What Works

What works

One size does not fit all.

Local solutions are needed for local problems but we are keen to understand the types of activities that work and those that do not ,and in what conditions positive outcomes can be fostered. Through evaluating a number of activities and campaigns we have been gathering evidence to help us understand better what can drive the best outcomes for those living in our district.

We are really excited to share what we’ve learned so far which is informed by our comprehensive monitoring and evaluation methods.

Our evaluation shows us if each project is:

  • Reaching out to a diverse community
  • Providing opportunities for meaningful social mixing between people from various backgrounds
  • Providing opportunities for learning and understanding
  • Maintaining participants’ engagements and satisfaction
  • Meeting the intended outcomes for each project

Community Readiness

Community readiness is a tool to assess how much communities are ready for a change. Community readiness is an evidence –based methodology which gauges the degree to which a community is ready to take action on an issue across six dimensions; community efforts, community knowledge of the efforts, leadership, community climate, community knowledge about the issue and resources relating to the issue. This produces a community readiness rating from a scale of 1-9 which then can be used to inform the design of the activities. The model was developed by the Tri-Ethnic Centre for Prevention Research at Colorado State University and has been trailed and tested by the University of Bradford.

The use of this tool within our project delivery will make sure that our services are designed at an appropriate level and for the communities that need it the most. We will be conducting our community readiness research in 5 wards across the district.