Abstract
This briefing, the 16th in a series seeking to understand how communities across England respond to COVID-19 and how they recover, explores the importance of ‘relational working’. It argues that approaches which rely on relationships to work, but also pay attention to the importance of relationships to the people that community groups engage with and support, can enhance both individual and community wellbeing.
However, working in a relationship-centred way requires time, effort and emotional energy, which has placed immense pressure on some people. Relational approaches can also risk being exclusionary, exacerbating rather than easing existing divisions.
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