Crash, collide and bang? Using a community of practice approach to engage service users and develop resilience research and practice

2010 Conference

Abstract:

The ultimate goal to involving service users in research should be to promote health and well being and improve quality of life. Drawing on the experience and expertise of users of services helps to shape practice for the better. But let’s face it, sitting on committees, designing questionnaires or conducting interviews isn’t for everyone. This session will focus on the Community of Practice (CoP) approach – a method we have been trialling to see if the views and expertise of parent carers, practitioners and academics can generate new ways of thinking about and building resilience with children and young people having tough times.

CoPs are groups of people who share a passion for the same thing. They cut across traditional organisational barriers and hierarchies, to bring all perspectives to bear on an issue or field of interest. They avoid giving more importance to professional knowledge over actual lived experience and raise questions about what knowledge is and whose knowledge we are talking about.

Through the use of film, discussion and fun exercises you will have the chance to join in with exercises that demonstrate aspects of the work, and learn about: the Community of Practice approach to involving service users; how a group of disparate individuals are working together; and consider ways of applying the ideas to your own work.