Policy, Impact & Community Engagement

This training session was delivered by Catherine-Rose Stocks-Rankin and Dave Blackbell from the Scottish Policy and Research Exchange 3rd April 2024, as part of a bespoke capacity building programme for communities within the Highlands & Islands Climate Change Community-Research Network. This programme was delivered by Science Ceilidh and British Science Association, funded by UK Research and Innovation.

A recording of the training session can be viewed below, along with an accompanying worksheet designed by Science Ceilidh building on the activities included in the original training session.  

About the Training Session

This practical training session used a mix of storytelling techniques and interactive activities to explore questions of power dynamics, community engagement and policy influence, highlighting opportunities for using different forms of knowledge in policy engagement. The personal stories helped illustrate the messy and dynamic nature of policy engagement and the activities helped participants to visualise and discuss the complex web of relationships and influencing factors that can shape policy decisions. This included space for reflecting on the dynamics and issues that influence their own projects. Ultimately, the trainers highlighted the importance of being aware of the broader context while reflecting the importance of co-creation and the need for flexibility in research processes. They also emphasised the need for transparency and awareness in navigating power dynamics and the importance of inclusive and participatory approaches that can prioritise building trusting relationships. Activities around ‘goal power’ and a ‘strengths mapping’ exercise provided tools for reflecting on who gets to define the goals or outcomes of a project and what resources and opportunities we already have in our own communities to affect change. 

About the Training Providers

Scottish Policy Research Exchange

The Scottish Policy and Research Exchange works with research, knowledge mobilisation and policy communities to improve how evidence and expertise shapes policy. Their digital resources are available to help people plan who to engage with and when it’s the best time to do so.  
They also run the Brokerage, a network of researchers, knowledge mobilisers, and policy professionals who have an interest in improving how evidence and expertise shapes policy. Through the network, they share formal and informal opportunities for research-policy engagement, and create spaces for relationship-building and shared learning.

Catherine-Rose Stocks-Rankin

Catherine-Rose is a researcher and knowledge mobiliser with 15 years’ experience across community development, social work, social care, public health, primary and secondary care. She holds a PhD in Social Policy from the University of Edinburgh and specialises in participatory approaches to research design and systems leadership. She also has specialist expertise in monitoring and evaluation for learning (specifically developmental evaluation and contribution analysis).

Her leadership and methods create a bridge between different kinds of knowledge, with a focus on blending lived experience, practice wisdom, policy know-how, and research evidence. She is also the Co-Chair for the Social Action Inquiry for Scotland, which focuses on what helps and hinders community-led change.  

Catherine-Rose is also a carer, an aspiring writer and a cat-parent to a deaf cat called Reuben. 

Dave Blackbell

Dave is a knowledge mobilisation specialist. He has a PhD in climate science and 10 years professional experience in various policy, research, research management and knowledge mobilisation roles, largely focused on policy challenges around climate change and sustainability.

Dave’s leadership at SPRE centres around how to support capacities for more ethical, equitable and effective systems and practices. He is particularly interested in how to apply insights from intersectionality, participatory action research and complexity-aware impact monitoring, evaluation and learning.

Dave is also a new dad, a partner and an enthusiastic dog-parent to a rescue dog called Korra.