The University of Bristol has been commissioned by INVOLVE to undertake a
scoping study to identify examples of active service user and carer
involvement in social care research.
We are writing to ask people to let us know about any social care projects
that you have been involved in that have actively involved service users or
carers in the research process. We are looking to identify projects that are
either ongoing or have been completed since 1 January 2007:
http://www.survey.bris.ac.uk/norahfry/involvesurvey
This survey is online now, and will remain online until 11 May 2008.
Providing the information is quick and easy. All you have to do is click on
the link above and answer the questions. It should take you between 15 and
20 minutes, depending on the amount of information you want to add. Examples
that meet the criteria will be added to the INVOLVE online database, which
is available on their website, http://www.invo.org.uk.
With your help, this will become a valuable resource. The database will
provide a way of connecting researchers, commissioners, social care users
and carers, and members of the wider public, in order to share different
approaches to the active involvement of people who use services in research.
If you would prefer to receive a hard-copy to fill in and post back to us,
please email [log in to unmask]
Thank you in advance for your help,
Glyn Everett
===
User-controlled research:
Shaping Our Lives (www.shapingourlives.org.uk), the Social Perspectives
Network (www.spn.org.uk) and the Centre for Citizen Participation at Brunel
University
(http://www.brunel.ac.uk/about/acad/health/healthres/researchareas/ccp) are
carrying out a parallel project for INVOLVE. This is looking specifically at
‘user-controlled’ social care research projects that have been completed
since 2002 or are ongoing.
The organisations above understand User Controlled Research to be where
service users are in charge of finding out about things that affect them;
they decide who will do the research and how they will do the research.
If you define your research as user-controlled, you can email
[log in to unmask] to receive a copy of their
questionnaire, instead of following the link above. Alternatively you can
write to: Vicky Nichols, SPN, c/o Social Care Institute for Excellence, 1st
Floor, Goldings House, 2 Hay's Lane, London SE1 2HB.
You will also find a question at the end of the University of Bristol survey
which asks whether we can pass your information on to Shaping Our Lives. If
you agree, and your project fits their criteria, they will contact you for
more information.
===
Some definitions:
* INVOLVE are taking a broad definition of 'social care research' to
include all research activities as defined by those who consider themselves
to be undertaking social care research.
* INVOLVE defines 'the public' as patients and potential patients, informal
(unpaid) carers, people who use health and social services, members of the
public who may be targeted by health promotion programmes, organisations
that represent the interests of people who use health and social care
services and groups asking for research because they believe they have been
exposed to potentially harmful substances or products.
* INVOLVE defines 'involvement' as an active partnership between members of
the public and researchers in the research process, rather than the use of
people as 'subjects' of research. INVOLVE are interested in research being
carried out 'with' or 'by' members of the public, rather than research
being carried out 'to', 'about' or 'for' them. Active involvement of
members of the public may take the form of consultation, collaboration or
control of the research by members of the public.
* By 'social care research' we mean research into any aspect of social care
services for children and adults and social factors in relation to health
care. This includes research into services provided by the statutory,
voluntary and private sectors.
________________End of message________________
This Disability-Research Discussion list is managed by the Centre for Disability Studies at the University of Leeds (www.leeds.ac.uk/disability-studies).
Enquiries about list administration should be sent to [log in to unmask]
Archives and tools are located at:
www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/disability-research.html
You can VIEW, POST, JOIN and LEAVE the list by logging in to this web page.
|