Convening Knowledge About Community Advisory Boards (CABS)
Our ‘Convening Knowledges’ programme brings together practical and theoretical knowledge as well as, people and organisations, on topics relevant to public engagement professionals. We are also exploring the mechanisms through which we can bring knowledges together. And so, each topic is explored through a different methodology.
Our first Convening Knowleges topic is community advisory boards (CABs). Nic and Adam Gratton from The Community Cast explored the CABs through a rapid literature review, a network survey and recorded conversations. These culminated in a mini podcast series which you can access below.
The convening is not over though! We invite you to share your own thoughts and resources using the email address link at the end of the page.
About Community Advisory Boards
Formal advisory structures perhaps known as Community Advisory Boards or possibly by another name are designed to enable community perspectives to be heard and inform research, processes and policy across sectors, disciplines and national contexts for decades if not longer. They are an example of a widespread engagement practice about which there is an enormous amount of knowledge but where knowledge is dispersed and siloed making it difficult to draw together learning.
Nic and Adam have drawn together some of what is known, from in academic literature, grey literature and held within people themselves.
Please feel free to share any thoughts or resources of your own.
A Podcast Mini Series
This mini podcast series presents some of the voices and perspectives that the team encountered. The podcasts draw on the experiences of CABs with a global community interest as well as some with a local geographic focus. Some are linked to specific research programmes whilst others have wider institutional remits.
In the podcasts hear Nicola Gratton chatting with:
- Public Engagement Professionals who attended NCCPE's Engage 2024 conference
- Alun Davies- Senior programme manager for the online platform and network for engagement in global health of MESH (an online platform and network for engagement in global health)
- Jessica Salzwedel- Senior Program Manager-Research Engagement at AVAC: Global Advocacy for HIV Prevention
- Members of Staffordshire University's Community Advisory Network.
These podcasts represent but a fraction of the huge variety of voices and perspectives that might have been included. Please share your own examples in our 'What do you know?' section below and we can grow this resource
Listen to the Podcast
The Community Cast's Nic Gratton interviews practitioners and experts from across the on Community Advisory Boards in this mini-series.
A Report
In the report linked below, Nic and Adam introduce their methodology and provide an outline of their project outputs, including each of the podcast episodes. They draw together project findings about what is known for designing and implementing CABs as well as reflect on the use of podcasts and an online resource hub as a way to convene knowledge.
Literature Review and Open Resources
As part of their process The Community Cast carried out a rapid literature review. You can see the resources included in this using the link below.
Coming Soon
Next up in the CAB project, we'll be bringing you blogs from NCCPE Project Manager, Sian Aggett, Research Associate, Jude Fransman, and Project Leads, Nicola and Adam Gratton from the Community Cast.
What would you like to hear more about? Or tell us?
What do you know?
Do you have experience, questions, suggestions, or resources you'd like to share on CABs?
Drop us these in an email - we'd love to include your knowledge