe decision makers feel greater accountability from residents. Engagement also reduces the potential for conflict as all parties understand one another better. Empowerment is important to enable residents to have a voice and ownership over processes that they might otherwise miss – it is the ‘how’ of engagement.
- Dr Becky Clarke, HDRC Research Officer
HDRC Cumberland developed a Community Engagement and Empowerment Strategy to set out definitions of key terms and the practical ways they would approach engagement and empowerment. The strategy was heavily shaped by the Cumberland Council Community Advisory Panel and feedback from community members who took part in the HDRC launch event.
The HDRC Cumberland team then started attending events run by other organisations and Council teams to raise awareness of the HDRC, before convening a series of events in libraries across Cumberland. The team are now planning a number of ‘Art of Wellbeing’ events, which will engage families in the creation of puppets to express what health and wellbeing means to them.
HIDRC Cumberland work with 240 local stakeholders, many of whom they met through engagement events.
The next step for the team is to recruit 16 community co-researchers, who will lead research in their local areas. As a result of their engagement activities, they have already had 14 enquiries for these roles, even though the adverts are not yet live!
Community engagement is hard but incredibly meaningful. Building relationships, and empowering our communities to get involved in research and HDRC training, has been a really powerful experience.
I am excited to commence the next phase of our community engagement and empowerment, when we have our Community Co-Researchers, who will champion the importance of place-based community-led research.
- Dr Becky Clarke, HDRC Research Officer
To find out more about Cumberland Council’s ‘Lets Meet’ and Art of Wellbeing events, go to: Cumbria Observatory – Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC)
For more information about the community engagement work undertaken by Cumberland Council, please contact Becky Clarke, HDRC Research Officer. Becky.Clarke@cumberland.gov.uk
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