Working Together in Research
Posted: 16th June 2025
The Innovation Hub has worked with the South Yorkshire VCSE Alliance, the ICB Engagement Team, the Yorkshire and Humber VCSE Alliance, the University of Sheffield, Sheffield Hallam University, and the Applied Research Collaborative to deliver a programme of work to diversify public participation in research, called ‘Working Together in Research’.
In partnership with the VCSE Alliance Programme Director and voluntary community sector partners, we led on the co-design of a series of successful bids to NHS England for funding to encourage closer collaborations between voluntary community sector partners, research partners and our communities to ensure that no-one is excluded from research.
As Dr David Crichton, Chief Medical Officer of the ICB says, “it is important for us to build our connections with citizens from different backgrounds, some of whom may not have heard of or been involved in research previously. It’s only with participation from all the population that we serve that we can fully understand their needs and plan services to meet them”.
Thanks to this funding, we have invested in two VCSE partners to lead the delivery of this programme, DiverseCity and the South Yorkshire Community Foundation. Thanks to their efforts, networks and knowledge of South Yorkshire’s communities, we have delivered:
- A grants programme to invest in VCSE partners to capture and share their knowledge about the needs of the communities they serve, and how communities want to be involved in and approached around research, with 10 community organisations receiving funding
- A series of co-design workshops, that have been designed and facilitated by community researchers, to bring together researchers and community groups to share knowledge and ideas about how to overcome barriers to research
- Showcase workshops in different places in the region to showcase good practice that already exists in the region to make research more inclusive, and creating opportunities for voluntary and community organisations to participate in this activity.
From this, we have developed a set of inclusive research principles and recommendations for future activity to diversify public participation in research – insights that have wider relevance to innovation and the engagement of the public in health and care more broadly.
For the Hub, this has been a fantastic opportunity to build closer partnerships with voluntary and community partners, and a great example of what collaborative working between different partners can achieve in breaking down barriers and make the way we work more inclusive.
To find out more please contact the hub team at sy.innovationhub@healthinnovationyh.com
Working Together in Research Case Studies
Steel City Community Consultancy Ltd, led by Dr. Zanib Rasool MBE and Kathy Wilkinson conducted groundbreaking research exploring the lived experiences of South Asian women going through menopause, ensuring coproduction was at the heart of the research. The research involved four focus groups with 22 Pakistani heritage women aged between 42 and 68. Conducted in community settings with culturally sensitive facilitation, the sessions explored how menopause impacted participants’ health, well-being, relationships, self-care strategies and support systems.
Reach Up Youth, conducted an in-depth research project to explore the increasing prevalence of autism within the Somali community. Spearheaded by Fardusa Isse, this study focused on the experiences of Somali mothers raising autistic children.
Autism is perceived to be increasing disproportionately in Somali communities across Western countries and was echoed within the Somali community that in Sheffield, nearly every Somali family is to have at least one child with autism. This research aimed to raise awareness, engage families, and explore potential causes behind the perceived rise of autism in the community; identifying gaps in services and areas of improvement.
United Women Affiliation (UWA) in collaboration with Chloe Froggatt from Sheffield Hallam University explored the impact of low parental mental health on family dynamics, which evolved to focus more broadly on emotional wellbeing and social inclusion. This shift enabled a more inclusive approach while keeping a mental health lens at the core. The project sought to amplify the voices of underserved families, and underprivileged single mothers – primarily refugees and asylum seekers from Sub-Saharan Africa, living in Sheffield.