In Tower Hamlets, training priorities and needs regarding P&C research vary widely across organisational stakeholders. In the survey, several P&C researchers (32%) and public sector representatives (57%) believe that community organisations, the Council/NHS and universities should receive training and support on how to work with residents in an ethical manner. Some university researchers (58%) identified a need for training on how to reach out and build trust with residents as research collaborators, while some community organisations (44%) expressed a need for training on recognising and shifting power dynamics between residents, community organisations, academics and council representatives. All stakeholders also pointed to the importance of a better understanding of the value and benefits of P&C research.
Compared to training for organisations, the views on training priorities for P&C researchers are more consistent across all stakeholders in our survey. The priorities include training to build skills (62%), paid work experience (49%), and accredited training courses (49%).
At present, more than half (58%) of P&C researchers receive incentives as payment (bank transfer/cash/voucher) (see Figure 7). Ideally, 52% of researchers would prefer to continue receiving payments this way, likely due to the complexities of welfare benefit policies. However, 32% of survey participants indicated a preference for contracted opportunities in an ideal scenario (including full-time, part-time, and zero-hours contracts), suggesting a demand for employment options. It is also worth noting that nearly one in ten (7%) P&C researchers have not received any payment, and only 4% prefer no payment in an ideal world. No P&C researcher who participated in the survey has been on a full-time contract, but 8% would prefer it. Additionally, nearly 7% are paid by invoice, which none of the respondents prefer, and over 4% receive only training and in-kind offers, which is also not preferred.
