Agenda item

The Director of Public Health submits a report to give an overview of workstreams and initiatives currently underway across the Community Engagement and Wellbeing Champions (CWC) project.

The Director of Public Health submitted a report on the Community Wellbeing Champions Project and network. This project was created to bring community organisations and trusted community figures together with Public Health and other partners to share insight on health needs, barriers, and enablers for the residents of Leicester, reach communities with key messages and services, and collaborate on addressing health and wellbeing priorities for the city. It was noted that:

• A community engagement programme was implemented in 2021 in response to concerns about non-compliance with COVID-19 regulations and low vaccination rates.
• The aim was to better understand the barriers faced by communities, respond to their needs, and provide more effective access to information, support and services.
• The engagement work successfully helped to increase vaccine confidence and ensure that key public health messages reached communities. Building on that success, the intention was to continue the programme beyond the pandemic, recognising the strong relationships that had developed with community groups and the genuine care partners had shown for the people they worked with.
• A key strength of the programme was its commitment to open, honest and trusted dialogue with voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations.
• As of 2025, the network included 298 members, a slight decrease from previous years following the introduction of a new sign-up process in February 2025.
• This process was designed to promote more consistent working, strengthen collaboration, and improve the quality of data and network profiling. Feedback from organisations that had left the network was also gathered to inform ongoing improvements.
• Communication was maintained through a weekly email bulletin, which typically shared 10 to 12 items of interest from public health, Leicester City Council, and other network members.
• A monthly online forum had also been established in October 2022 in response to member requests for a regular space to connect and learn from each other. This was valued highly by participants and complemented by attendance at wider health and wellbeing conferences, where opportunities were taken to build relationships and align work with city-wide priorities.
• The programme also supported the delivery of community engagement grants, enabling VCSE organisations to carry out activities that improved health outcomes for local residents.
• In total, 32 organisations were funded after committing to open their doors and run sessions for their communities. An evaluation of this work was underway. A pilot internship project had also emerged from the network’s forum, providing a route for passionate individuals to learn more about public health and contribute to projects. Three paid internships were offered to volunteers and staff from member organisations, each lasting four months and involving 15 hours of work per week.
• Throughout, the programme promoted an inclusive community engagement approach based on equal participation and mutual respect. Efforts were being made to enhance engagement with underrepresented groups, ensuring that lived experiences continued to inform and shape all areas of activity.

In response to comments and questions, it was noted that:

·       It was noted that some relationships had been developed with social prescribers across the city, with a few highly engaged individuals attending meetings and accessing information through regular communications.

·       The two way communication approach with the voluntary and community sector was praised.

·       Weekly emails were described as concise but informative, and the guest speakers were described as valuable to the project.

·       The scheme was recognised as a positive and creative use of funding

·       It was noted that areas in the east and north west of the city had previously been underrepresented in signups. Further analysis was expected to confirm if this was still the case.

·       Members agreed that quality of engagement was more important than the number of signups.

·       The re-sign up process was described as lengthy but useful for collecting consistent data.

AGREED:

1)    The commission noted the report.