Research and analysis

Research report: understanding the role of DCMS in building and strengthening community connections

Evidence review into DCMS policies and wider place-based interventions that support stronger and better connected communities by Ecorys UK.

• From: Department for Culture, Media and Sport
• Published: 10 July 2025

Documents

Research report: understanding the role of DCMS in building and strengthening community connections

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Details

DCMS commissioned Ecorys UK to deliver a rapid evidence review on how DCMS’s policies and sector interventions have supported and sustained strong communities, between 1999 to 2024

The review had two aims with distinct objectives:

• Strand 1. What works: identify ‘what works’ in DCMS-led policy interventions to build and strengthen communities, across the six DCMS sectors. Place-based interventions were in-scope for this aim, amongst other intervention types.
• Strand 2. Place-based interventions: a deep-dive on the role of place-based interventions in supporting stronger communities and local civil society. This focused on interventions within the DCMS Civil Society and Youth sector only, and included interventions delivered and funded by DCMS, the wider civil society and voluntary community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector.

Key findings from the evidence review

• Community co-production: The literature advocated active involvement by citizens and community actors in designing and delivering interventions within their own communities, to ensure programmes were responsive to local wants and needs. Involving community members in programme design, delivery and refinement also helped to identify ways to reach target groups.
• Tailoring programmes to places: Place-based programmes that build on the existing assets within a community, and target interventions where they are needed, facilitate programme sustainability by making better use of existing community resources.
• Evidence-informed rationale: Successful programmes were underpinned by strong evidence in the form of primary research, analysis of local data and demographics, service mapping and gapping exercises and community consultation. In addition, the report stressed the importance of monitoring and evaluation design being considered alongside the programme design.
• Clear delivery plans with community outcomes in mind: Establishing actions and lines of responsibility across local partners, and rationale of how the intended activities provide the mechanisms for achieving the outcomes, supports implementation.

This report consists of:

• The background to the review is provided in the Introduction, which is followed by the research method.
• The review findings are reported in Strand 1: What works and in Strand 2: Place-based interventions.
• The report concludes with key recommendations for future policy and furthering the evidence-base.

Published 10 July 2025