Community profiling: a practical guide: Auditing social needs

The authors discuss what a community profile is, how the community can be involved, planning a profile, selecting methods, making use of existing information, collecting new information, and maximising the impact.

Murray Hawtin is Senior Policy Analyst at the Policy Research Institute, Leeds Business School. Murray is qualified as a Social Worker but has around 20 years experience as a grass roots Community Development Worker. He has worked for over ten years in research and consultancy especially in housing, tenant participation, community development, regeneration and local government, and has undertaken many community profiles and evaluations of locally based initiatives.

Janie Percy-Smith was, until the end of 2002, Professor of Public Policy at the Policy Research Institute (PRI), Leeds Metropolitan University. She is now working as a freelance researcher and consultant while retaining Visiting Professor status at the PRI. Janie has more than fifteen years experience of research and consultancy in the areas of research impact, social exclusion, local governance, regeneration and community development. She has particular expertise in relation to project and programme evaluation and qualitative research methods, and has worked extensively on projects requiring a high level of community involvement.