Methods
This research took a Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach, actively engaging a team of current peer and community (P&C) researchers from Tower Hamlets. PAR integrates research, education, and action with a goal of driving social change (21, 24). Our project facilitation team worked in collaboration with the P&C researchers to meet the project aims.
The P&C research team comprises of eight P&C researchers who have worked with at least 15 organisations in Tower Hamlets and beyond on various projects. The P&C research team includes:
-
Seven women and one man;
-
An even spread of ages between 18 and 54 years old;
-
A majority from a Bangladeshi background with smaller representation of African, mixed/multiple ethnic background;
-
People with lived experience of being from the LGBTQIA community;
-
People with lived experience of being disabled.
Unlike other P&C research projects, which often involve recruiting individuals less familiar with the approach, our project required P&C researchers with diverse and extensive P&C research experience. The team’s deep understanding of working with multiple organisations provided valuable insights into P&C research activities and system. Their familiarity with the approach and prior experience also enabled the project to be completed successfully within a short timeline (four months), with necessary adjustments made to induction, project design, analysis, and training/support.
The project facilitation team of four research practitioners (two community-based researchers and two university-based researchers) brings together extensive 16 experience, having delivered over 25 P&C research projects and two P&C research training programmes. Each team member has lived and/or worked in Tower Hamlets for over a decade, which has helped us to secure the support of numerous P&C researchers and representatives from various organisations. Our collective knowledge and experience in P&C research have been beneficial in the rapid and effective development of this four-month project.
The project was delivered from May to August 2024. This timeframe was set to align with timelines for the development of the Tower Hamlets HDRC, particularly their aspiration to bring together and enhance P&C research capacity through their programme of work.
The project was iterative and action-focused, with all project recommendations developed directly in collaboration with participants and summarised by the facilitation team. Below is an account to the methods used to generate and analyse data and co-produce recommendations with the P&C research team and other project stakeholders.
- Answer:
- A literature review was conducted on current P&C research activities across Tower Hamlets and London to understand who is conducting P&C research and how. The review also sought to understand the dynamics between research providers, P&C researchers, and policymakers (see Appendix 1 for examples). A brief review of P&C research systems in the UK and beyond was also included (see Background section above). The results of this review were used to inform the design of the survey and orientate the discussion at the co-production workshops by providing examples to inspire recommendations.
- Answer:
- Recruitment materials were sent out to a broad range of networks, with targeted correspondence sent to organisations working with P&C researchers. The facilitation team also sent invitations directly to P&C researchers they had worked with previously. The recruitment form was live for less than three weeks and received 25 submissions. A group of 8 P&C researchers were selected on the basis of the diversity of their P&C research experiences and demographics. Maximum effort was made to ensure the diversity of the P&C research team. For example, a young P&C researcher was sought out when it became clear that no one between the ages of 18-25 had responded to the call for participants. Applicants who were not selected to become members of the project team were invited to take part in the co-production workshops.
- Answer:
Two half-day workshops were conducted to co-design the survey, which aimed to better understand P&C activities in Tower Hamlets. These discussions also began to 17 identify components and functions of a future P&C research system in the borough based on the experiences and aspirations of the workshop participants.
The process began with a workshop with the P&C research team, followed by a second workshop with 14 organisational representatives from the VCS, universities, the NHS, and the Council. In both workshops, a "rose, bud, thorn” activity was used to explore the strengths, potential, and weaknesses of P&C research in Tower Hamlets, which will be presented in the findings section (see Appendix 2 for notes and themes). This activity was followed by a discussion to develop the survey questions. The P&C research team was involved in identifying and shaping these questions, which were then commented on by the group of wider stakeholders to make sure that their knowledge and experiences were also accounted for.
After these workshops the facilitation team further refined the questions and produced a final survey (see Appendix 3) that was organised into the following sections:
1. Information of role and involvement in P&C research;
2. Methodologies currently used in P&C research;
3. Strengths and weaknesses of involvement in P&C research;
4. Potential areas for improvement of P&C research.
To keep the survey manageable demographic questions were excluded. The project team then piloted the survey before the data collection phase.
- Answer:
- The survey was promoted through various networks, including the HDRC, Tower Hamlets Council for Voluntary Services (THCVS), and existing contacts of the facilitation and P&C research teams. Over a period of around three weeks 72 valid responses were gathered, with more than one-third (35%) coming from P&C researchers. The respondents included a fairly balanced mix of representatives from VCS (24%), universities (17%), and the public sector (19%), along with a small number of funders and independent consultants (5%). It was challenging to include certain communities through the online survey, such as P&C researchers who are digitally excluded. To mitigate this, we offered to accept group responses if community organisations could conduct the survey (or part of it) with P&C 18 researchers. The relatively small sample size limited our ability to analyse specific sectors, making any sector-specific findings indicative rather than definitive.
- Answer:
- The facilitation team conducted descriptive and correlation analyses on the survey data to identify key trends and differences in perspectives among various stakeholders. Free text responses in the survey were synthesised into key themes. Following this, a half-day workshop was held with the P&C research team to further examine the survey results together and pinpoint issues, concerns and proposed solutions that could be used to inform the co-design of P&C research system in workshops with a broader group of stakeholders. In the analysis workshop the project teams developed the idea of structuring the analysis of the survey data and co-design activities in terms of the journey of a P&C research project. This narrative enables all stakeholders to understand how and when different stakeholders (residents, P&C researchers, VCS organisations, Council Officers, Elected Members, academics) are involved the process of developing, delivering and implementing the results of P&C research, including areas of difficulty and success.
- Answer:
Two half-day co-production workshops were held with all stakeholders to make recommendations to support the design of a P&C research system (see workshop guide in Appendix 4). The sessions, presented in more detail in the findings section, began with an overview of the P&C research journey and a summary of the survey findings to ensure that the recommendations were rooted in the data and shared understanding of P&C research. Insights from the literature review were also introduced to inspire discussion and provide examples of P&C research coordination and practice across the United Kingdom. Over 50 people attended the workshops, including approximately 20 P&C researchers, 15 council/NHS representatives, 6 university researchers, and 12 VCS representatives. The P&C research team supported the presentation of findings and shared their experiences to illustrate challenges and opportunities.
Following the workshops, the facilitation team conducted a mix of deductive and inductive framework analysis of the workshop data, organising the recommendations according to the stages of the P&C research journey. Where further details were needed to describe the framework, additional interpretation and examples were added inductively during the analysis, helping to inform specific areas of the co-produced recommendations. All workshop facilitators reviewed the data analysis to ensure that the recommendations in this report reflect the discussions.
- Answer:
The facilitation team have taken the lead in writing this report, which has been reviewed by three P&C researchers on the team. In the future the team will work with the Council and HDRC to share findings and recommendations with relevant stakeholders. Presentations to the HDRC Collaborative Research Board and Tower 19 Hamlets Community Engagement Strategy Delivery Group have already occurred. This report will also be distributed to all participants who contributed to the survey and workshops.
In the following section results from each of the research activities will be presented, including a description of how they build on and inform each other. In the conclusion section, the final recommendations that were co-produced in the multi-stakeholder workshops will be summarised and categorised within each of the HDRC workstreams.
