NEIGHBOURHOOD  Networks

Welcome to the Neighbourhood Networks!

Neighbourhood Networks are made up of VCFSE organisations working together in a specific location within Barking and Dagenham, working to create programmes that their residents want to see.

In the Beginning…

In April 2025, BD_Collective began working to grow ten hyper-local networks across Barking and Dagenham. The approach was shaped in 2024 through close collaboration between the council and the social sector, building on learning from earlier work and the deep, on-the-ground expertise of those involved.

These networks are designed to be driven by resident voice, with the hope that they will help change the fabric of our neighbourhoods, creating a stronger, more connected community, with the ultimate goal of reducing pressure on both NHS and council services.

Keen to get involved?

Head over to this page and learn how to get started.

We kicked off with our first learning meeting in September 2025.

We started with three networks, all whom had gone through a selection process to ensure they were able to start the work at this point.

We were keen to promote the five key aspects of the Neighbourhood Network programme, introduce the learning framework, and begin from a point of building relationships, both in the new networks themselves, but also amongst each other.

Introducing the First Networks…

Parsloes Potential

Made up of Fabric lab, Wood Lane Baptist Church, Kingsley Hall, and Early Years Cocoon, Parsloes Potential are working to connect and engage the residents in the Parsloes’ area.

Neighbourhood Heart

Elevate Together, Community Resources, and Harmony Community Projects have set up their network focusing on an area that covers parts of Whalebone and Valence Wards. Click here to view their webpage.

Heath Park

The Heath Park Consortium, lead by True Cadence, The BEC, and Independent Living Agency are looking to develop a network over in Heath.

 

John Smith House

Joining us from November, this network is held by Future M.O.L.D.S, BDYD and UKON Careers. We’re excited to see what experience and expertise they bring to our learning sessions, and the way in which they explore coming alongside residents to hear what they want to see in their neighbourhood.

First Steps and Resident Engagement

Heath Park had recently carried out resident engagement and decided to build on this with development of a resident panel. Their resident panel are making decisions about what sort of things the network facilitate. To the left is their callout to residents, and to the right is their first ‘programme’ to test and learn, based on the resident engagement carried out. 

Neighbourhood Heart brought together residents from their neighbourhood for a ‘hackathon’. They’re putting on a series of events to explore what residents want to see happen in their neighbourhood, and more importantly, taking them on a journey to see it happen. In their first session they asked the question: “What would you do with £1 million for your neighbourhood?”, people imagined practical, human solutions:

A real-person hotline to help you connect with others, find specialist knowledge, or get the right support when you need it.

Better ways to connect young people—creating belonging, purpose and leadership opportunities.

Celebrating what already works—neighbours in the new estate near Robert Clack School run a WhatsApp group that organises summer picnics and Christmas carols, and the whole community came together to honour a neighbour who passed away too soon.

Parsloes Potential reached out to their existing relationships and did some research on what their residents want to see.

This is building up to some co-creation workshops with some interested residents, who want to explore potential ideas further, whilst also roling their first programme to test and learn what the research is showing so far.