Economics with People
Volume 2: Chapter 4: Preparing the ground for co-production with local people
In this chapter we will cover why we think it is worth making the effort to reach and involve communities which are rarely listened to and how to do this. If you are interested in working with a diverse group of local people and creating an environment conducive to building relationships, sharing power and developing new ideas then stay tuned.
Establishing a recruitment plan
Fundamental to our approach to demonstrating that community wealth-building is an important approach for improving health outcomes is working with the communities who experience most the entrenched inequalities in our city.
To guide us, we did an comprehensive equality impact assessment, using census data and data held by Public Health at the local authority. We spoke with the City Council’s equalities lead, and studied examples of previous equality impact assessments to absorb the established practical learning.
This process identified communities who face particular barriers in Salford, such as carers, disabled people, people from particular faith or cultural communities, and people from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds. From this, we created a specific action plan for recruitment and engagement that reflected the demography of the community.
A clear picture also emerged for us of two geographical areas in particular as being well suited for incubating our approach. Both areas are in the most deprived decile on the indices of deprivation: one inner-city community with greater demographic diversity than the Salford average; and another, with a growing black population, geographically isolated from the rest of Salford and the jobs market in Greater Manchester. After deep consideration, the latter was chosen which would allow us to address the barriers they face due to the economic deprivation and geographical isolation experienced by these areas.
Drawing on Unlimited Potential’s experience of working in Salford over more than 20 years, we knew that, in order to facilitate a group of local people to become social entrepreneurs, we would need to convene a well-structured programme of group sessions.
There are practical benefits to a geographically restricted catchment area for a group. We had considered recruiting people from across the whole of Salford to reflect its full diversity, but the city is a collection of ‘townships’ without a single centre. People travelling to in-person sessions by bus or other public transport from across the city would not be easy.
For many of the people who we recruited, our group sessions are in a venue within walking distance from their home, thus ensuring that location and travel is not a barrier to participation. As an approach, with people also having a shared experience of place, it has removed potential frictions for participants to develop friendships and further develop ideas generated in the sessions due to their potential commonality of understanding the context of the area they reside in and what this means in terms of future aspirations.
Active recruitment of local people
We quickly confirmed, through trial and error, that flyers in venues, social media posts in community Facebook groups and cold calling-esque approaches in community settings had limited success in reaching people who wanted to be part of the project. Similarly, meeting professionals for the first time as an organisation and then asking them to refer some on their ‘clients’ to our project was a slow burner.
The key to recruiting our cohort was relationship building. Attending community partnership meetings and networking opportunities, taking up offers to have a stall at different events, and giving the same pitch about our project over and over again was key. Only when we were embedded in the community did we consistently get calls and emails returned, meetings arranged and professionals talking to those they were working with about our project and the opportunity there was to be realised.
The group began with nine consistently engaged participants, who reflect the demography of the local community fairly well. The group has mixed experiences of employment with some having little to no experience of employment and others in full time employment. Within the group, some participants have disabilities themselves and others are unpaid carers for family members. The group also has a reflective local representation of other characteristics such as ethnicity, faith, sexual orientation and a balanced gender split.
Our relationship with participants
A critical element to our approach is valuing those we work with. Our Co-production Facilitator is paid to arrange and deliver sessions, so we also remunerate local people to participate (at an hourly rate above the real Living Wage set by the Living Wage Foundation). For participants who need to catch the bus to sessions, a bus pass is provided ahead of time so that they are never out of pocket. Due to the availability of participants, our sessions typically start at 5.00 or 6.00 p.m. and last for two hours, so we provide food that meets their dietary requirements and preferences.
For participants in receipt of welfare benefits, it is critical to be acutely aware of the implications of directly paying them. Fortunately, in its Advice for Decision Making guide for its staff, the Department of Work and Pensions (D.W.P.) clearly states that employed earnings do not include a payment of expenses made to a person who is involved in ‘service user activity’ (which is defined as including co-production).
Co-production is treated as different to work. Activities are intermittent, vary in length and in frequency, and usually last for a few hours (or less) in any one week. People may also withdraw at any time. Through engagement in co-production, people should develop their self-confidence, skills, knowledge and experience, therefore making it easier for them to secure employment.
Unlimited Potential has also developed a positive working relationship with the D.W.P. and Jobcentre Plus at local and sub-regional levels, and has a clear system acceptable to them around payment for co-production. With each new participant in receipt of benefits, we attend the Jobcentre Plus to explain the project and co-production to the work coach, supported by a formal letter from our organisation’s Chief Executive. This removes the real or perceived risk of any participant encountering difficulties or sanctions for being involved in co-production.
Image 1: Group of local people from Little Hulton and Walkden, receiving certificates for completing the first phase of the project.
We also know that a venue can be a barrier. In corporate buildings, there can be an expectation to act or dress in a certain way that may be unfamiliar. Similarly, in large buildings, especially for first sessions, having to speak to a receptionist and navigate layouts can be a cause for anxiety.
Choosing a venue for sessions within the community is important. Getting the fundamentals right are crucial for a good start, and for retention. Our group sessions take place in a room in a church community centre. Many participants were already familiar with this space, which is seen as ‘owned’ by the community and is specifically ‘for them’ and ‘theirs’.
Image 2: Group of local people from Little Hulton and Walkden, stressing their personal growth as a priority.
If you are interested in using co-production as an approach, we have templates available of documents discussed above such as template letters to DWP and recruitment plans that might help you get started. Get in touch with us by commenting below or reaching out to ehlsalford@unlimitedpotential.org.uk.
What does this mean for you?
· What communities in your area come to mind as best experienced to benefit from a community wealth building approach? How do these compare to the data available?
· How might you identify, recruit and retain local people who experience most the entrenched inequalities in your area?
· What systems or processes do you have in place to pay local people for their engagement in co-production?
Please share your comments, answers and questions with us below. If you have a newsletter and would like to feature us, please get in touch.
Next time: How we convened the largest anchor institutions in Salford and secured buy-in for community wealth building.
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