What We Do

    Research, evaluation, and insight services that centre community voice and produce rigorous, actionable evidence.

    CITE

    Four letters that decide how every one of these is delivered.

    Community without evidence is anecdote. Evidence without community is extraction. CITE is how we stop either happening on a project.

    Community

    The people the research is about are on the payroll, not in the appendix.

    Inclusion

    Data is disaggregated far enough to show who is actually being missed.

    Trust

    We report what an institution did that cost it trust, including when that institution is paying us.

    Evidence

    Mixed methods, triangulated, with an audit trail from fieldwork to finding.

    Community Research

    Participatory research methods that centre the voices, knowledge, and expertise of communities, especially those often excluded from traditional research.

    When it helps

    • You want to understand the experiences of a specific community
    • You need insights grounded in lived experience
    • You're designing services or programmes with affected populations

    What this looks like in practice

    On a live maternal health programme in south east London, community researchers from the communities concerned are running the fieldwork. They are recruited, trained, supervised and paid for it.

    Typical deliverables

    Research reportsCommunity insight summariesPersonas and journey mapsRecommendations for action

    Ways of working

    Embedded partnership, sprint-based projects, or consultancy support

    Framework we use

    Community researcher model

    Evaluation and Learning

    Rigorous evaluation approaches that focus on what works, what does not, and why. Built to support meaningful learning and accountability.

    When it helps

    • You're funded to deliver and need to demonstrate impact
    • You want to understand whether your approach is working
    • You need an independent, credible assessment

    What this looks like in practice

    On a live governance evaluation of a multi-partner health programme, we assess where decisions actually sit at every tier, from the programme board down to delivery partners, and report it against four fixed criteria.

    Typical deliverables

    Evaluation frameworksLogic models and theories of changeBaseline and endline assessmentsImpact reports

    Ways of working

    Full evaluation commissions, developmental evaluation, or evaluation consultancy

    Framework we use

    Power-sharing criteria

    Co-design and Facilitation

    Inclusive processes that bring together diverse stakeholders, service users, practitioners and commissioners, to collaboratively shape research, services, and solutions.

    When it helps

    • You're developing a new service or programme
    • You need to bring different perspectives together
    • You want to embed participation in your organisation

    What this looks like in practice

    We build the interview and workshop instruments that get past the official version of how a programme works, and we run the sessions where partners have to agree what the evidence means.

    Typical deliverables

    Workshop facilitationCo-design reportsService blueprintsImplementation roadmaps

    Ways of working

    Workshop series, design sprints, or ongoing facilitation support

    Framework we use

    Power-sharing criteria

    Evidence Synthesis and Interactive Outputs

    Bringing large, scattered bodies of evidence into one usable picture, then building the maps, briefs and interactive tools that let people explore it for themselves.

    When it helps

    • You have data but need to make sense of it
    • You need to communicate findings to diverse audiences
    • You want to synthesise learning across projects or programmes

    What this looks like in practice

    We use computational methods to handle volume. Community researchers decide what the data means, and they see the coding frame before any analysis proceeds.

    Typical deliverables

    Executive summariesLearning briefsStakeholder presentationsVisual data storiesEvidence cataloguesEvidence mapsInteractive explorersMethods notes

    Ways of working

    Project-based synthesis, regular reporting retainers, or one-off analysis

    Framework we use

    Analysis at scale

    Capacity Building

    Training and mentoring for community researchers and organisations, building sustainable skills, confidence, and leadership in research and evaluation.

    When it helps

    • You want to develop in-house research skills
    • You're recruiting community researchers and need training
    • You want ongoing support for your research team

    What this looks like in practice

    More than five years training people across London to run enquiry in their own communities, and to be paid properly for the expertise they bring.

    Typical deliverables

    Training programmesCommunity researcher toolkitsSupervision and mentoringQuality assurance frameworks

    Ways of working

    Training courses, ongoing supervision, or organisational development support

    Framework we use

    Community researcher model

    Community Engagement and Trust Building

    Building trusted relationships within communities to enable meaningful participation, sustained engagement, and honest insight.

    When it helps

    • You need to build relationships before research can begin
    • Past engagement has broken down or eroded trust
    • You want sustained community involvement, not one-off consultation

    What this looks like in practice

    Trust is usually described and almost never measured. We report it as something a programme board can compare over time and act on.

    Typical deliverables

    Engagement strategiesTrust-building frameworksCommunity liaison supportRelationship mapping

    Ways of working

    Ongoing embedded support, community partnership development, or strategic consultancy

    Framework we use

    Trust metrics
    Ways of engaging

    Three ways to bring us in.

    Embedded

    We sit inside the programme for its duration, in the meetings, not reporting from outside them.

    Sprint

    A defined question, a fixed window, one output. Useful before a bid or a board decision.

    Retainer

    Ongoing analysis and reporting across a portfolio, with the same team throughout.

    Ready to start a conversation?

    Tell us about your project, and we'll explore how we can support you.

    Get in touch