Impact case study database

As a result of Greenfields’ and Rogers’ research activities, Local Government and devolved administrations regularly request support in shaping policy and practice developments which engage with GRT communities as well as in identifying potential intervention opportunities ( 5.1; 5.2; 5.3). Research is regularly cited in Government publications and policy briefings (5.1), including internationally ( 5.1.8), and has formed the basis of a Parliamentary debate on the impacts of poor quality site provision on physical and mental health with particular impacts on women (5.4).

The Welsh Government GRT policy lead requested support from Greenfields in ensuring that relevant public health advice and “appropriate guidance is shared with both professionals and the community… [we are] particularly concerned that there is more we should be doing to help communities protect themselves from the virus” (5.2) as did the East of England Local government Association MHCLG funded Roma Parallel Lives project (2017–2019), which focused on the development of policy, engagement strategies and improving knowledge of managers and multidisciplinary frontline workers in “understanding of Roma communities, their needs and more effective engagement strategies” . The project lead noted that: “the information, advice and guidance…was invaluable.. It helped professionals recognise the gaps in their understanding of Roma history and culture, and identified the issues involved in building trust with Roma people… Margaret was integral in helping the project team establish multi-agency region networks, which share best practice and develop realistic and sustainable engagement practices to help encourage Roma integration into local communities” ( 5.3.1).

The Traveller and Diversity lead for Fenland District Council and surrounding rural communities commented on the team’s “ invaluable contribution to the work of Local Authorities, Community and Voluntary Services and the Faith communities regarding social policy and community engagement”, adding that “ Professor Greenfields’ knowledge of the Gypsy Traveller community and faiths … has enabled a number of health issues to be addressed in the Gypsy Traveller communities, provide additional and culturally appropriate accommodation. Without this, many … would not have been able to access work, health care and have a poorer quality of life… [She] has expanded this work to look at the integration of Central and Eastern Europeans into this Country identifying and sharing best practice nationally. This has certainly been of benefit … and has highlighted areas of exploitation including Modern Day Slavery. These findings … have been shared widely and have assisted in stopping some illegal practices and introducing appropriate pastoral support to victims. She is also extremely knowledgeable about the Jewish faith and this and other work has filled in gaps in people’s knowledge, helping to put in place measures to encourage victims of hate crime to report this, as many victims are very reluctant to do so for a variety of reasons” (5. 3.2).

Elim Housing Association (in partnership with the Local Authority) provided a new-build Traveller site with an additional 24 permanent pitches. This site has been named Greenfields Way ‘ after you and the great work you have done in North Somerset and the West of England and for the Gypsy and Traveller community in general” ( 3.5; 5.3.3). A member of the local Traveller/Inclusion Education Team writes: “ It is a very successful site and has allowed many GRT families to access a wide range of services and support to improve their quality of life. Many residents speak really highly about the difference that has taken place in their lives since moving on. Your research both inspired people to persist in pushing the project forward and informed their practice once the site was established… Many of these families had not had a permanent plot before and there were many unmet needs.” ( 5.3.4)

Greenfields and Rogers are frequently asked by Local and Health Authorities, CCGs and social care providers to develop policy and practice through exploring best practice engagement with their local GTR communities. The Civica ‘White Paper’ (5.5) on addressing health inequalities in patient experience contained an extensive interview with Greenfields (in the role of an expert on working inclusively with communities), which outlined policy and practice recommendations for commissioners and practitioners working with marginalised populations. The NGO FFT writes ( 5.6.1) *“We have frequently drawn upon Professor Margaret Greenfield’s research and expertise to engage policymakers, commissioners and providers and to make a case for the development of programs and initiatives that can make a difference in the lives of GRT. .. Margaret’s 2016 report ( 3.1) evidenced the significant link between site provision and accommodation, and the health status of Gypsy and Traveller communities. We drew upon this research for our own practical guidance, commissioned by NHS England and NHS Improvement, which has been disseminated with regional PHE leads and health and care commissioners and providers nationally. We have been carrying out research on the topic of suicide prevention in Gypsy and Traveller communities, which dovetailed with research being conducted by Margaret and Carol *(3.2).

Greenfield’s work on health exclusion experienced by Gypsies, Travellers and Boaters in the West of England ( 3.5) has led to the commissioning and (by 2021) six years of funding by Clinical Commissioning Groups and Local Authorities of a specialist health service across two counties, which has also led to training and employment for community members ( 5.6.2) “ Professor Greenfields’ 2013 specialist health study (3.5) paved the way for the Julian House Outreach Service to be commissioned in 2015…. [and] the Julian House Travelling Community Support Service… commissioned by Bath and North East Somerset (BaNES) Clinical Commissioning Group (now Virgin Care). What started as a signposting and engagement pilot has developed into a service which is nationally recognised as an example of best practice, improving the health and wellbeing outcomes for communities facing some of the largest health inequalities in the UK… The BaNES pilot was a resounding success and it attracted praise from neighbouring local authorities. As a result, in 2019 Wiltshire Public Health commissioned a 2-year inequalities pilot following the health needs assessment of GTB communities. This created a Wiltshire Boater Outreach & Engagement Worker role and a Gypsy, Roma, Traveller Engagement Worker role. The latter has developed into a role with a policy focus; utilising national research and applying it practically at a local level through effective engagement, education and relationship building. In the short term, the role has had a significant impact and influence in terms of Covid-19 response and recovery; Wiltshire Council are in the final stage of discussions to adopt a Covid-19 emergency ‘negotiated stopping place’ pathway. The medium-long term objective is to work with 15 service providers to reduce the inequalities gap and ensure services are inclusive”.

The GRT health inclusion team in Surrey emphasised the core importance of Greenfield’s research and policy guidance to the model used in their training for health practitioners, and approach to policy and delivery. The Clinical Service Manager stated ( 5.6.3) “ I have depended on the many research, briefings and reports that Professor Greenfields has produced to support my application for funds to support this work. [Her work] shine[s] a light on the impact of a range of intersecting factors that disproportionately create barriers and cause disadvantage and shorten the lives of GRT peoples in the UK. …I am very grateful to Professor Greenfields for her advice and support, without which our GRT project could not have flourished. Our project funds have now been extended for another year, beyond the original two-year limit, with a plan to commission this work as a permanent service offer, so her input and evidence has supported our sustainability”. Similarly, a major legal charity, Law for Life ( 5.6.4) funded and devised a project to support migrant Roma families in contact with child protection services as a direct result of a series of research projects undertaken with specialist NGO partners that demonstrated reductions in children coming into care as a result of lack of cultural understanding or linguistic barriers to parental engagement. “ In 2018-2020, Law for Life delivered a Multimedia project for Roma parents involved in child protection process. The project was delivered in partnership with three Roma organisations in England (Roma Support Group, Roma Community Care and Clifton Learning Partnership). In the process of fundraising I used Professor Greenfields’ research and academic publications related to Roma communities and social care, which was directly quoted in the fundraising proposal... We secured further funding to deliver on the main findings from the evaluation, including helping Roma organisations address discrimination and disadvantage that Roma parents sometimes experience when going through the child protection process or care proceedings. Professor Greenfields is involved in a policy steering group which involves key organisations working with Roma communities which will help us develop a strategy to influence policy and improve practice in child protection and care proceedings… This is pioneering work and its importance is in recognising shortcomings in Children’s Services’ engagement with Roma families and in developing cultural competence in social work practice”.

The CEO of GATEHerts (commissioner of the suicide and hate crime project (5.6.5) referred to the high level of delicacy involved in the study ( 3.2) noting “ Margaret and Carol went about their research with skill and sensitivity, treating the participants with dignity and respect while they were sharing personal, and often intimate aspects of their lives. The findings highlight the widespread experience of the racism and discrimination against Gypsy Traveller (GT) people. It has given significant insight into the barriers still faced by GT when attempting to access victim support, and/or mental health services. The report has enabled us to present evidence to policy makers dealing with this particular issue and to highlight the need for intervention and inclusion, ensuring that this important issue doesn’t get lost or shoved under the table. As a result of this study we have had a series of follow-up meetings with the Department of Health and Social Care and MHCLG to see how recommendations can be adopted and attempts made to create interventions to reduce suicide and enhance professional practice to support GT people”.

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Increased knowledge exchange between and within communities.

Capture of metrics (5.1; 5.2,) indicates around 800–900 individuals (including approximately 300 students and academics) in the UK, Israel, Italy, USA, Austria and the Netherlands (as well as international delegates from Australia, Spain, Portugal etc) have accessed presentations, attended workshops, viewed exhibitions – including the 2019 Brighton Pride exhibit of artefacts – heard Ritual Reconstructed (RR) team members give conference presentations on project findings and/or viewed outputs prepared for the RR project website (5.1) between 2015–2020. Twitter metrics (5.3) show between 1968 unique reads/hits regarding the events and 1266 unique reads/hits for individual Tweets posted in relation to the conference panels during the 2020 online RR event (5.1) whilst Facebook reached 1124 people over the same period. The 2020 event evidenced newly generated interest and debate around the ritual and liturgical inclusion of Trans, Non-Binary and Intersex people as well as engaged a new, younger demographic and enhanced levels of interfaith activity including with BAME Christian communities; Muslim LGBT+ activists and Buddhist theologians when compared to the original 2015 demographics (5.1, 5.3).

Enhanced cultural understanding of issues and phenomena shaping or informing public attitudes and values. The Rabbi of Kingston Liberal Synagogue and Professors from the Universities of Portsmouth and Plymouth each comment (5.4) on positive impacts of sharing outputs from RR with diverse communities including enhancing inter-cultural understanding. Their statements refer to the exhibition, films/workshops (2020 activities postponed as a result of the pandemic) as “essential to ensure social cohesion and mutual understanding within the various communities that constitute our country”; offering significant scope to “broaden discussion” through bringing into dialogue the specific and universal themes of “inclusion, identities, and the reintegration of 'outsider' status”; or having a “positive impact on our local and regional communities, who would be keen to attend a film and exhibition, as well as a talk if possible”. It was further noted that feedback received from university community members who had engaged in earlier elements of the project evidenced that the “exploration of faith, sexual orientation, identity and creative collaboration, produced benefits for both students and staff who took part in activities. In particular, the development of challenging concepts and discussions and enhanced inclusive practice in the RR project fed through into ongoing developments around Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity within the university as well as broader discussions around breaking down stereotypes pertaining to religious practice”. Rabbi Solomon (leading theologian and senior academic lead on Rabbinic at Leo Baeck College) referred in a tweet (5.2) to the creative and visionary nature of the RR 2020 event. ‘Happy to be part of #RitualReHanukah with so many other wonderful creative people and the visionary

@MGreenfields’

• Enhancing inclusion of marginalised groups (LGBT+ /People of Faith including asylum seekers)

• Contributing to a wider public understanding of basic standards of wellbeing and human rights conceptions

Greenfield’s research and RR have shown clear evidence of inter-faith, inter-community and student participation through interviewing and filming opportunities (see section 2 and 5.5). Supporting evidence on the dangers to LGBT+ people of faith in a particular country with strict anti-Gay legislation was submitted by Greenfields, Kochberg and Knan to assist in asylum claims; whilst student-film makers involved in RR and RP created a documentary short to raise awareness of exclusion and risk of violence faced by LGBT+ refugees. RR/Rainbow Pilgrim team members/students also collaboratively supported an (ultimately successful) asylum claim from a gay student, ( 5.5) and Knan reports that he attended at asylum hearings and provided evidence in two further asylum cases which supported successful asylum claims by participants in Rainbow Pilgrims who had a well-grounded fear of persecution in their countries of origin as a result of their sexual orientation.

Project activities, which have emerged from Ritual Reconstructed of which Greenfields was PI (5.1) have led to innovative reflections on the linkage between family history, identity and the sense of dislocation which LGBT+ people of faith can feel as a result of tensions between their cultural-religious identities and gender or sexual orientation. ‘When we started to focus more on the buildings themselves, a larger variation of perspectives started to emerge. Some spoke of the importance of a building that had been created for the purpose of their specific faith rituals and that had features designed to physically represent and support those rituals. People also spoke of buildings and their symbolic features holding not only theological meaning, but also memories and family milestones that sometimes spanned generations’ (5.6; 3.3) as well as generating an enhanced focus on often ‘unheard’ sectors of the LGBT+ faith communities which is linked to an increased engagement (2020 activities) by Trans, Non-Binary and Intersex people focused on areas of liturgical and ritual behaviours (5.7). For example 30.8% of feedback respondents to the 2020 workshop identified as Queer and one individual as ‘asexual’ (an increase from 0% in 2016), whilst for the first time workshop sessions and debates explicitly engaged with themes of mental health impacts on lack of consent to genital surgery on intersex children and heteronormativity/marriage expectations amongst formerly Strictly Orthodox religious communities (5.1). Recent panel events have also engaged a new, younger demographic when compared to 2015 events ( 5.3); as was noted in a synagogue online conversation by Lior Locher and Rabbi Dr Pferzel (5.7), which explored the impact of the project over a 40 minute broadcast highlighting the value of the project to enhanced interfaith activity and opportunities for ‘Jews by Choice’ who identify as LGBT+ to find a ‘welcoming home’.

The unique nature of RR in giving voice to LGBTQI+ practicing Jews who were at an intersection of faith and sexual/gender diversity, and the international reach of the Project is highlighted by the attention paid to the original (2015) project which featured in the Israeli press and broadcast media ( 5.8) as well attracting invitations for academic and community participants to present at a number of international conferences on their experiences of involvement, co-production and impacts of visibility of recognition of diversity within the communities ( 5.2). Feedback from the final 2015 Showcase event (recording of sessions available via 3.1) included the following anonymised comments ( 5.7) “ The concept that looking at Orthodox perspectives of LGBTQI issues could.. be seen as non-normative” “It allowed me to revisit thinking. I did for a long time think that then wasn’t a real place for me in the Jewish community or religious practice”. “ Feeling of live debate around issues [was] very hopeful, not often talked about”.

Several participants in the 2020 online sessions (5.7) as well as a 2019 seminar for stakeholders from Strictly Orthodox Jewish communities held at Hebrew University Israel (5.2) on mental health and the impacts of being ‘excluded/closeted’ on religious Jews’ wellbeing; have come from communities which based on theological interpretations are strictly opposed to same-sex relationships or non-binary gender identification. RR has therefore not only raised awareness of themes of inclusive religious practice but also enhanced cross and intra-community dialogue (5.2; 5.7) through the development of increased knowledge of resources and emergent theological thinking across denominations, and in inter-faith contexts. Anonymised feedback from the 2020 seminar emphasised the “the whole event appears to me a fantastic initiative”; the “community aspect, meeting other Jews/people of faith who support similar causes.” that “speakers included TQI [Trans, Queer and Intersex] voices very well” and noting the value of “Inclusive service ideas” and that attendees strongly welcomed the opportunity for “Sharing learning and information about project”.

For participants who reported a sense of isolation from their peers as a result of location or rejection by their faith community, the availability of resources via the project websites and ability to contact Knan [community lead] as well as opportunities to engage appropriate faith specific support and advice hubs has enabled the spread and dissemination of information (including on immigration rights for parties to the Rainbow Pilgrims study) as well as reducing isolation (5.2; 5.7, 5.9.1). “I am now mentoring a lesbian that l met in a breakout room in her journey into Jewish identity.” (Feedback from 2020 workshops). Anonymised feedback from the 2020 seminar (3 word statements requested) included: “Interesting; fun; welcoming” ;“Community, Connection, Information”, “ Enlightening, Interesting, New ideas”. “ Innovative, inclusive, ambitious.” Highlights for participants included the scope for new networks and support: “Connecting with likeminded people working in a similar field”.

Impacts on social welfare (mental health and wellbeing).

Participants have repeatedly emphasised (in feedback (5.5) and published outputs (5.9) the impact on their sense of mental health and wellbeing of being part of a discussion or project which allows them to creatively and theologically authentically engage with multiple elements of their identities. Tess Joseph ( 5.9.1) stated that “ I felt like I had come home, that I finally had a solid base for creativity that engages with these questions. Previous artistic isolation was combatted through a new community being formed.” Lior Locher spoke (2020 podcast, 5.5) of the way in which close rabbinic attention to inclusive ritual “ honours tradition.. really really impressive how everyone works together and takes it seriously ..it felt a lot like ..a family gathering of people who are all different but with common themes” . Psychotherapist Korn in a 2020 text on mental health and wellbeing indicated the importance of the RR project for Jewish non-binary and trans people’s sense of inclusion and wellbeing (5.9.2). Rubin’s posthumously published chapter (5.9.3) focused on the personal value of the project which “ *encouraged [us] to do: to locate, interpret, reinterpret and then even perform the different parts of ourselves – including the labels from the inside and outside e.g. Jewish-Queer-Trans in shared rituals and sometimes all of this in front of live audiences.*”(2019:108).

The overall value of this project in adding to an evidence base of good practice examples which support community wellbeing, engagement and collaborative research practice is evidenced too, by RR’s inclusion (as one of a small number of featured projects) in the AHRC end of funding stream Connected Communities documentary film which highlighted the work supported of the programme ( 5.10).