A Call for Evidence – researching key work and good practice in the sector’s Covid-19 response Calling all social economic, community and faith based organisations to tell us about the good practice, innovation, enterprise and flexibility that they’ve evidenced in their responses to Covid-19 in the West Midlands. The University of Wolverhampton, BVSC and Coventry University are working on behalf of the West Midlands Combined Authority to understand / capture the huge range of responses from the social economy sector including voluntary and community organisations, faith groups, mutual aid groups, neighbourhood groups and the social enterprises. We want to hear about examples from across the 18 local authorities, and from across the region’s diverse communities. We are asking for you to let us know of examples in your work or good practice elsewhere that you are familiar with. We are particularly keen to hear about responses to the Covid-19 crisis that highlight innovation, enterprise or flexibility, and might include but are not limited to: How have communities, neighbourhoods and organisations responded to meet need and respond directly to the early phase of the crisis? Instances of ‘co-production’ – especially in response to food security, care services, NHS volunteers, mutual aid. New and emerging spaces for discussion, deliberation, decision-making, community voice and engagement. Novel freedoms and flexibilities which have allowed quicker, smarter, or more efficient delivery or support. The role of the social economy in supporting anchor institutions and key workers through the pandemic. neighbourhoods which are starting to develop hyper-local recovery plans, or setting out a new vision for their area. This is a rapid evidence gathering exercise and we are asking for a very short response to highlight key work in this area. We may want to follow up with a short telephone call: please indicate in your response if you are willing to be contacted. Please respond to this call by 7 August by contacting [email protected] We will produce a final report to WMCA in mid-September / which will be publicly available / on which they will base future decision making. etc. For a press release regarding this research, please visit: https://www.wlv.ac.uk/news-and-events/latest-news/2020/july-2020/new-research-project-to-capture-community-pandemic-response.php