Barking and Dagenham Council and Queen Mary University London’s SHAPE Institute have begun the first phase of a major new programme of research with local families, starting with a community workshop at Becontree Primary School designed to understand the real pressures, needs, and aspirations of parents and carers across the borough.
The workshop marks the first activity delivered under the borough’s new 10‑year societal partnership with Queen Mary University of London - an unprecedented collaboration between a local authority and a Russell Group university. The partnership aims to rethink how health, wellbeing, education, and family support are shaped by everyday life, and to develop new approaches that help residents to help themselves while enabling the council and partners to deliver more targeted, effective services.
Listening to families, learning from experience
Parents and carers at Becontree Primary School were invited to take part in a friendly Coffee Morning hosted jointly by the school and the SHAPE Institute. The session explored the realities and challenges of raising children today from education and wellbeing to housing, finances, childcare, and access to support.
Participants shared their lived experiences, including:
- What helps families thrive
- Challenges faced in daily life
- Experiences accessing support
- What could be improved
- How schools, health and community services can work better together
Insights gathered will feed directly into the wider research programme, helping shape future support for children and families in Barking and Dagenham.
A New Approach to Community Health and Wellbeing
The council and SHAPE Institute are committed to rethinking health through the lens of being well, recognising that wellbeing is shaped not only by clinical care, but by wider factors such as housing, employment, education, and social care. By working directly with families, the partnership aims to build a clearer picture of what residents need, what works, and where services can be improved.
The SHAPE Institute’s trans-disciplinary approach, bringing together health sciences with the humanities, arts, and social sciences, will support the development of practical, evidence‑based solutions rooted in the lived experience of local people.
Cllr Dominic Twomey, Leader of Barking and Dagenham Council, said: “This workshop at Becontree Primary School is where our new partnership truly begins, listening to families, learning from their experiences, and understanding what really shapes everyday wellbeing.
“By working with Queen Mary University London, we’re combining world‑class academic expertise with the voices of our residents. This will help us design services that are better targeted, more responsive, and built around what families tell us they need.
“This is the start of a long-term programme that will help us reimagine how we support children, parents, and communities across Barking and Dagenham.”