Our Work

DIMENSIONS OF PLACE

QCAP currently has four individual research dimensions of place. Click on the image or text links below to find out more information on each dimension.

Social Economy and Community Wealth Building

In this dimension of place, QCAP has helped to regenerate communities and support social enterprises to create alternative approaches to economic inclusion and local development.

Growing Up in The Market

This dimension of place is following children, young people, and their families over three years to better understand the persistent challenges identified by our partner community.

Education, Skills, and Inclusive Innovation

Through this dimension of place, QCAP is collaborating with community stakeholders to explore place-based approaches for addressing educational inequality and the barriers that preclude their participation in a knowledge-based society.

Community Health and Wellbeing

QCAP works with the community to identify and prioritise challenge areas to improve health and wellbeing. Current examples are through innovative responses to prevalent community concerns linked to food insecurity, and engaging with relevant statutory agencies to co-ordinate rapid in-place responses to mitigate harm and substance use.

EXTERNALLY FUNDED RESEARCH PROGRAMMES

SUMIT

Substance Use and Mental Health Interventions using Digital Technology

SUMIT (Substance Use and Mental Health Interventions using Digital Technology) is a €6.8m project supported by PEACEPLUS, a programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB). The project is led by Queen’s University Belfast and partnered with Trinity College Dublin (TCD), Digital Heath and Care Innovation Centre DHI (Scotland), University of St Andrews and Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations. It is aimed at transforming support for people living with substance use and mental health challenges across Northern Ireland, Ireland and Fife Scotland using digital enhancements for existing supports.

Why SUMIT - Policies and strategies in Northern Ireland (NI) and Ireland (IRE) stress the need to transform health and social care services, amid overwhelming demands, workforce capacity / capability challenges, and growing societal divisions including deprivation and health inequalities which are impacting on care. People living with substance use (drugs & alcohol) and associated mental health issues often experience particular and extreme challenges in accessing treatment and support (e.g. waiting lists, lack of crisis interventions) compounded by multi- factor exclusion (stigma, poverty, ill-health). Digital innovation and digitisation are identified as part of the solution, but uptake at scale remains a challenge. People with addiction and mental health issues face a unique set of challenges in how they access, interact with and trust the digital world and health and care services.

What SUMIT will do - Through digital enhancement of existing services / supports SUMIT aims to provides personalised and easier access to community-based treatment and support for 1,500 people with substance use and mental health issues. They will be provided with digital devices (phones/tablets/laptops), connectivity (data packages) and human support improving access and engagement with health and support services as well as support self-management. SUMIT will support organisations to embed digital in core service delivery by building digital skills, trauma informed approaches, trust and confidence for staff and individuals.

How will SUMIT work – Demonstrator Sites the SUMIT partners will work with a number of community and voluntary groups across North East (Dundalk and Drogheda), North West (Derry/Letterkenny) and Belfast (Prison Services). SUMIT will work with supports and services within these regions to co-design digital products that would best meet their challenges and enhance existing services. SUMIT is funded through the PeacePlus programme it has a strong cross-border element. Organisations involved in the project will have the opportunity to join a cross-border Communities of Practice to share learning and knowledge exchange, a suggestion that was raised frequently during consultations with organisations.

SUMIT Weblink (Coming Soon)

SUMIT contact:

Donna Tedstone

Email: d.tedstone@qub.ac.uk

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Centre for Collaboration in Community Connectedness

Queen’s Communities and Place (QCAP) is a regional partner in the £10 million UKRI Centre for Collaboration in Community Connectedness (C4), which will run from 2024 - 2029. Led by Sheffield Hallam University, the partnership brings together QCAP with other significant organisations, including Clackmannanshire Third Sector Interface, Darnall Wellbeing, Local Trust, London Metropolitan University, The Brixton Project, Market Development Association, University of Stirling, and The Young Foundation, creating a comprehensive network spanning research, community, policy and civil society sectors.

C4 will research and scale up effective community action strategies across three core areas: community connections, meaningful social relationships that address poverty and isolation, and social capital development. The Centre aims to provide crucial evidence for local and national policymaking to create equal opportunities regardless of location. QCAP brings its research expertise to help analyse the diverse landscape of community activities, determine what approaches work most effectively, and contribute to establishing the robust evidence base needed to scale up and replicate successful community interventions.

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Maximising the Value of the 2021 NI Census:

Adding Time to Place

The 2021 Northern Ireland Census introduced new output geographies that improve population representation but lack compatibility with previous data. This ESRC-funded project aims to address this issue by linking the 2021 Census to older geographies, enabling longitudinal analysis. The project's objectives include creating 2021 Census outputs for previous geographies, extending small-area statistics back to 1971, and developing a spatial framework to connect various data geographies.

Key deliverables will be a consistent dataset covering censuses from 1971 to 2021, a web resource for analysing area changes over time, and a resource for cross-census comparisons. The project builds upon existing investments in the NI Grid-Square Product, NISRA data portal, and community engagement approaches developed with QCAP. By addressing backward compatibility, this work enables temporal analysis and enhances the 2021 Census value for both researchers and non-expert users. The resulting tools and datasets will support further research with linked census data, comparisons with administrative sources, and practical applications for local community benefit.

Current Grant Information

Grant Funder: Economic & Social Research Council

Grant Award: £325,012.

Grant Team: Shuttleworth, I. (PI), Grounds, A. (CoI), Higgins, K. (CoI) & Lloyd, C. (CoI)

Grant Duration: 27/05/2024 – 30/04/2026

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BYDS

Belfast Youth Development Study

BYDS is a longitudinal study of young people’s lives and experiences and is funded by the Research and Development Office, Public Health Agency, Northern Ireland.

By following the same young people over time, BYDS can identify the social, family and peer factors that can offer support and reduce young people’s participation in drug use and anti-social behaviour. By following participants longitudinally over the years, it is possible to make more meaningful inferences on the causes that may explain the emergence or decline of different patterns of behaviour. Other strengths of the study include the use of well-validated instruments and the wide range of constructs which have been investigated. The results from the study can be used to assist the future development of policy and practice (e.g. drug intervention programmes) and so provide greater opportunities for young people.

Please click here to access the BYDS website

BYDS participants are now in their mid-30s, and the research team is working to contact them to participate in another wave of data collection. For participants who consent, we will also be linking their study data with prescription records for medications to manage psychiatric conditions like mood disorders and schizophrenia. We will also invite 30 to conduct interviews with members of the study team, asking them questions about their experiences relevant to the study topics.

Both current and future data from BYDS allow for important examination of the factors associated with important social issues like substance use and trauma, as well as their long-term outcomes in a person’s life.

Current Grant Information

Grant Funder: HSC Research & Development

Grant Award: £249,332

Grant Team: Higgins, K. (PI), Percy, A. (CoI), Mulholland, C. (CoI), Jordan, J-A. (CoI), McCartan, C. (CoI), Morse, A D (CoI), Dyer, K. (CoI)

Grant Duration: 01/08/24-28/2/26

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AHRC Creative Communities

Community Innovation Practitioners

This programme sought to explore the use of co-creative methodologies to break cycles of silences and address stigma around health and social challenges in Belfast’s Market community. This historically working-class neighbourhood faces unemployment, poverty, health inequities, and political segregation; issues worsened by the legacy of Northern Ireland’s conflict and recent policy vacuum due to government suspension.

This study was funded by AHRC through their Creative Communities Community Innovation Practitioner (CIP) pilot programme. The research employed community based participatory research (CBPR), taking a trauma informed approach to explore how the Arts can effectively respond to community hauntology, breaking cycles of silence, to affect change in: attitudes to trauma and substance use, and related outcomes.

The CIP programme was an arts-based, community-led intervention emphasising equitable partnership and co-creation. It integrated community experience, academic knowledge, and cultural expertise to empower participants and address these challenges through a place-based approach aligned with regional strategies. Collaborating with the Market Development Association (MDA) and partners, the CIP project facilitated nine intergenerational workshops between November 2023 and March 2024. Seventeen participants, divided into two groups, engaged throughout, using creative methods such as drama, poetry, visual mapping, and photovoice. The methods allowed a safe space for participants to share their stories, explore issues like trauma, substance use, mental health, and civic identity, whilst building a collective narrative fostering community trust and resilience.

The project culminated in a co-created photographic exhibition, The Market: A People’s Tapestry, displayed at 2 Royal Avenue, Belfast, in April 2024. The exhibition drew 7,000 visitors and gained extensive media attention, including coverage on BBC Newsline, Radio Ulster, and social media platforms, with over 58,300 views. This visibility raised awareness of community challenges, helping to further helped destigmatise issues of trauma and substance use.

Key programme outcomes included participant empowerment, strengthened community bonds, and reduced stigma around trauma, mental health and substance use. Additionally, the project inspired: a community toolkit and funded follow-on initiatives; and highlighted the transformative potential of arts-based interventions in marginalised communities. It underscored the value of targeted funding in fostering innovative, cross-sector, cultural research and development.

The CIP project serves as a model for using arts and cultural approaches to address complex social and health issues, demonstrating the importance of collaboration, co-creation, and localised responses in driving meaningful community change.

Current Grant Information

Grant Funder: AHRC Community Innovation Practitioner (CIP) Programme

Grant Award: £58,000

Grant Team: McGuigan, K. (PI), Brady, Á. (CIP), Robinson, G. (CI), & Higgins, K. (CI)

Grant Duration: 02/10/2023 → 01/10/2024 (Completed)

Link to outputs

Brady, A. & McGuigan, K. (2024). A People’s Tapestry: Sharing Stories, Breaking Cycles, Building Connections. CIP Case Study: Creative Communities (AHRC): Newcastle. Available at: https://creativecommunities.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Aine-Brady_CIP-Case-Study_AHRC-Creative-Communities.pdf
Brady, A. & McGuigan, K. (2024). Northern Ireland Health & Wellbeing: Policy Paper. CIP Creative Communities (AHRC): Newcastle. Available at: https://creativecommunities.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Aine-Brady_CIP-Policy-Paper_AHRC-Creative-Communities.pdf
Brady, A. (2024). Transforming Trauma: Co-creating change through culture with Áine Brady in Belfast (NI). Creative Communities Podcast. Listen to the podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2YiOoXfmOdgfeoJaa52ccf

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Smart Cityzens

Fostering (Technologically) Intelligent, Innovative Communities

Smart City-zens, a multidisciplinary project developed by QCAP, the Market Development Association (MDA), and colleagues from Momentum One Zero.

LPIP

Local Policy Innovation Partnerships Hub

Queen’s Communities and Place is part of the successful team led by University of Birmingham in a UKRI competition for £3.6m for a Strategic Co-ordination Hub for Local Policy Innovation Partnerships (LPIP) across the UK. Queen’s joins colleagues from seven other UK universities as well as colleagues from Involve and the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement. The hub seeks to address nationwide issues through local partnership and place. The LPIP Hub is developing a programme of capacity-building activities looking at the thematic challenges places face and what works in place partnerships.

CLIP

Children, Learning and Inclusive Places

Funded by the ESRC, the Children, Learning and Inclusive Places (CLIP) project aims to bring together and learn from two of our largest research-led community focused activities - Children’s Neighbourhoods Scotland (CNS) in Glasgow and Queen’s Communities and Place in Belfast.

CURRENT COMMUNITY ACTION PROJECTS (CAPs)

Click the links to find each project's home page and further details.

You're Home (East Belfast)

Managed by a local social enterprise called East Belfast Mission (EBM), the You’re Home project will address the current gap in provision for the homeless or other vulnerable populations looking to transition from hostels into private rented accommodation.

The Pantry Community Supermarket (North Belfast)

The Pantry is an example of a community supermarket that provides support for individuals and local North Belfast families experiencing food insecurity as well as other issues stemming from the cost-of-living crisis.

BUILD Shankill (West/North Belfast)

BUILD Shankill is a community-led partnership and social action project which is working to address issues around vacant and derelict land in the Greater Shankill area of Belfast.

Teacher Professional Development Programme

The Greater Shankill Partnership Board and Children and Young Persons’ Zone has been working with the primary and post-primary schools serving the Shankill community to identify areas for support, with proposed programmes co-designed by the schools, community and University.