Bradford City Council
Improving Integration, Reducing Hate Crime and Building Happier Stronger Communities for Everyone in Bradford
What we did: In 4 weeks we designed and co-delivered community research and engagement with more than 630 of the wonderful people of Bradford. We got to the heart of some of the most persistent integration challenges, in addition to the basic human needs of employment, prosperity and hope.
The outcome: Recommendations, priorities, ideas and a plan of action for Bradford owned and co-created by local stakeholders. 1. Where to start and what to do, 2. relationships, trust and a platform for dialogue, 3. research and engagement skills built in to the team and renewed appetite for listening afresh to what people had to say. £1.3 m funding from MHCLG (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government). The establishment of a community led movement Bradford For Everyone - to take forward the needs and wishes of Bradford together with its people - which is now supporting the needs arising from Covid-19.
Participatory research - to empower the people of Bradford
We used ‘participatory research’ to give the power from the researcher to research participants. In the case of Bradford, these were community members and community-based organisations, companies and representatives. In participatory research, the people involved have control over what happens. Whatever time people had, our research was designed to engage them meaningfully. The reality was that over 400 of those we engaged, spoke to us for more than an hour - many much longer, some stayed all day. We brought together all ages, faiths and walks of life. Researchers and ethnographers got to the heart of peoples experiences and beliefs. Tackling difficult issues such as intolerance, racism, poverty and crime alongside what they liked and valued about Bradford, their needs and wishes and how to build a better future.
The Partnership Group (now the Stronger Communities Partnership) had the job of overseeing the project. Chaired by Rt Rev Dr Toby Howarth, Bishop of Bradford. This group was made up of strategic leaders, the voluntary, private and faith sectors and local people.
You can find out more about Bradford For Everyone from the web site - including the governance structure, the Stronger Communities Partnership and the important role of ‘Community Ambassadors’.
A snapshot of the things we found: The need for understanding across and between faiths, cultures, ages, at work, at school and in the community. Lack of understanding impacts inclusivity, opportunity, confidence, progress and the ability to get things done. We also heard what was good, what people valued most and wanted to build on. There was much to be proud of and celebrated too. We worked at pace and in partnership with Bradford City Council, Bradford’s Safer Stronger Communities team and youth volunteers to engage, understand and co-produce a clear vision, ideas and priorities for a better future - with and for the people of Bradford.
Partnership
Working at pace and in partnership to deliver this important work meant we could:
Deliver what was incredibly ambitious, in a short space at time and carefully manage costs and resources
Benefit from and leverage local knowledge and relationships - respecting local needs and differences
Recruit participants at very short notice from diverse communities
Take more people with us on the journey and embed local learning and engagement skills for the future
Build trust and local ownership, ensuring the good work continued long after we were gone
The key to the success
The partnership approach to delivery. 2. The careful design of the research, the diverse and expert team and how we engaged on the ground and with partners. The questions, the lines of enquiry, the carefully structured analysis, the joint team and the focus on specific issues in dedicated groups - were all developed with considerable care. 3. The trusted environment which respected the diversity of these we engaged and focused on the critical priorities - using language that was accessible and relevant to everyone involved. 4. Listening hard, underpinned by a clear and authentic message: It’s Your Place - Tell Us What You Think 5. Being human and putting the full spectrum of humans at the centre every step of the way.
Our learning
We spoke to people with little hope, we met people with big ideas and willingness to help, and we saw the normalisation of issues such as child grooming, shop lifting and gangs. We spoke to young people who asked us directly for help because they were lost and didn’t know what to do. Many had challenges with their mental health. There was no doubt that Bradford had it’s challenges. What was also clear is that it has a wealth of ‘social energy’, want and willingness to make Bradford District full of happier, stronger communities with more opportunity for everyone.
There is heritage, resilience, creativity and communities full of potential. With a young population which would be the envy of many districts, Bradford is also in a unique position to thrive and in a possession of the will and potential to make that possible.
The outcome
The formation of Bradford For Everyone - to take forward the needs and wishes of Bradford together with its people - which is now supporting the needs arising from Covid-19.
£1.3 m funding from MHCLG (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government).
Recommendations, priorities, ideas and a plan of action for Bradford owned and co-created by local stakeholders, underpinned by a clear way forward for Bradford Council:
Where to start and what to do
Relationships, trust and a platform for dialogue
Research and engagement skills built in to the team and renewed appetite for listening afresh to what people had to say.
Just two examples of initiatives that emerged from our work
Anti Rumour Campaign: #MakeSureItAddsUp aims to raise awareness about the importance of countering diversity-related prejudices and critically think about rumours which can hamper positive interactions. The campaign encourages people to think critically and #MakeSureItAddsUp before sharing information.
The Bradford People Library - A hub of human books. The library brings together people from different backgrounds 'as books and readers'. It builds understanding, challenges stereotypes, inspires others, celebrates differences and highlights the many things that people have in common.
The Social Kinetic brought a level of sophistication to the approach that provided a voice and influence to very different groups of people from across our district. They delivered amazing community engagement events, research and focus groups in an incredibly short timescale, without any compromise on the quality of the engagement or the content. All nuanced for the different parts of our district. The joint working with the Council’s Stronger Communities team made sure that we made best use of the expertise of the Social Kinetic along with the local knowledge, relationships and expertise in my team.
What particularly impressed me was the level of analysis and understanding that was applied to the feedback provided by local people. The hours spent on this and the expertise brought to it by the Social Kinetic team added real strength and value to the final report.
The Social Kinetic team very quickly got an understanding of Bradford and worked with an enthusiasm and energy that made their commitment and passion for this work very clear.
It was a real pleasure to work with them on this important piece of work. I believe that between us we delivered something very powerful and it would be a real pleasure to work with them again.
- Ian Day Assistant Director, Neighbourhoods, Bradford City Council