A guide to developing and delivering community resilience activities

Step 1: Understand your community’s needs

• Run focus groups or informal meetings with community members to understand local priorities, experiences, and concerns
• Use surveys to gather wider feedback from people who may not be able to attend in-person discussions
• Review existing evidence (e.g. Borough Resilience Forum, Council for Voluntary Service, Volunteer Centre) to build on what is already known and avoid duplication
• Check your local risk register to understand key hazards and vulnerabilities 
• Map local support networks, including community groups, voluntary organisations, and informal support systems to identify available strengths

Step 3: Develop your activity

• Train facilitators or deliver ‘train the trainer’ sessions to ensure confident  delivery
• Involve subject matter experts or experienced colleagues to support facilitators
• Define clear roles and responsibilities for everyone involved
  (e.g. lead facilitator, co-facilitator, note-taker, and insight lead)
• Develop a contingency plan to manage risks, issues, or unexpected changes during delivery
• Plan communication and outreach activities, including social media or awareness-raising, to promote the activity and its benefits

Step 4: Deliver your activity

• Carry out a baseline survey before the activity begins to understand starting knowledge or views
• Confirm venue, equipment, and logistics are in place and accessible for all participants
• Manage registration and data collection processes, including consent to share contact details where appropriate
• Provide necessary materials, supplies, refreshments, and incentives to support participation
• Ensure accessibility requirements are identified and met (e.g. physical access, language, or communication needs)
• Obtain photography and media permissions where relevant for reporting and communications
• Have a back up plan for any issues that may arise (e.g. staffing or equipment problems)
• Capture insights, discussions, and learning throughout the activity to support future improvement and advocacy
• Carry out an exit survey at the end to measure immediate feedback and impact

Follow up

• Support participants to take actions and apply what they have learned in their role 
• Share key insights, learning, and outcomes with relevant resilience colleagues and partners
• Maintain and update contact lists to support ongoing engagement
• Share relevant resources with participants to reinforce learning and support continued action
• Communicate outcomes through appropriate channels, including social media, highlighting key insights, connections, and achievements

Step 6: Review and debrief

• Hold a structured debrief with participants, facilitators, and support staff
• Conduct a post-activity review to reflect on what worked well and what could be improved
• Analyse survey results and other feedback to identify key findings
• Document key lessons learned and agree next steps for future activities or improvements

• Community asset mapping project by Food Resilient London
• Resilient Communities webinars
• Community emergency plan guides:
  • By Fairlight Parish Council
  • By North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum (NYLRF)
• Community Resilience Emergency Planning resources on the LCEP Resource Hub
• Partner’s Skills Building Opportunities
• Local Risk Registers- Check your Local Authority webpage