Page 57 - Barrow Town Deal Board Agenda 14/4/2020

Two data collection sessions involving both Dropzone and the Mini-Police took place, one in October half-

term and another in February half-term. Meeting at Ormsgill Youth Centre, the young community
researchers were trained in community research skills in a way that was appropriate for their age group.

This covered issues such as confidentially, anonymity and personal safety. This also provided young people
with the opportunity to practice the surveys on one another and ask any questions they had. The young

community researchers assigned themselves into pairs, and were then allocated to a youth worker or
adult community research who chaperoned the young community researchers during their data

collection.

Local residents, who had been provided with information on the project and whose consent had been
secured, were surveyed through two doorstep data collection sessions. These generated both

quantitative and qualitative data to help to understand the social connectivity and capital of Ormsgill.

Completion of the questionnaire took between 15 minutes and 45 minutes, depending upon the
interviewer and respondent interaction. The doorstep survey method adopted also required the young
community researchers to always be accompanied by a trained adult to ensure their safety.

The relationship with these partners was a core element of the project, representing an invaluable
contribution to its success. The Ormsgill Youth Centre provided a convenient and safe location in which

to base the programme, providing easy access to children from Ormsgill. The support of the youth workers
provided an appropriate level of discipline during the sessions, and their expertise ensured that the

sessions were delivered in a structured and professional manner.

Adult Community Researchers
The Strengthening Ormsgill Community Group recruited adult community research through the Love

Ormsgill community group. These community researchers participated in a full days training in community
research skills and practice, which included confidentiality, anonymity and safe working. Community

researchers then undertook independent community research in the streets surrounding their home,
returning the completed surveys to the lead researcher when complete.

The local expertise within the Strengthening Ormsgill Community Group identified that there were a

number of Syrian refugee families living in Ormsgill at the time of the research. They involved the Refugee
Support Group who identified a translator to support data collection to ensure that all members of the

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