“These Things Happen After Hours” – Researcher Guidance from Peterborough’s Community Research Champions
If you’ve been keeping up with the work of the Research Engagement Network in Peterborough (see some of our previous blog posts here and here!), then you’ll know that one of our goals has been to develop some guidance for researchers looking to work with Peterborough’s communities.
At the beginning of February, we sat down with the Peterborough Community Research Champions to have a conversation about what guidance already exists, and what things we felt were important for researchers to consider. Here are some of the notes from the conversations. (Pardon James’ handwriting.)
From the conversation we had, three strong themes emerged:
- Research should be part of an ongoing relationship – trust takes time, and we want to see the results of the research, too! Communities understand researchers are busy, but they are also tired of having researchers “mine” them for information before being ghosted.
- “We want you to come to us, meet us where we are!” – where possible, research should take place in spaces where communities already are. Asking communities to go out their way to take part in research can narrow participation, because:
- Be flexible – we have school, work, families! Do participants have to be physically present? Are there different levels of participation to suit different people?
The Community Research Champions we spoke to also pointed out the importance of communities being compensated for their time. The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) already have some guidance (which we will link below), but it is worth mentioning that during our conversations community members were at pains to point out that they understood that a budget is a budget, and that there are lots of different ways to make sure participants feel they are being compensated and treated fairly. We refer you back to point 1, above: ideally, this work should be relational. You will know what communities need because they will tell you, but if you need some ideas, the NIHR’s Public Contributor Reward Policy lists these possibilities:
- thank-you letters or certificates
- written references or testimonials
- feedback about the impact of their involvement
- future involvement opportunities
- training or attendance at a conference
In addition to working with communities, PCVS are always on the lookout for the newest guidance and practice so we can disseminate it among our members and apply it ourselves. Below, you’ll find links to some of the excellent guidance we found that has informed the conversations we’ve been having with researchers and the Community Research Champions.
The National Institute for Health and Care Research Public Contributor Reward Policy
This guidance covers topics like appropriate types and rates of compensation, as well as information about expenses and how participation might affect benefits for community contributors.
https://www.nihr.ac.uk/about-us/who-we-are/policies-and-guidelines/public-contributor-reward-policy
Inclusive Involvement in Research – Community of Practice
The NIHR Applied Research Collaboration team have a Community of Practice that regularly meets to share different approaches to engaging communities in research in ways that are open and inclusive, and recordings and resources of these sessions are shared at the link below.
https://arc-eoe.nihr.ac.uk/inclusive-involvement-research-community-practice
Can Do Health & Care (Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care System) Researchers Guidance
If your research is around a very particular community or experience, like people with physical disabilities, or South-East Asian Muslim communities, then this leaflet is an excellent place to pick up some pointers for designing your community engagement with that community in mind.
https://sneeics.org.uk/resources/flipbooks/research-champions-information/2/
Greater Manchester Research Engagement Network Respectful Research Charter
There is excellent work going on in Research Engagement Networks (RENs) up and down the country; here’s an example from the Greater Manchester REN. This was a particular favourite for the Peterborough Community Research Champions, who responded to its pictorial nature, and the way it focused on behaviours and attitudes rather than hard-and-fast rules of engagement.
Thinklusive – Co-producing accessible information to support health literacy
This work from Thinklusive focuses on producing information around health literacy, but the principles apply more generally to anyone looking to take a co-produced approach to their research, and would also apply to things like patient information sheets and other communications with the communities you are looking to include in your research.
Fullscope – Involving Children, Young People, and Their Families
More information on how to effectively take a co-produced approach, but with a focus on including children, young people, and their families. A lot of the studies we’ve been working to promote in Peterborough have centred around children and young people, so this have given us particular food for thought!
No Research About Us, Without Us
This project worked with researchers and people with learning disabilities to examine barriers to taking part in research for the latter. This is another excellent example of a co-produced approach to research and the page at Learning Disability England linked below has loads of excellent resources including an easy-read booklet.
https://www.learningdisabilityengland.org.uk/no-research-about-us-without-us/
Peterborough Poverty Truth Commission
PCVS was the host of the first Poverty Truth Commission in Peterborough. The work wasn’t strictly based around research inclusion, but we learned a lot about co-produced approaches in general and how best to make decisions with communities we were working with, particularly when it came to including people with a lived experience of poverty. See the Poverty Truth Commission page on the PCVS website for more information.
https://www.pcvs.co.uk/success-stories/poverty-truth-commission/
If you’ve found this page and you’re looking to do some research in Peterborough, we hope the resources above were helpful. We always recommend involving the community as early as possible when it comes to designing your research and PCVS is here to help you do that; please do contact us by filling out this form, emailing co*********@*****co.uk, or calling 01733 342683.
Many thanks to Brian, David, and Patricia, as well as the rest of the Peterborough Community Research Champions, for helping us develop this guidance!