VONNE’s Health and Wellbeing Research Partnerships team and NIHR partners have launched a package of new, co-produced resources that aim to support researchers and VCSE organisations to form more meaningful health and care research partnerships and apply the principles of the Community Engagement Toolkit.
We know that health and care research is more relevant and more useful when it is shaped by a broad range of communities, including those who are most marginalised in society. We also know that VCSE organisations often work with these underserved communities and have trusted links that are integral to involving these groups. However, for researchers and VCSE organisations to collaborate effectively on research projects, there are a range of practicalities and challenges to work through.
The new resources have been co-produced with community partners in the North East and North Cumbria region through a series of workshops to help address some of these challenges, and provide both VCSE organisations and researchers with practical tools to help them work together more effectively. They have been designed in an accessible format and feature illustrations that intend to bring the material to life.
You can view the full package of resources on Creating Connections.
"People First Independent Advocacy were thrilled to be involved in this work and it was great to have the voices of third sector organisations heard, especially from the North of England.
These resources will help give researchers and third sector organisations a good head start and make the process more enjoyable and fulfilling for all involved and, in the long run, improve the lives of those most vulnerable." - People First Independent Advocacy
Introducing the new package of resources
Considerations before agreeing to an initial conversation with a researchers
Time is precious for VCSE organisations. Most organisations don’t have dedicated staff for work relating to research, meaning that taking the time to meet for an initial conversation with a researcher can be difficult when capacity is already stretched.
This framework intends to to help VCSE organisations decide whether it could be valuable to have an initial exploratory conversation. It takes you through key considerations when making this decision and uses a traffic light system to help organisations decide whether a conversation is worth pursuing.
It is also helpful for researchers to understand the stretched capacity of the VCSE sector, and the things that they must consider when deciding where to dedicate one of their most valuable resources, time.
Conversation guide for VCSE and research-based partners: Exploring a potential partnership for research
When both partners have reached the point of wanting to take discussions about a research project forward, this guide aims to support both parties to have a productive conversation about working together. Often VCSE organisations and researchers want to work together but may be unsure of what questions should be asked in these initial discussions. Historically, VCSE partners have felt that the agenda is often set by the researcher.
The guide includes advice on how to prepare for the conversation, what questions to ask, and important topics to cover. It aims to put both partners on an equal footing and remove any power imbalances, encouraging more positive and reciprocal research partnerships.
Download the conversation guide here.
The research process: Points of opportunity for involvement of the VCSE sector
VCSE organisations are most often approached to be involved when the research project is underway, perhaps to participate in a focus group or feed into a survey. Whilst this is still valuable, this guide intends to highlight different points of opportunity for VCSE organisations to be involved in research at all points in the process.
This aims to encourage researchers to think more creatively about how they can work with VCSE partners, especially in shaping the projects, sharing of findings, and implementing changes informed by the research. Likewise, it intends to empower VCSE organisations to see the value that they can add to projects at different stages.
Video: Applying the principles of the Community Engagement Toolkit
The Community Engagement Toolkit provides 10 guiding principles for researchers and community partners who are working together for health and care research. This video features reflections on how these principles have been applied in practice and showcases positive examples of this.
It intends to bring these guiding principles to life and features colleagues from the VCSE and research sectors who have been involved in co-producing these resources. A BSL interpreted version of the video is also available.
Join us at the official launch
These new resources are now published and freely available to access and use. We encourage you to use them on your research partnership journey and let us know how they work.
The official launch of these resources takes place on 12th May 2026 through an online ‘Share and Learn’ event, where people can hear and learn more about each resource, how and when to use them. You can join us at the session by registering a place here.
As part of the roll out of these resources, we are keen to share them as widely as possible and are happy to be part of events that are happening in the region. If you are hosting or involved in any events that would be a relevant space to share these, then please get in touch with Beth at beth.reeves@vonne.org.uk.
More about the project
These new resources are the product of work that has been ongoing in the North East and North Cumbria over the last few years to improve community engagement in health and care research. Beginning with the development of the NIHR Community Engagement Toolkit from 2018, to a series of collaborative ‘sharing and learning’ events in 2023 hosted by VONNE in partnership with Cumbria CVS and NIHR partners, through to workshops held during 2024/2025 to develop and co-produce the resources with people from across VCSE and research sectors.
"Connected Voice Haref were part of the working group that developed the initial Community Engagement Toolkit and were delighted to develop this work further.
It is so important that we centre the voices of communities and the organisations that support them about what they need, so we develop equitable opportunities to shape and be involved in health research. These co-produced resources are excellent for communities, the VCSE and researchers alike." - Connected Voice Haref
We would like to thank the individuals who were involved in the creation of these resources for offering their time and expertise to improve collaboration between the VCSE and research sectors. We would also like to thank the NIHR Centre for Engagement and Dissemination (now the NIHR Central Commissioning Facility) for funding this work.
If you would like one-to-one support or advice to get involved in research, then you can get in touch with our Research Partnerships Coordinator, Fran Morland by using our enquiry forms for VCSE or research organisations.