Community champions existed, despite their name, before the outbreak of Covid-19. However, Covid-19 elevated their visibility. This led to a re-purposement towards the Covid response and an urgent, massive investment in additional champions and dedicated funds through the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities from 2021 to 2022. More than 100 local authorities have received funding to create or expand community champion initiatives in other areas, and others have used existing schemes and funding resources to build local champion strategies.
Covid-19 has gone or even gone away, and the funding of champions during Covid-19 is no longer available. The current research, published in the autumn of 2023, aims to discover how advocates were utilized during the outbreak and what their impact and impact could be from the viewpoints of the people who created and funded champions. We are currently investigating the experiences of local public health teams and their partners in delivery based on the data they provided through an England-wide survey and deep-seated interviews.
As we’re still at the beginning of our analysis, it is evident that the approach of community champions was not and will remain not a universally applicable tool.
The community champions model wasn’t and will not be a universal tool.
Reiterating what has been reported across 27 London Boroughs, There was no way the two programs were identical. Specific programs were governed by structured delivery plans developed by local authority personnel, whereas others were more open and influenced by the knowledge of the delivery partners. Champions ranged from the general public to those working in the voluntary, social, and community-based (VCSE) sector, local authority employees, and even beyond. Certain champions worked across the entire local authority’s boundaries, while others focused on regions.
What appears to be constant, even in the beginning, is the value of champions, their capacity to connect with new groups that aren’t previously aided by the local authority to establish trust among communities and, hopefully, create lasting relationships, or at the very least, communication channels whether directly or through VCSE organizations close to the communities. One of our interviewees told us:
The concept was that champions speak to people they have a name for and who trust them, and consequently, I need help from them. If I walk across the street, the odds are they’re not likely to engage with me. ….And that’s why we, as community champions, were doing something no one could ever accomplish.
Community Development Coordinator
What happens to their legacy? Are they able to continue normal operations without a dedicated source of funds? It’s a perennial question. The respondents naturally focused on the apparent issue of funding. But can it last for longer? But what is beginning to come out of the research of our surveys and interviews is the importance of strategy and how the champion programs and similar initiatives can be integrated into a more extensive plan instead of being an isolated task for specific goals.
We were amazed by the enthusiasm and love for the champions across England.
In conducting the interviews as well as reading the responses to this survey, we were awed by the passion and enthusiasm for champions across England. When we dig into the data, we would like to discover and share the knowledge from those who expressed the desire to keep their programs however structured and what it could mean to the next generation of champions.
The community is aware of obstacles to community-based initiatives that involve volunteers, including the champions programs. For example, volunteer programs have lately experienced decreased satisfaction and participation in the volunteer experience. Indeed, our respondents have spoken about the decline in interest from certain champions. But, this study will be some pieces to the puzzle. They will build on other initiatives that support the cause, including the NHS recommendations of the volunteer task force and the Helpforce program, along with other initiatives undertaken by the Fund. We are hoping that our findings will be used by the central government, including those from 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 when they create further policies on community champions and other related areas that help build healthy and vibrant communities.
