Evaluating community health champions to strengthen impact and enable scaling

Improving health through trusted community voices

Community Health Champions are volunteers who live, work, or study in Waltham Forest and promote health and wellbeing within their own communities. They are the listening ears and community connectors in their local areas, having open conversations about health, supporting community activities, and signposting people to services. Activities include weekly walks, chair exercise sessions, nutrition workshops, and social events that bring people together.

Champions distribute up-to-date health information as part of their everyday activities, helping people make informed decisions about healthcare for themselves and their families. They also give a voice to diverse communities across the borough, reaching people who might not otherwise engage with health services. With health inequalities particularly stark in parts of the borough, the Champions focus on tackling these inequalities at a grassroots level.

The London Borough of Waltham Forest partnered with Leyton Orient Trust to deliver the programme, building on the Trust's experience using sport and community to improve health and wellbeing across East London. Habitus was engaged to evaluate the programme and provide a foundation for scaling its impact locally and nationally.

Challenges

Evaluating a community health programme operating within a complex system of health services required understanding multiple perspectives: the volunteers delivering the programme, the residents they reached, and the organisations funding and managing it.

We needed to understand not just whether the programme was working, but how; exploring reasons for engagement, barriers to participation, and the ways volunteers were able to reach communities that traditional health services often miss.

What we did

We worked with local community organisations, community leaders, and volunteers through a mix of creative and flexible methods designed to meet people where they were, including observations and co-development sessions.

Gathering insight from residents and volunteers: We met people in sports and health settings, conducted walk-alongs, had quick chats, and used storytelling to gather insight from residents, particularly those from marginalised communities. We explored reasons for engagement, barriers to participation, and ways to overcome these barriers. We examined the impact of key public health messaging on both residents and volunteers.

Co-developing an impact framework: Working alongside the Champions team, we co-developed an impact framework and Theory of Change that could be tested against the programme's operational and strategic needs. This included identifying and challenging health inequalities and providing recommendations for opportunities.

Providing actionable recommendations: Our evaluation findings were structured as four recommendations to strengthen the programme in its next phase, giving the team clear direction for development.

How we made a difference

Our evaluation revealed the wide-ranging impact that operational leaders have within the programme. We uncovered the need for reactive and knowledgeable leadership from senior leaders within both the funding and delivery organisations. We also highlighted the critical role programme management plays as role models and knowledge mobilisers for volunteers and frontline staff.

By strengthening the collaborative relationship between Waltham Forest Council and Leyton Orient Trust, we helped create conditions for the programme to grow and deepen its impact.

Results

The evaluation helped the council understand the programme's impact and what was important to look for and ask about when assessing community health initiatives. The team came away with clear parameters for tracking outcomes and the foundations to scale their impact.

The model of programme delivery was subsequently replicated by neighbouring boroughs, the City of London and Hackney. Collaboration between the NHS, voluntary sector, and local authority increased at the strategic level, unlocking improved and more numerous opportunities for Health Champions and the communities they serve.

Daniel Hibbs-Woodings, Community Action Manager, London Borough of Waltham Forest: “I have been very impressed with your services and the Habitus team through the duration of our work together. I do very much hope we work together again in the future.”

Habitus has a track record of evaluating community health programmes and supporting organisations to understand and scale their impact. If you are looking to evaluate volunteer-led initiatives, develop impact frameworks, or strengthen collaboration between funders and delivery partners, get in touch.