University of Cumbria secures major NIHR grant for Family Wellbeing Partnership evaluation
The University of Cumbria has been awarded £130,000 from a collaborative £202,000 grant from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Three Schools Prevention Research Programme to evaluate the Family Wellbeing Partnership, a transformative initiative led by Cumbria Community Foundation and funded by Sellafield Ltd.
Launched in 2020, as part of the Transforming West Cumbria social investment programme, the Family Wellbeing Partnership (FWP) is a collection of charities providing services working to improve the health and wellbeing of vulnerable and disadvantaged children and families in West Cumbria, with a strong focus on early years (0-5 years) interventions.
Funded to date with £1 million from Sellafield Ltd’s Social impact, multiplied (SiX) programme, the FWP supports families through a whole-family approach – helping parents actively support their children’s development and give them the best start in life. The programme emphasises intensive, family-centred support to enhance children’s health, mental health, wellbeing and life chances.
The University of Cumbria, in collaboration with Cumbria Community Foundation, and researchers from Keele University and University of Plymouth, will use the research funding to carry out a full evaluation of the FWP.
Leading this significant research project is the university’s Dr Elaine Bidmead, senior research fellow for the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration North East and North Cumbria.
Dr Bidmead said: “Children growing up in poor neighbourhoods in West Cumbria face worse life chances than those in more affluent areas. The Family Wellbeing Partnership seeks to change this. We want to know if the support given has made a difference to the children and families involved.
“This research is being made possible through the University of Cumbria’s involvement in Fuse – the Centre for Translational Research in Public Health – and the NIHR School for Public Health Research (SPHR), which the University recently joined.
“This significant research project exemplifies what our university is about and why it is here – being of and for Cumbria, transforming lives, and supporting our communities to thrive now and for future generations.”
Annalee Holliday, Head of Grants Practice and Programmes at Cumbria Community Foundation, said: “Communities and organisations supported by the Family Wellbeing Partnership tell us that the programme is making a significant difference in West Cumbria, making life better for those with the greatest need. This evaluation will show us which strands of the programme are having the greatest impact and where improvements can be made.”
Tracey West, Senior Social Impact Manager at Sellafield Ltd, said “The Family Wellbeing Partnership was developed based on an evidenced need in the local community, developing a collaborative approach across the funded partners. This in-depth evaluation will demonstrate how it is achieving the outcome of improving the lives of some of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children and families in West Cumbria.”
A research team is being set up that will work closely with Dr Bidmead over the next 16 months to compete the evaluation research in collaboration.
Using an emerging research method called ‘realist economic evaluation’, the University of Cumbria-led research team will help identify how the support services work, for whom, in what contexts, and with what outcomes.
Findings will also provide evidence to help decision makers and funders design better services and help them understand the cost benefits.
The research will include talking to those who have given support and families that have accessed it.
Transforming Children's Life Chances
In September 2020, the FWP received initial funding of £600,000 for projects such as domestic and sexual abuse, addiction, poor mental health, and communication skills. A mid-term report published by Cumbria Community Foundation in November 2023 highlighted significant achievements, with 1,456 families and 2,709 children supported by the projects. In 2024, an additional £400,000 was awarded across five organisations to continue the impactful work.*
Charitable organisations running FWP support services are:
- Cumbria Addictions: Advice and Solutions (CADAS);
- Howgill Family Centre
- Safety Net
- Together We
- West Cumbria Domestic Violence Support, operating as The Freedom Project.
* Further information about the Family Wellbeing Partnership can be found at: https://www.cumbriafoundation.org/2024/08/12/making-a-difference-to-families-in-west-cumbria/
Notes to editors
More about University of Cumbria
The University of Cumbria is proudly rooted in its communities, serving Cumbria and beyond through campuses in Carlisle, Ambleside, Lancaster, London, and Barrow (opening September 2025). Established to widen access to higher education and address regional skills needs, the university is driven by its commitment to people, place, and partnership.
Recognised with a TEF Silver rating for teaching excellence, Cumbria ranks among the UK’s top universities for graduate employment, with 97.3% of students in work or further study within 15 months. It’s globally acknowledged for its social and economic impact, including a top 50 ranking for Gender Equality. Significant investment from the Borderlands Growth Deal and Town Deals in Carlisle and Barrow is helping transform its reach and impact. The university continues to shape lives and livelihoods through learning, research, and practice. Discover more at www.cumbria.ac.uk.
More about the NIHR Three Schools Prevention Research Programme
The NIHR Three Research Schools have been awarded £10m of funding, hosted by SPHR to deliver a programme of prevention research from 2023–2027. The programme aims to develop, evaluate and understand how to implement interventions which promote health and wellbeing, treat conditions early, and manage health problems to prevent severe disease. Find out more.
More about the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) North East and North Cumbria (NENC).
The NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) North East and North Cumbria (NENC) is a research partnership that brings together six regional universities, health and social care providers, local authorities, the voluntary sector, community groups and members of the public.
It works to deliver high quality research and evaluation that aims to tackle some of our biggest health and social care challenges and improve health and care for all.
It is one of 15 NIHR-funded Applied Research Collaborations (ARCs) in England and is hosted by the Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust.
More about NIHR
The mission of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research. It does this by:
- Funding high quality, timely research that benefits the NHS, public health and social care;
- Investing in world-class expertise, facilities and a skilled delivery workforce to translate discoveries into improved treatments and services;
- Partnering with patients, service users, carers and communities, improving the relevance, quality and impact of our research;
- Attracting, training and supporting the best researchers to tackle complex health and social care challenges;
- Collaborating with other public funders, charities and industry to help shape a cohesive and globally competitive research system;
- Funding applied global health research and training to meet the needs of the poorest people in low and middle income countries.
NIHR is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care. Its work in low and middle income countries is principally funded through UK Aid from the UK government.
About Fuse, the Centre for Translational Research in Public Health
Fuse brings together six Universities in North Cumbria and North East England (Cumbria, Durham, Newcastle, Northumbria, Sunderland, and Teesside) in a unique collaboration to deliver world-class research to improve health and wellbeing and tackle inequalities. Fuse is a founding member of the NIHR School for Public Health Research (SPHR).