INVOLVE Training

Introduction

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Welcome!

Welcome to the training section of this website. In this part of the site you will find guidelines for training events, a searchable pilot database list of training providers, links to our training notice board, and links to publications on research on training.

INVOLVE believe that training is a cornerstone of effective public involvement in research, and this section brings a range of resources together, to help researchers, research managers, research commissioners, people who use services and the public, to access useful training. It is also a resource for trainers, training organisations, training funders, and potential and current training commissioners.

Through these pages, we hope to encourage and promote wider use of training and learning relevant to public involvement in research. We also hope that this resource will help ensure that such training is developed and delivered with a sound value base. Whether you are an individual seeking training or someone wanting to set up a training event, we hope you will find all that you need through these pages.

What do we mean by training?

We take a broad view of training, and include;

• informal and formal learning and training,
• mentoring,
• shared learning, (e.g. action learning, workshops etc.)
• distance learning,
• academic learning,
• experiential learning,
• and traditional forms of ‘on and off the job’ training.

We recognise that one sort of learning does not suit all, and that people who use services as well as professionals engaged in research already have a great deal of valuable knowledge. There are a variety of ways in which this knowledge can be imparted, shared and built upon for the benefit of everyone interested in effective public involvement in research.

INVOLVE and training

In 2002, INVOLVE commissioned research to investigate what training for involvement in research was taking place nationally, and to identify what training was effective. The research showed that training was very patchy, but at the same time concluded that training was very important to facilitate realistic, appropriate, and effective, public and service user involvement in a variety of health and social care research situations. Click for the full 'TRUE' research report, or the 'TRUE' findings summary.

In April 2004, INVOLVE held a seminar in London partly to launch the report of the research into training, and partly to develop the discussion further and make specific recommendations as to the way forward. Click here for the seminar report. A recommendation from the seminar which was well supported by participants was for a kind of 'dating agency' which would match those seeking training with people who provided it. The training database is INVOLVE's response to this recommendation.

Whereas INVOLVE aim to promote increased quality training for involvement in research, we are not resourced as an organisation to provide training. However, we do have a role in encouraging and promoting training that is relevant to public involvement in research, based on sound values and principles.

We hope you will find this section of the web site helpful, and stimulating.

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