Community well-being after the Grenfell fire: lessons for better managing disaster settings

The research team is engaging with various stakeholders, including members of the council, police force, fire brigade, NHS, charity organizations, private organizations, and community members. The research team first engaged with stakeholders by attending community events and conducting non-participant observations. Through community events, the research team managed to introduce itself, explain the research project, and potentially organise individual interviews. For instance, by attending a community event organised by the charity organization Grenfell Trust, we obtained the contact of another charity organization, the Tate Gallery, which is also developing activities with the community of North Kensington, as well as the assistant of the Ministry of Housing, Community, and Local Government. A meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, will be crucial for developing evidence relevant to a REF impact case. The Principal Investigator (PI), Dr. Raffaella Valsecchi, also attended five consultation meetings organised by the council with the public, conducting non-participant observations. In this way, the research team managed to acquire important information and gain trust, a crucial prerequisite to organise an interview with the current Councillor of Notting Dale Ward. After the interview, the research team is also planning to showcase the activities of Hive, which could potentially support this Council. Through these council meetings, Dr. Valsecchi also managed to connect with another relevant charity organisation that offers basic computer training to the community. After the interview, this participant asked if we could help advertise an internship opportunity for students through Brunel University, to teach basic computer skills. This small support will be utilised, along with other actions, to build up a REF impact case. We recently conducted an interview with two members of the charity organisation, Grenfell Hope Project, which specialises in disaster interventions and mental health support. They have asked us to organise a workshop at Brunel University London focused on the interventions offered within this community. We agreed in principle to organise this workshop and are now preparing a document summarising our initial findings and recommendations, which can be incorporated into their report. Again, this could serve as evidence of a potential REF impact case. This workshop will provide an opportunity to invite other organisations working in the areas of mental health and disaster response, as well as key individuals from the NHS.

People

	Name	Telephone	Email	Office
	Dr Raffaella Valsecchi Reader (Principal investigator) T: +44 (0)1895 267570 E: raffaella.valsecchi@brunel.ac.uk	+44 (0)1895 267570	raffaella.valsecchi@brunel.ac.uk	Eastern Gateway 104a