QCAP Engagement Activity with Communities

QCAP facilitates engagement activity with communities by providing applied research and support for a diverse range of cross-sectoral projects or programmatic activity that is driven by the needs of local people and places.

Such engagement and use of applied research methods extends beyond the pilot partner community in the Market and works to connect with anti-poverty strategies being advanced in other disadvantaged areas.

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About QCAP

QCAP Project and Partnership Map

Overview

Market Heritage Hub (South Belfast)

The development of the Market Heritage Hub will present an innovative opportunity to scale the heritage conservation focus of QCAP’s pilot partner community the Market Development Association as well as distil it in a community asset that can yield multiple benefits for the local Market area.

Managed via a social enterprise model the development of the hub will support the financial sustainability of the MDA as a community-based organisation. It will also provide a new opportunity to recycle wealth in a way that can create new or existing jobs and services across the local area.

The QCAP Approach

What support has been provided by QCAP?

QCAP completed a dedicated research piece on the workings of the local heritage market as well as a impact analysis that forecasts the social return on investment of the heritage hub. It has also used this analysis and provided additional technical support to help the MDA team develop two separate applications for capital investment advertised by Belfast City Council and the Heritage Lottery.

What has been the impact so far?

The MDA was successful in its efforts to secure £450,000 from the Belfast City Council Neighborhood Regeneration Fund to acquire and redevelop the asset that will be used for their proposed heritage hub. QCAP has also connected the MDA team with QUB’s Community Archive team who will help them to develop their heritage offer in an innovative and sustainable way.

Partner Testimonial

Impact

Overview

BUILD Shankill (North/West Belfast)

BUILD Shankill is a community-led partnership and social action project which is working to address issues around vacant and derelict land in the Greater Shankill area of Belfast.

The BUILD working group identified 59 undeveloped, vacant or derelict sites within Greater Shankill that are either in public or private ownership. As a collective they are committed to developing innovative and community-led approaches to regenerating these sites as well as campaigning for government backed intervention to improve the local area through the development of public or privately funded projects.

The QCAP Approach

What support has been provided by QCAP?

QCAP has provided BUILD with technical support, local housing market analysis and developed a dedicated interactive vacant site register to help the working group to engage more effectively with statutory agencies like the Department for Communities and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive.

What has been the impact so far?

This support has helped the BUILD working group to advance discussions around the possibility of derelict site transfers but also leveraged additional funds to commission technical experts to undertake feasibility work across these sites to showcase potential and better understand economic viability. QCAP academics have also supported BUILD along with the Greater Shankill Partnership to establish a new community regeneration company called the Shankill Development Trust. This represents a dedicated legal subsidiary that could be used to advance and manage any proposed physical regeneration projects in the short or long term.

Partner Testimonial

Impact

Overview

Hosford Homeless Housing Project (East Belfast)

Managed by a local social enterprise called East Belfast Mission (EBM), the project will address the current gap in provision for the homeless or other vulnerable populations looking to transition from hostels into private rented accommodation.

By working to create more direct pathways into the local housing market across Belfast, this phased project will also attempt to negotiate the challenges experienced by existing hostel tenants, specifically in terms of landlord prejudices, a lack of supply, inflated private rental costs and inability to secure eligibility for a social housing unit.

The QCAP Approach

What support has been provided by QCAP?

QCAP has completed a social impact analysis that has forecasted the level of social return created by investing in EBM’s Hosford Homeless Housing model over a 25-year period. It has also worked with EBM and its economic consultant to better understand the local need and demand across the homeless sector in Belfast for a transitional accommodation model with floating support.

What has been the impact so far?

Representatives from EBM drew on the QCAP research as part of their pitch to a London based social investor called Commonweal. Subsequently, they offered EBM a 30-year lease to lease investment of £550,000 to fund the initial development of their model which consisted of acquiring and renovating 5 domestic dwellings across East Belfast. QCAP academics are now supporting EBM in its efforts to leverage additional investment (up to £2 million) from the Department of Finance via their Financial Transactions Capital programme to deliver the next phase of the model.

Partner Testimonial

Over the past year or so Andrew Grounds and Brendan Murtagh from QCAP have provided our service with specialist support to help us in developing new and innovative projects to tackle housing exclusion amongst people who are experiencing homelessness. This support has been extremely helpful and has enabled us to measure the impact of our work, to access funding, and to develop a sustainable model based on best practice.

QCAP carried out a Social Return on Investment assessment regarding our work and this information has been useful in helping us to leverage new funding. The process of carrying out the SROI was also a learning experience for our staff team and has helped us to improve our internal systems of impact assessment.

QCAP provided us with crucial technical support in producing a business case for a loan of £2 million to purchase houses for people experiencing homelessness. Due to our capacity, we simply could not have undertaken this work without the support from QCAP. As above the process of undertaking this project was very collegiate and led to an increase of skills and knowledge in our team.

QCAP have provided us with key information regarding international best practice and research in housing and exclusion that is relevant to us. This knowledge has been very helpful as we establish a new project in an area where our knowledge of best practice was quite limited. This aspect of the support has also been helpful in terms of developing new partnerships.

Moving forward the continued involvement of QCAP in our work would be very beneficial as we work to achieve our aim of delivering 50 new homes for people experiencing homelessness. This involvement would be around technical support and advice to establish the model and to ensure its sustainability. It would also be around researching the impact of this project and disseminating this information so that the project can be grown and replicated.

I hope it is clear from the above that the partnership with QCAP has been invaluable for our work and that we sincerely hope we can continue to work together in the future.

Aidan Byrne | Homeless Services Manager

Impact

Overview

The Pantry Community Supermarket (North Belfast)

The Pantry is an example of a community supermarket that provides support for individuals and local North Belfast families experiencing food insecurity as well as other issues stemming from the cost-of-living crises.

The Pantry model differs from traditional food banks in that it doesn’t just provide access to food or other essential goods but works to implement a multi-service approach. For example, in addition to shopping for weekly groceries Pantry users can avail of further support from trained mentors and develop skills in budgeting, debt management, cooking, meal preparation and nutrition.

The QCAP Approach

What support has been provided by QCAP?

To help better understand the potential impacts and social value created by The Pantry model, QCAP has utilised client data collated internally and external financial proxies from the HACT social value bank to develop a short impact evaluation statement supplemented by a social impact analysis.

What has been the impact so far?

This impact evaluation of the Pantry model and its outcomes to date has been presented in a printed brochure. This is used by the Pantry team to engage with new or existing funders to evidence the outcomes of the project and help secure funding to sustain and scale the services of this community supermarket in the long term. It is also used to improve engagement with the local business community to demonstrate the social investment offer and to help secure corporate sponsorship or other types of in-kind donations.

Partner Testimonial

Ashton Community Trust developed The Pantry, based on a Social Supermarket model, The Pantry’s main aim is to support families residing in North Belfast who are experiencing food insecurity and other related issues stemming from the Cost of living crisis with food support, advice, capacity building opportunities and wrap-around community services.

A trained mentor at the Pantry works alongside families using the service to ensure that the wrap-around services provide the tools that help create positive outcomes for families, ensure they feel connected, and supported and that a pathway is developed for families as they exit the project.

We at Ashton would like to thank Dr Andrew Grounds and Professor Dr Brendan Murtagh from Queens University Communities and Place Department for their contribution to the development of an impact measurement tool. The tool now only enables us to measure the financial contribution of the food support offered to families but enables us to measure and evidence the broader impact of The Pantry project on service users, the environment, and communities and how it links and connects to other supports and services.

The information gathered by using the impact measurement tool and its social value analysis will give us the data required to promote the service to local Government, Funders, businesses and individuals with a view to financial viability and project sustainability.

The time, dedication and personal commitment to the project by Brendan and Andrew cannot be underestimated and for this, we are extremely grateful.

Christine McKeown | Head of Childcare and Family Support, Ashton Centre

Impact

Overview

CLIP study project (South Belfast)

Children, Learning and Inclusive Places (CLIP) was a joint research initiative between QCAP and the University of Glasgow’s Children’s Neighbourhood Scotland project.

The aim of CLIP was to understand how children relate to their built environment, as well as climate change more broadly, and aimed to move beyond passive consultation with children to explore how they act as activists in their own neighbourhoods.

The QCAP Approach

QCAP engaged with young people from the Market area in PAR activities including narrative walkabouts, photo elicitation and a mapping exercise. We explored their views on some of the contentious development sites and their appetite for activism. The study found that despite having a strong attachment to their local area, both in a physical and psychological sense, children felt their concerns are commonly overlooked in relation to the development of their community. The implications of this led to considerations of how best to enhance and integrate children’s voices in civic discussions. One emerging suggestion was that intergenerational groups with a shared agenda could be developed to address these concerns.

Partner Testimonial

Impact

QCAP supported and funded the establishment of a youth forum in partnership with the MDA and a local youth club. In addition, the CLIP study produced two academic papers submitted for publication. Produced in partnership with the University of Glasgow one of these papers details an intergenerational methodology (named the Causeway Approach) which was developed in response to the empirical work with the young people.

Overview

Growing Up in the Market (South Belfast)

The Growing up in the market (GUIM) study is a three-year qualitative longitudinal study and a key mechanism by which we gather the lived experience of residents in the community. The study will follow cohorts of participants, at key transition points in order to explore their experience over time in particular around issues of health, wellbeing, education and employment; areas highlighted as important by our community partners.

The QCAP Approach

We have completed year one of this three-year longitudinal study. We interviewed 61 residents in total. Children, at key educational stages from age 10 (primary 7) through to young adulthood and, where possible a parent or guardian. As a result, we gathered an important intergenerational family perspective of life in the community. We are currently preparing findings for a year one policy brief, an academic paper detailing the community level themes, a further academic publication analysing the education specific findings, a cross cohort analysis comparing children and parents’ experiences of transitions in education and a report on digital skills and inclusion in the knowledge economy.

Partner Testimonial

Impact

In addition to the reports and papers this project sought to take immediate action on areas of significant need reported by the community. This was achieved shortly after the completion of data collection through the production of a number of evidence briefs used to inform action working groups in the community – a key mechanism of our engaged model. For example, we produced an evidence brief on the concerns around substance use in the community, an mobilised university resources to support rapidly delivered naloxone training and a PAR substance use project. An evidence brief regarding the cost of living crisis supported our local partners the MDA in delivering over 170 hampers prior to Christmas 2022. Furthermore, the findings around adult education have led to the development of a connector course designed to improve confidence in adults to return to education or training.

Overview

Naloxone Training Programme (South Belfast)

The evidence brief generated from the findings of QCAP’s Growing up in the Market study (GUIM) highlighted a growing concern around increased substance use and overdose in the community, in particularly amongst young people.

In response, QCAP organised the rapid delivery of a naloxone training and distribution programme within the community. Naloxone is an opioid antagonist which reverses the effect on individuals that overdose from substance use. This programme was the first of its kind in Northern Ireland to deliver peer to peer training of this lifesaving treatment in a community setting.

The QCAP Approach

What support has been provided by QCAP?

Working in collaboration with academics from SSESW, QCAP leveraged support from the Public Health Agency and EXTERN to deliver the naloxone training to residents (young and old) living across the local Market community. The training was delivered before the Christmas period, at a time of known vulnerability and 100 doses were provided for use by the community as and if required.

What has been the impact so far?

The Market community has strongly endorsed the harm reduction approach and the lifesaving potential offered by this training in the case of overdose. The training has represented a catalyst for a more integrated programmatic approach to tackling substance use in partnership with the local community. Through the formation of a local health action group, QCAP will continue to support the delivery of programmatic activities and events that aim to address community wellbeing concerns and tackle local health inequalities.

Partner Testimonial

Impact

Overview

Community-Led Substance Use Prevention and Support (South Belfast)

Following the positive community response to the December 2022 naloxone training, QCAP and the MDA co-hosted an evening event–*Tackling Substance Use Together–to invite the community to share their ideas on the aetiology of substance use in the area and some solutions for support, education, and prevention.

Three key themes emerged through the qualitative analysis of the group discussion notes:

1. The breadth of the issue in the community,

2. A lack of supportive services for people who use drugs and their families, and

3. A need for demographically tailored education around substance use.

QCAP and the MDA hosted a second educational evening event in June 2023 to report back the findings of the previous discussion and elicit feedback on the proposed work packages (detailed below).

The QCAP Approach

What support has been provided by QCAP?

QCAP has been providing technical and research expertise to support the local and experiential knowledge of the community to address the self-identified issues of drug and alcohol use in the community.

What has been the impact so far?

These concepts from Tackling Substance Use Together have been coalasced into three workpackages:

1. Family support groups housed within the community for the friends and family members of people using drugs and alcohol,

2. Education programmes for adults and parents and young people (facilitated through the Market Youth Council), and

3. “At a glance” signposting support through the Market Community Indicators Dashboard.

Partner Testimonial

Impact

Overview

St. Malachy’s Primary School Pond (South Belfast)

The pond at St. Malachy’s (a primary school located in the Market Community) was identified by QCAP in collaboration with local stakeholders as a disused natural asset that could be transformed to offer new learning opportunities for school children and the wider community.

Investment into the renovation of the pond could also be used to facilitate participation in knowledge-intensive activities as well as encouraging curiosity, engagement, and skills development across a range of age groups.

The QCAP Approach

What support has been provided by QCAP?

QCAP has leveraged the resources of the wider university and specifically the QUB estates team to help clear up and restore the pond area. Drawing on the experience and experiences of the QUB gardeners, the area has been reseeded with wildflowers and a sampling platform has also been constructed to facilitate safe and easy access. Bird and bat boxes have also been installed and the estates team have facilitated several education mornings to educate St. Malachy’s students about the importance of cultivating habitats that are conducive to the needs of local wildlife.

What has been the impact so far?

QCAP is now working closely with staff at St. Malachy’s to co-develop and co-deliver a series of STEAM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Art, Maths) enquiry-based learning activities, linked to the pupils’ existing curriculum and framed directly around regular engagement with the pond. The local working groups are also exploring how this renovation of a natural asset can be accessed more regularly by the wider Market community.

Partner Testimonial

Impact

Overview

Teacher Professional Development Programme (West Belfast)

QCAP has been working with The Greater Shankill Partnership Board and Children and Young Persons’ Zone to identify areas of support for the primary and post-primary schools serving the Shankill community.

One example of this work is the Professional Development Programme, which works to helps to encourage practitioner development by ways that are co-designed by community, the University and the schools taking part.

The QCAP Approach

What support has been provided by QCAP?

QCAP has supported the development of the programme across four strands of work.

1. Bringing the schools together and exploring the conditions for inter-school collaboration.

2. Running two design processes for teachers to develop professional learning programmes.

3. Establishing a leadership networking process

4. Providing ad hoc professional development or research support on request.

What has been the impact so far?

Schools in the Greater Shankill area have committed to working together in partnership. The principals of the schools have agreed to establish an ongoing networking process and the post-primary schools have also made available some of the specialist expertise to the primary schools. Two design processes have been completed and programmes developed, for example, a special induction event for new teachers which was organised and run by the Greater Shankill Partnership Board.

Partner Testimonial

Impact

Overview

STEAM Summer Scheme (South Belfast)

Educational opportunities for children and young people (C&YP) to engage with science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics (STEAM) are crucial for helping them think critically and creatively about the world around them. Yet the evidence suggests that young people, especially from disadvantaged communities are less likely to offered these opportunities.

In collaboration with our community partner, the MDA, QCAP are developing a programme of activities (including a summer scheme) that aims to connect children and young people with STEAM subjects as well as to think differently about their options for both education and work.

The QCAP Approach

What support has been provided by QCAP?

QCAP have facilitated a connection between the Market community and W5 (the regional STEM centre for Northern Ireland) to enable knowledge exchange and delivery of these types of activities. A QCAP supported engagement programme has been initiated which has aimed to explore the type of STEAM activities young people from the Market would be interested in learning more about.

What has been the impact so far?

As part of this engagement process QCAP and the MDA hosted a Halloween STEAM at W5 which challenged children and young people from the Market community to think creatively about STEAM subjects and offered a further space for consultation to explore what activities they would like to see delivered as part of a dedicated summer scheme. Findings from the W5 session have been collated and used to plan the schedule of the scheme which will take place in summer 2023.

Partner Testimonial - W5 Belfast

Over the past 7 months W5 LIFE have worked closely with academics from QCAP to promote and understand the issues around raising awareness of general STEM and STEAM topics across community groups. We are collaboratively addressing various pitfalls such as connecting into local communities to provide STEAM opportunities and are investigating the scope for future working/partnership development. The relationship between QCAP and W5 is emergent at this stage, however W5 have already supported QCAP with MDA community group in relation to a Halloween coding workshop scheme in 2022.

Aim

In collaboration with W5 LIFE, the MDA & QCAP ran a STEM themed workshop during Halloween for their community group. On the day, it allowed their target age group to engage in STEM IT activities and provided feedback on future projects/ trips which are potentially planned for a Summer scheme in 2023.

Activities

The children went to the lecture area and were shown a kid’s friendly version of the KEH Power Point and then discussed the overall idea. The young people moved into groups and the volunteers helped them grade the activity ideas.

Testimonial provided by W5 in Belfast

Impact