Community champions witnessed a rise in focus, interest, and funds as the covid-19 epidemic raged. What did this affect the use of winners, and, in the event of anything, was the lasting impact?
- Usually individuals from a particular region who link the community with health and medical services.
- Directing people to services.
- Sharing health information.
- Running workshops for outreach.
Community champions were present, regardless of their name, before the Covid-19 pandemic; however, the Covid-19 outbreak raised their visibility. This led to a re-purpose for the Covid response and an urgent, massive investment in additional champions through specific funds by the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities from 2021 to 2022. Local authorities in around 100 have received funding to create or strengthen community champion programs, and other regions have used existing schemes and funding resources to build local champion programs.
Covid-19 has waned, and if not gone, the dedicated champions’ funding during Covid-19 has been halted altogether. The current research, which will be published in the autumn of 2023, aims to determine how advocates were utilized in the course of the epidemic as well as what their impact and legacy could be from the perspective of those who created and funded winners. We are currently examining the experiences of local public health departments and their partners in delivery through data that they have provided through an England-wide survey and deep-seated interviews.
Although we are in the initial stages of analysis, it is clear that the community champions model was not, and still needs to be, a universally applicable tool.
It’s already evident that the community champions model wasn’t, and will not a tool that is universally applicable.
In confirming what was published across 27 London Boroughs No two programmes were identical. Certain programmes were governed by structured execution plans that were outlined by local authority staff, while others were more nimble and guided by the delivery partners’ knowledge. The champions varied from the general public to individuals working in the voluntary social and community-based (VCSE) sector, the local authority staff, and beyond. Certain advocates worked across the entire local authority’s boundaries, while others focused on regions.
What appears to be expected, even at this early stage what is evident is the perceived importance of champions and their ability to connect with new groups that aren’t previously assisted by the local authority and establish trust within communities, and hopefully, create long-lasting relationships, or at the minor communications routes, either directly or through VCSE organizations that are close to these communities. One of our interviewees told us:
The concept was that champions communicate with people they have a name for and who trust them, and consequently, I’m unable to speak to them. Therefore, they will talk to someone else if I go across the street. ….And that’s why our community champions were doing something no one other people could ever accomplish.
But what happens to their legacy? Are they able to continue normal operations without a dedicated funder? It’s a perennial question. Our respondents naturally touched on the apparent issue of funding. But can it last? What is beginning to emerge from the research of our surveys and interviews is the importance of strategy and how the champion programs and other similar ones can be integrated within a more extensive system instead of being an isolated task for an individual purpose.
We were amazed by the enthusiasm and love for the champions across England.
In conducting the interviews and reading the responses to this survey, We were amazed by the enthusiasm and love for champions from across England. As we dig deeper into the data, we hope to discover and share the knowledge from those who expressed the desire to keep their efforts, whatever form and what it means in the long run for champions.
It is our understanding of obstacles to community-based initiatives that involve volunteers, for example, the champions’ programs. As an example, volunteer programs have lately witnessed a decline in the number of volunteers and satisfaction with the volunteer experience. Some of our respondents mentioned the decrease in interest from the champions they have. But, this study will be an element to the puzzle. They will build on other initiatives that support the cause, including the NHS volunteer taskforce’s recommendations, the Helpforce program, and other initiatives undertaken by the Fund. We are hoping that our findings will be utilized by central government agencies, such as The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, as well as the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, to make further decisions on the role of community champions and other related areas that promote healthy and vibrant communities.