Title: Parenting in a Pandemic: Using Community Arts to Reduce Social Isolation and Explore the Experiences and Policy Needs of Marginalised Families
Funder: Arts and Humanities Research Council

Abstract: For the past two years, the University of Bristol and Wellspring Settlement have been working in partnership on a participatory research project on the history of Single Parent Action Network (SPAN). The Covid-19 pandemic meant that we had to quickly take our participatory methodologies online. This project builds on the knowledge we have gained about how best to adapt community arts and research to a socially distanced world, and will bring our participatory methodologies to a wider audience in the voluntary and community sector. It also builds on a key finding from our research on the history of SPAN: this was an organisation that put the lived experience of race, gender, class and poverty at the heart of their activism. As a grass-roots, user-led organisation, it was able to make an unique contribution to policy debates. This foregrounding of experience takes on new importance now, as Covid-19 has disproportionately disadvantaged ethnic minority groups, those living on low incomes, single parent families, and others. Yet the voices of these groups have seldom been heard in the public debate about the pandemic and its effects. We will use our insights from the history of SPAN to bring together parents from across Bristol who belong to groups that have been particularly disadvantaged and marginalised by the Covid-19 pandemic: single parents, ethnic minority families, those living with a disability, and/or in socio-economically disadvantaged areas. They will participate in a participatory arts programme, which will be delivered via an innovative mixture of distanced methods: online meetings, social media, and telephone check-ins. This programme will give participants a chance to explore their experience of the pandemic, and to articulate their vision of a post-Covid future in which their families can thrive. The programme is designed to create connections, reduce social isolation at a time of continued social distancing and disruption, and increase the wellbeing and confidence of the participants. It will also produce a valuable knowledge base about the experiences and needs of vulnerable families, and we will disseminate this in a number of ways. In collaboration with Rising Arts Agency, we will create a public campaign in Bristol, which will act as a platform for the voices and perspectives of parents from these groups, raising public awareness. In collaboration with the Equality Trust, an online event will bring together programme participants, local MPs and councillors to launch a policy paper, co-written with participants. This paper will highlight the issues that policy- and decision makers need to take into account. Finally, working with Locality, a case study will make our methodology available to community arts practitioners, and two online events will bring together those who are seeking ways in which to adapt their way of working to the current situation. Our existing community researchers will be central to the design and delivery of this programme of work, creating opportunities for them to expand their networks and move into paid employment. The project has been designed by a team spanning the University of Bristol team and existing project partners Wellspring Settlement, and builds on the strong working relationships created by the current research project. It will also create new relationships. Organisations across Bristol's voluntary sector will work with us on recruiting participants who would not engage with the university, including Ambition Lawrence Weston, Southmead Development Trust, Eastside Community Trust, Social Prescribing for Equality and Resilience Bristol, and Supportive Parents. Working with Rising Arts Agency will allow us to create a powerful campaign that will have a big impact in Bristol and beyond. Finally, our collaborations with the Equality Trust and Locality will ensure that this work has national reach, and will continue to have an impact beyond the lifetime of the project.


Research activity codes: 2.3 PSYCHOLOGICAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS;3.2 INTERVENTIONS TO ALTER PHYSICAL AND BIOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS
Health categories: INFECTION;MENTAL HEALTH