In a society that can feel fractured and divided, many of us find ourselves asking, what does it take to be part of a strong and resilient community? A community may begin as a group of people brought together by a shared purpose, but for that community to thrive, it must be grounded in trust, relationships and collective values. These are the qualities that shape a community’s real value. They also lie at the heart of Barking and Dagenham’s Litter Heroes, a local community group supported by SFSC.
Strengthening Families, Strengthening Communities (SFSC) is a parenting programme developed by the Race Equality Foundation over 25 years ago that is grounded in research, evidence, and evaluation. At its core, SFSC is about relationships. It is at once a parenting intervention and a community-oriented, violence prevention programme, so the skills that parents develop to strengthen relationships at home are also applied to building wider networks and local communities.
The connection between relationships and wellbeing at home and in the local community is made very clear in the SFSC programme. The programme provides a safe and supportive space for parents to build networks, nurture relationships, and boost emotional wellbeing. Parents on the 13-week programme are also encouraged to imagine what a community might look like for them, and to consider how they can bring this vision to life. As a result, community engagement goes hand in hand with building parenting techniques and supporting child development on the SFSC programme.
The success of this approach is shown by Barking and Dagenham’s Litter Heroes: a local community group brought together by SFSC. Its founders are two mothers who met on the programme, and wanted to create a greener and cleaner neighbourhood for their own families and their community. Their first community litter-pick took place in January 2025. A year on, Litter Heroes is a successful environmental group which continues to organise clean-ups of public spaces, and their supporters and sponsors have included Barking and Dagenham Council and the Asda Foundation Charity. On February 4th this year, the group celebrated their first birthday with the collection of thirty bags of rubbish. Since Litter Heroes are not yet registered as a Community Interest Company (CIC), they continue to seek ongoing support and sponsorship to ensure their community activities are sustainable in the long-term.
Litter Heroes is proof that SFSC and a community-oriented approach has a real-life positive impact. Understanding that improved relationships and wellbeing at home can create positive ripples throughout the local community confirms that building strong, resilient communities often starts with support at home.
The Race Equality Foundation is proud to support and sponsor Barking and Dagenham’s Litter Heroes as they celebrate their first birthday.
