Learning from extraordinary livesDR SALLY HOLLAND, SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, CARDIFF UNIVERSITY.HOLLANDS1@CF.AC.UK@DRSALLYHOLLAND

Participation in social work research– we’ve come a long way

In social work a few decades ago, hardly anyone thought to ask people who use services what they thought of those services.

1968: USA. National Association of Social Workers The profession of social work concentrates on how to deliver services ‘with little regard for whether it is delivering anything of real significance to the people most in need of help’

1960 UK Barbara Wootton: ‘One cannot but wonder sometime what ‘clients’ think of ‘caseworkers’. Into this field, however, research workers on both side of the Atlantic seem to be reluctant to penetrate.’

Ways of involving the users of services in researchService users (citizens) invited to express their views as research participantsService users advise researchService users choose how they want to take part in researchService users are co-researchers

Mayer and Timms 1970 ‘The Client Speaks’

Discovered that many users of a social work service got quite different help than they wanted.

Wanted: help with poverty; help coping with someone else (husband, child)

Were offered: help with their personal insight - talking therapies

Were often baffled by the social worker and did not understand what was being offered.

Proj

ect 1

Project Overview Looked after children are consistently discussed in terms of range of social problems

Aims to enable a group of these children and young people to produce their own accounts and representations of their everyday lives

Participants choose means and methods Exploration of possibilities and challenges of children’s participation in full research process

Children and young people developed their own projects abut their own lives Worked in groups and alone, using film, writing, conversation, art, journeys. Researchers observed this process

Multi-media project sessions

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Things that worked well1. The data we gathered was a

reflection of how the young people spoke and shared information

2. There was less of a power divide between researcher and people being researched

3. New research methods can lead to new research questions and findings

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Things that were difficult1. Difficult to maintain a focus WITH lots

of freedom to choose methods2. Power struggles within the group

replaced researcher-participant power differences

3. Confidentiality4. Reciprocity might lead to desire to

please5. Some research processes can be

boring

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Participatory disseminationShowing what we did to others•Papers and presentations shared with young people•Short films developed with young people using their data•Film show event with Minister for social services and other young people in care

Project 2: Voices Research Advisory Group

Why form a group?

To provide advice that will improve research questions, methods, ethics and outputs

To avoid tokenistic consultation

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How to train and run the group? Learning through doing

Training programme involves trying out research methods

Consultations can include trying out methods too.

Learning through doing

Trying out research methods

Acting out

research proposals

Debates and

quizzes

Challenges

Time •Time commitment in stressed lives•Time for relationship building is well spent

resourcing •Paying the young people/organisation?•Charging for the service•Developing credits and qualifications

expectations •Level•Subject matter

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Achievements Two examples:

TLC project

Medical study participant letter.

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TLC project: how the method changed

Video changed to choice of

video/audio/observation

Young people to be in charge of on/off button

Young people offered chance to practice with a

friend/carer/advocate

YP offered chance to make film about everyday

life to present at their review

Health study participant letter Before 1. Dear Participant

2. Up to date information about the trial can be found on this website

3. The data we access will be anonymised

4. If you would like more information or are concerned (go on website or contact us)

After 1. Dear Mary Brown (name used) 2. We will send you a summary about what we found.

3. By the time the information is sent to our researcher, no one can identify you or your child

4. If you do not want us to use your information in this way please let us know using the following details (insert contact details of named person with job title)

Conclusions: transferable lessons to participatory research in other fields

Time

Resources

Can improve the quality of research

Can have relevance to all methods and all research questions

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