To kick off our week of updates, David Morris talks a little about the ways in which the Connecting People research has an impact beyond just the study itself…

Connecting People is important not just for the outcomes of the study itself but for the ways in which the practices with which it works and the emerging messages from how to implement the model in practice are beginning to be felt elsewhere. We know that there are many teams who are not part of the study but whose members are very actively involved in creative approaches to supporting community connections for the individuals with whom they work. An important aspect of our study is generating wider reach; helping to illuminate this work in its richness and the ideas behind it.

At the same time, through our roles beyond the study, Connecting People is linking with other programmes like Connected Communities, a programme of work between UCLan and the RSA (together with LSE) and Inclusion Health, the national programme to address health inequalities and their social determinants in a number of particularly disadvantaged communities. We aim to continue building these links; to identify connections and to ensure that Connecting People reaches far beyond the areas in which we are currently working!