A peer researcher responds to ‘Refreshing Perspectives’
Peer researcher Lisa comments on some of the themes of our recent literature review on peer research: such as the personal benefits to peer researchers, breaking down boundaries between professionals and service users; and the importance of using peer research to make change.
My experience of doing peer research
I am involved in a peer research project in Wandsworth. We are there to get information from clients on their views, and collecting that information. In the first stage we asked people what they want from services, how they’re run, and their views on how things could be better. We found that there was a lot of homelessness and there was not enough access to mental health services. Also misinformation: people would be told there was a service in one area and then they’d try to visit it and it wasn’t there. A lot of things have changed in the last year and things are still developing.
Being a peer research interviewer
Service users are telling you their views and some of what they came out with was emotional. You as a researcher, you need to hold that back and not show it’s affecting you. It was heartbreaking. I handled it quite well- you’ve got to be a listening ear. Another thing was confidentiality. Telling people their information isn’t going anywhere is really important.
It can’t just be about having similar experiences – one experience might not be enough. You might need another from a different perspective. That’s what research is about – getting all views, not just one; that’s why you have to choose a range of women and men and different ages.
Teamwork between professionals and peers
Both professionals and people with lived experience can learn from each other. Professionals can learn about people’s lifestyles, the way they are judged, the way life can go up and down. Every personal story you hear, you learn a little bit more.
The benefits of the commissioner being involved were massive for me. If the commissioner is saying they want something done and if they can see where we need to work, it helps us get the right focus. Without him we wouldn’t have got the research done. He’s funded some of the project – once you’ve got the commissioner on board it can roll on.
At a different project I visited, the staff involved in a peer research project weren’t so well organised. The way they were talking to clients was ‘you’re one side and we’re another’. Teamwork and planning together is really important but their use of language e.g. ‘you lot’ was unprofessional.
Changing services: leaving a legacy
Part of the project involved us running a training session for probation officers based on our findings. This was really enjoyable, and for probation officers it highlighted a lot of things to do differently. It gave them confidence as well. It highlighted certain issues to go back and use for work with their clients. It told them things they weren’t aware of previously.
What I thought of the Wandsworth project
I really enjoyed the whole process. It was all leading up to the end result. Feedback from the probation officers we trained was fantastic and made us more confident, and pointed out issues in probation they weren’t aware of. I feel proud that I was part of it.
The next stage in our research
Currently we are researching into keeping the second appointment in drug and alcohol services: how to keep the clients engaged and in recovery. They have to do the first appointment so the question is how do you grip them to go to the second appointment? That’s what we’ll explore in our research.
I’ve been doing this project for 2 years and I would like this to lead to a full time job. I’ve gone forward and I’ve really developed my skills and enjoy working with clients.
