Developing partnerships for research: Training workshops for service users, carers workers and researchers

2004 Conference

We will report on the development and evaluation of a series of five ESRC funded workshops designed to explore and develop collaborative working in mental health research. Through the workshops we aimed to provide participants with an introduction to the research cycle, and to explore meaningful ways of service users, carers, and researchers working in partnership in research. Participants included users of mental health services, carers and mental health workers, with many having experience of more than one of these roles. The workshops were developed and facilitated by researchers from the University of Leeds, along with Alison Faulkner, a research consultant and trainer from a user/survivor perspective and Public Involvement Staff from the Leeds Mental Health Trust. Each workshop presented a different aspect of the research cycle: identifying a research question, research methodology, analysing results, dissemination and implementation of change. At each of the workshops we had a talk from external speakers who were service users or carers. They provided real life examples of research partnership in action. Workshop participants and organisers will report on their experiences of working together at the workshops and on the collaborative working that has arisen as a result