The Raising Voices in Research project has co-developed new resources to help researchers increase the participation of underserved communities in health and care research. These include Communications Toolkits, a new Research Collaborative and freshly developed training. The project leaders explain more.
By Jess Johnson, Communities Researcher, Action Hampshire and Katherine Baker, Senior Research and Innovation Manager, NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight
What is Raising Voices in Research (RViR)?
To achieve this aim, the team recruited a range of Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise (VCSE) organisations who work with different communities to deliver workshops with their members. The purpose was to explore what community members needs were regarding health research, as well as what messages would encourage them to take part. The insights were used to co-produce:
- A Local Plan for Research – a document that outlines to researchers what different under-served communities need to participate in research
- Communications Toolkits – multiple documents that summarise how each VCSE organisation and their community members want to be communicated with about research opportunities.
For the second phase, eight new VCSE organisations who work with communities not previously reached (refugees and asylum seekers, LGBTQ+ communities, people experiencing homelessness), were recruited. These organisations re-ran phase one of the project, providing important insights that were then used to create a revised edition of the Local Plan for Research. The Plan reveals 7+ themes that are important to these communities: Incentives; Feedback; Effective communication; Data protection; Transport; Respect; Trust (which included a subtheme of Safety).
A small group of the participating VCSE organisations worked with the Engaging Communities Research Centre to co-produce an RViR training module for researchers based on the themes in the Local Plan for Research, called ‘Developing community-led research’.
Once the revised Local Plan for Research had been produced, the new organisations, alongside seven from the first phase, were matched with a researcher who had a current research opportunity. Together they completed research recommendations tables that detailed actions for the researcher to take to better met the needs identified within the Local Plan for Research, increasing the accessibility of their research. Some of the recommendations that were actioned included:
- Streamlining participant recruitment process by combining the expression of interest/screening and consent questions in a single online form – reducing time required and burden on participants.
- Providing different options for participating to acknowledge people’s different communication preferences.
- Asking for preferred pronouns in initial communication, and how they want to be addressed (e.g. Mx) - to avoid misgendering.
- Raising accessibility/screen reader issues with survey developers.
Starting in phase one, RViR has also developed a Research Collaborative that brings together VCSE organisations, researchers, and community members to discuss best practice for involving under-served communities in health and care research and sharing opportunities for engagement and participation. The Research Collaborative is facilitated through an online platform called Basecamp, and both online and face-to-face meetings.
To read more about the Research Collaborative and to sign up,
click here.
Since May 2024, RViR partners have been working on the third phase of the project, developing and strengthening the existing work that has taken place. Alongside this, the partnership was funded by NIHR Clinical Research Network Wessex to deliver ‘Shaping the Conversation’, which continued the positive work of RViR by seeking to understanding VCSEs and their communities’ research priorities. Five co-developed projects were taken forward from this.
RViR has received funding from NIHR Applied Research Collaborative Wessex to support the work of their Mental Health Hub, by delivering ‘RViR Mentoring’. Working with VCSEs who support older adults in coastal communities, neurodiverse children and young people, men with mental health conditions, and military personnel/veterans, the project will seek to increase participants’ engagement and participation in mental health research.
For more information about the RViR programme visit rvir.co.uk or get in touch via enquiries@rvir.co.uk
