We are delighted to announce a funded research partnership between AFiUK and Anglia Ruskin University for an academic study of our award-winning Community Ambassador Model, operating across Colchester, Tendering and Oxfordshire.

The Community Ambassador Model works through trusted diaspora community members who act as cultural brokers between ethnically minoritised communities and mainstream health and social welfare services. Built on trust, co-production, mentorship and local leadership, the model has been developed to strengthen community engagement and improve connections between communities and public institutions.

The research will carry out an extensive qualitative study of how the model operates in practice, the ways in which participants and stakeholders understand and experience the model, its potential influence on access, participation and institutional trust, and its broader implications for equitable and community-responsive public services.

We believe that community-centred approaches must be rigorously evidenced if they are to influence policy and practice at scale. Independent academic research of this kind contributes to a wider evidence base not only about the Community Ambassador Model but also about how trust-based, community-led approaches operate across different institutional contexts.

We look forward to working with Dr Yemisi Sloane and the Anglia Ruskin University team and to sharing insights from the research as the project develops.