What you need to do
Table of contents
Incentives for participation
It is also good practice to provide incentives for participants. Some of these incentives include out of pocket expenses (typically travel costs and childcare but may also occasionally include food and accommodation). However, there is a growing realisation that, especially in more formal participation activities, refugees are effectively used as ‘consultants’ on a range of issues. When engaged with as Experts by Experience, it is now recognised that incentives or rewards can be provided as recognition of their time, commitment, and expertise. This form of acknowledgement helps develop more effective and sustainable relationships with participants. It also contributes to their development as participants, including their skills and motivation, improving retention.
There are several ways that incentives or rewards can be provided:
- Cash remunerations and honorariums
- Gift vouchers
- Memberships and subscriptions
- Job references
- Volunteering opportunities with other organisations
- Training opportunities, especially if accredited
You may also identify participation roles as a service provided and compensate accordingly and you may wish to consider compensating for loss of earnings as well.
If you consider providing compensation to people who do not have the right to work in the UK, payments by vouchers are preferred to cash-based rewards. It is best to obtain guidance and advice before deciding on which incentive you should provide.
Funders are increasingly requiring that engagement and participation are embedded and usually understand the need to provide incentives.
Although there is already considerable recognition by many statutory and voluntary organisations of the need for refugee participation, but it is crucial that your funders and commissioners become increasingly aware.
Including incentives tackles ‘research fatigue’ and is a sign that organisations fostering participation have respect for and value refugees as partners. This in turn contributes to tackling the marginalisation of refugee communities, especially asylum seekers.
The main effect of putting distance between ‘providers’ and ‘users’ and neglecting human capacity is to make people weaker rather than stronger, more isolated and divided from each other, more dependent rather than more resourceful, and more at risk of ill-being and distress
Suggested actions
- Devise a realistic budget for planned participation activities. Include incentives and rewards. Talk to colleagues and delivery partners to find out about the incentives that they provide in similar situations. You can estimate the long-term costs that remove some barriers to your service or organisation.
- Have conversations with other services and organisations in your sector or area with a view to pooling resources for refugee participation. You may suggest setting up a working or task and finish group to analyse the options and make recommendations.