The CIU's Support for Community Research
Conducting research, whether as a separate piece of work or as part of an overall project, can seem like a daunting prospect for many groups. The Community Involvement Unit can help with advice and support and even deliver a research project for you (subject to available funding).
Some of the positive benefits of undertaking research as part of your work include:
Evaluating and Improving an Existing Service
Evaluation is an important part of service provision and integral to ongoing funding. Measuring the impact of your organisation's work can be done in a variety of ways - through using: user surveys; feedback forms; suggestion or complaints boxes; 'mystery shopper' (where someone unknown to the staff uses the service you provide and reports back their experience); focus groups; in-depth confidential interviews; and staff consultation.
The Community Involvement Unit has produced a factsheet called "How to Evaluate on a Shoestring', based on an evaluation for Alternatives Trust East London. We can help with advice on external evaluations or on how to monitor and evaluate your work from within your organisation.
"How to Evaluate on a Shoestring' - factsheet [PDF]
Evaluation of Alternatives "We Are Family" project - report [PDF]
Full Report | Summary
Backing up Funding Applications or Campaigns
Funding applications usually require you to justify why you're asking for funding, and a campaign requires a sound evidence-based rationale. Using sources of information such as census data, other published statistics or a case study (an illustrative narrative concerning the issue) are some ways in which you can add weight to applications and campaigns.
The 'Newham - Key Statistics' factsheet produced by Anne Crisp of the Community Involvement Unit for Advance to Deliver (A2D) brings together statistics about the borough, which organisations may find useful when planning activities or applying for funding. Sources are provided to enable accurate referencing, further exploration and so you can check for the latest updates. Members of the A2D team can also advise groups on finding and using statistics.
Factsheet Summary Download the factsheet summary [PDF]
Full Factsheet Download the full factsheet [PDF]
For further data download this list of websites that provide a range of statistics from different sources.
An example of how good evidence can help to strengthen a campaign is the lobbying document produced for Newham ESOL Exchange, entitled Investing in the Big Society - The case for ESOL provision in Newham [PDF]
Identifying Needs and Existing Resources
If you wanted to develop the services you offer, or are just starting out, you will need to be able to target your resources effectively in order to make sure you meet actual needs.
Methods of research for this could include doing a survey questionnaire with local residents; setting up a networking forum for professionals in the locality; conducting a structured discussion (called a 'focus group') with specific groups of people (such as young people, elders, those of a specific ethnic origin); and observation techniques.
The CIU has researched several Community Audits that seek to identify local needs and existing resources:
St Patrick's Community Audit
Research by Tilly Forster for St Patrick's Church, Barking
St Mary's Community Audit
Research by Selina Rice for St Mary's Church, Plaistow
For details of other research carried out by the CIU, please click here.