Belong, Lead, Connect: putting lived experience at the heart of change

We’re excited to be working alongside Brandon Trust to launch Belong, Lead, Connect, a new two-year programme in Barking and Dagenham.

The programme is about making sure adults with learning disabilities, autistic and neurodiverse adults and carers feel valued in their community, and have real power to shape the things that matter to them in the borough. 

We’ll do this by working alongside a team of community researchers and a project board made up of at least 50% people with lived experience. Together, they’ll help shape the research, identify what needs to change and influence which areas of improvement are prioritised.

Belong, Lead, Connect will link closely with other local work, including the developing Neighbourhood Health model that we’re contributing to with partners, and wider work led by Barking and Dagenham council to improve people’s lives. Prevention-focused, rooted in community, and built with people, rather than done to them. Very much our cup of tea!

As a first step, Brandon Trust is recruiting a Community Researcher Project Lead to be a key part of the team on this project and offer coordination, organisation and support to the community researchers and wider project . If you’re passionate about inclusion, engagement and making a positive difference and have experience in community coordination, development, research or similar, have a look at the job here.