Embarking on a peer research approach
Table of contents
Different possible approaches to peer research
Migration Yorkshire’s peer research journey
Migration Yorkshire’s first experience of working within a peer research model was in 2016, and here we share an overview of the different approaches we have taken. Hopefully this will be helpful in giving an idea of the range of possible models of co-research that can be used and adapted to different contexts.
Prior to this we have worked with community representatives in other projects that influenced the way we considered how to best involve people with a migrant background in our research. For example, we recruited volunteers to work with us to tell their stories of migration and settling in Yorkshire and Humber to people working in councils during training sessions providing introductory information about migration and in associated guidance material (the Integration up North project, 2011-2015).
The South Yorkshire Roma project: Working with peer researchers from a specific background for a community-focused project
At the time of the project (2016-17), migrant Roma formed one of the newest communities in South Yorkshire. This project brought policy makers, Roma, non-Roma people and organisations together to share information, discuss what was working and what wasn’t, and explore what was needed to reduce the exclusion of Roma populations and to foster positive integration across South Yorkshire communities. The research included the voices of Roma residents in South Yorkshire, their views and experiences of living and working here.
The project was a partnership between Migration Yorkshire and the University of Salford, funded by the Big Lottery Fund.
Three people from the Roma community, described in the project as ‘Roma champions’, were recruited to support the research. They were involved in designing focus group schedules and facilitated four focus groups with members of the Roma community. They also took part as participants themselves in a final focus group. Our champions were also involved in encouraging attendance at consultation events for the project, bringing along people from their communities to participate in discussions. They were paid, being employed on a sessional basis. Over time we were able to offer additional hours to undertake further tasks such as working on transcripts, translation, analysis and co-presentation of findings. You can hear Terezia and Olga's perspectives on their peer research experience here.
Value: without the involvement of the Roma champions it is doubtful whether it would have been possible to include voices from the Roma community in the research. Largely due to experiences of acute discrimination and prejudice in countries of origin, the research confirmed that there can be a reluctance to trust those in authority. The project relied on the champions to recruit focus group participants, and to gather their views and experiences by facilitating the groups.
Lessons learned
Refugee Integration Yorkshire and Humber part 1: Employing peer researchers on a flexible basis to work on a research project
This project formed part of Refugee Integration Yorkshire and Humber, which aims to improve the integration of refugees through a ‘whole-region’ approach, supporting new refugees, communities and public services to work with and benefit from each other. The project was co-funded by the EU Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF).
From 2019-20 Migration Yorkshire worked in partnership with the Universities of Salford and Huddersfield on research exploring refugee settlement experiences.
Seven peer researchers were employed to work on the research for a fixed number of hours in a contract with a work agency arranged by the University. Their role mainly related to fieldwork – following some initial training they recruited participants and undertook in-depth interviews. They also transcribed the interviews. Some of the peer researchers were subsequently involved in disseminating the findings, although this was when they were later employed as contracted members of staff with Migration Yorkshire.
Some of the peer researchers (along with other project team members) wrote ‘responses’ to some of the research findings, and reflexive biographies, which are published within the ‘Living the weathers and other stories’ report.
The original plan was not for a flexible arrangement – there was a budget for 50 hours’ work per person. The intention was that the researchers would receive training and undertake a few interviews each. As the project progressed the opportunity arose to increase the number of hours offered, and we were able to eventually offer the researchers as many hours as they wanted to work.
Value: the model of employing researchers on a sessional basis provided flexibility on both sides. The researchers were able to explore other opportunities and were not committed to a particular number of hours per week. The project leads were able to employ the peer researchers when it suited the needs of the project.
Lessons learned
• The flexibility described above was advantageous in many ways but did not provide employment security for the peer researchers and caused complications in terms of benefit payments, as the hours worked were variable. It was perhaps best suited to people already with some part-time employment.
• Using a work agency had its challenges as it required additional bureaucracy (such as completing timesheets) that was time-consuming and a distraction from the project work.
• Our arrangement meant that the researchers were not full members of the team. On a practical level this meant not participating in team meetings, or having access to shared drives for example. This limited opportunities to gain the contextual and organisational knowledge that is important for personal development, helpful for settling into the role, and that engenders a sense of belonging.
Refugee Integration Yorkshire and Humber part 2: Moving towards co-research – employing peer and community researchers on fixed term contracts
A second phase of Refugee Integration Yorkshire and Humber began at the start of 2020, again co-funded by AMIF for two years. This time Migration Yorkshire worked with research partners on a number of projects and recruited a team of peer and community researchers. The community researcher role was advertised at a higher grade than the peer researcher role and required previous experience of qualitative research. The decision to create two different roles was taken following the experience in the previous project described above, where peer researchers demonstrated a wide range of skills and experience. The individuals were directly employed by Migration Yorkshire. We decided to recruit a larger number of people at part time hours rather than a smaller number full time, because we felt that the diversity of the group was an advantage for connecting with research participants. It also gave us the flexibility to offer to increase those hours for interested individuals when the budget allowed for this later in the project. Training was offered throughout the project.
Value:
• Being able to offer fixed term employment contracts has in many ways provided a more valuable experience for the researchers. On a practical level it means better job security, as well as UK employment history and a reference. Working in this way has also meant that the researchers are full members of the Migration Yorkshire team, employed on the same basis as the many other staff on fixed term contracts. They take part in team activities including meetings, away days, training, social events etc. They have full access to all the IT systems – this was an issue in the first phase of RIYH when the peer researchers’ employment status meant they were not permitted to access shared drives.
• Because the researchers have been employed for most of the life of the project, they have had the opportunity to be more fully involved in the research, for example research design and dissemination, as well as the fieldwork. There has been a range of studies researchers could be involved in, led by the different research partners. Researchers working on particular studies have attended regular planning meetings with the relevant research partners. Arguably this level of involvement is closer to something that could be described as ‘co-research’. Involvement in analysis and writing has been more limited, and we would like to develop this further in future projects.
• There has been scope to offer opportunities for broader experience both related to research and more generally. These have included delivering presentations at events, participating in a fortnightly research club, and contributing to various written outputs. Researchers have been able to pursue specific interests - for example attending sub-regional migration meetings to deepen understanding of the broader context. For more detail see the tool 'Examples of development opportunities for peer researchers'.
Lessons learned
• Create space to spend time together as a team – team cohesion can be more challenging when staff are working part-time on different days, hybrid working, and working on different research studies.
• If you are creating an opportunity with no requirement for prior skills and experience, make it clear that it is an entry level post aimed at for inexperienced researchers.
An area Migration Yorkshire has less experience of, is involving individuals in peer research who are not permitted to work in the UK, for example people seeking asylum. This can be challenging in terms of fairly compensating people for their work - individuals may contribute on a voluntary basis, with other forms of remuneration being offered. Other organisations have undertaken peer research in this context, and we share some examples of this elsewhere in the toolkit (see the case studies in the topic 'Learning from other organisations').
Photo by Marina Yalanska on Unsplash
This photo is a reminder that a mighty oak tree grows from a tiny acorn - like an organisation's peer research journey which might start as a small seed and develop into something much more complex and significant.