In September, the ARC NWC CoREN (Community Research and Engagement Network) held an online, lunchtime seminar led by Liverpool Charity and Voluntary Services (LCVS), looking at joining community insight with academic research.

Led by Clare White, CEO of LCVS, the session focused on the process LCVS had explored while developing a research project on the disparity in funding received by black led organisations in the city.

The session featured 40 attendees, including representatives from the NIHR infrastructure as well as from community organisations, local authorities and academia which offered a real insight into the barriers and challenges in working in this way, and the lessons learnt to be taken forward.

Claire Selby, Stakeholder Research and Engagement Network Manager for ARC NWC CoREN, said: “Clare’s presentation showed how far we still have to come in truly mainstreaming the voice of communities into health and care research. It was a chance to really understand the hard work organisations have to put in to do the vital work they do, but also was a chance to understand how we can improve things moving forwards.”

Clare White said: “Partnership between the academic sector and the voluntary, community and faith sector (VCFS) is key to evidencing the inequalities within our communities as well as showing the value the VCFS can bring in working to eradicate such inequalities.  Research partnerships can also be instrumental in supporting service and policy change. Being part of COREN has enabled us to share the challenges and opportunities of our experience, which will hopefully inform future process for such work.”

Discussions following Clare’s presentation showed the benefits to collaborative working and how to continue to develop work in this area. One attendee commented, “Thanks for your overview. I’m in the process of setting up a similar partnership arrangement. It’s reassuring in some ways to know that the challenges we face are fairly common. Hopefully things will improve as we continue seeking to work in this more collaborative way.”

For more information on the work of LCVS, visit https://www.lcvs.org.uk/

Get involved with the CoREN and their collaborative work by visiting their webpage here https://arc-nwc.nihr.ac.uk/get-involved/coren/