SURS projects

Project summary

This is a 2 year project, funded by NIHR SSCR, that examines how social care professionals (social workers, occupational therapists and others) consider issues of sexual orientation and gender identity when undertaking assessments of older people for social care. The project is a multiple case site study, with three case sites in the West Midlands. It is a collaborative and co-produced study, with eight co-researchers employed as part of the project team – these are older LGBTQ+ people with experience of receiving or providing social care.

The co-researchers are developing a service user involvement framework that will be presented at a conference in July. This framework will inform and support other projects to include people with lived experience in research.

Find out more about the project Older LGBTQ+ People’s Social Care Assessment Experiences

Timescale: 1 June for 6 weeks.

Student role

The student will help organise (and attend) co-researcher meetings and support discussions in developing the framework. They will assist in collating related literature and compiling the report and framework document. They will also support the development of the framework presentation in July.

Skills required

The applicant needs to have skills in using standard computer programmes (Word, Excel, PowerPoint). They must be independent and a self-starter. Interest in LGBTQ+ people would be beneficial.

Project summary

Having evaluated current use of online materials in life story work in teaching. Two students will work with service users and carers and the lead academic collectively. This process will include interviews, appraising practices and collaborative working to co-produce both materials and guidance in a variety of formats, e.g., podcast and video.

What the students will do (note – this project is recruiting two students)

Students will be required to work closely with people with lived experience and co-produce the outcomes of the project. Project activities include:

1. Undertake a review of current research and information and range of online life story work for teaching. For example, what methods are most used, and what is known about the activity to date.
2. Interview 6 contributors to social work programmes about what they value about talking about their experiences. How might they feel about creating online content. What might be the concerns.
3. Use the review of current research and contributor feedback to build insight and information, around different methods of produce online materials e.g., Video, podcasts, platform choice etc. 
4. Work with three people from the life story work group to share information, trial creating and releasing online resources using different methods e.g., video and podcast and jointly deciding how these will be presented and where these will be available.
5. Jointly develop a good practice guide to such work, to be released in paper form and as an online source also including themselves in some online material.

Skills required

1. Partnership skills and an insight into coproduction – to work closely and effectively with, service users and carers, a member of their cohort and academic staff.
2. Research skills – to review academic material and online resources.
3. Communicate effectively with a broad range of people around issues which might be complex.
4. Willingness to engage themselves with online presentations alongside People with Lived Experience.
5. Written expression and articulation – to produce and jointly develop resources, adapt, and synthesise information so it can be presented in accessible formats.
6. Confidence to speak in public arenas.
7. Some familiarity with (or willingness to learn) about technological aspects of producing online materials.

Project summary

The Autism and Parental Blame study is a collaborative research project with West Midlands ADASS. The project includes a scoping literature review, a survey, and a series of workshop discussions with service users.

The project seeks to collect and understand the experiences of parents of autistic children/adults when engaging with health, education and social care services. In particular, seeking to understand parental blame, when parents/carers are blamed by professionals for their autistic child’s behaviour or diagnosis.

What the student will do

The student will help the researchers with collating and analysing the data received. This will include survey responses and interview data (alongside the project team, under supervision). They will also assist with putting together the literature review for the project.

Skills required

The applicant needs to have skills in using standard computer programmes (Word, PowerPoint). They must be independent and a self-starter. An interest in autism or neurodivergence would be helpful, but not required.

Project summary

This is a development project, working to gather evidence about school staff knowledge about LGBTQ+ young people. The goal is to understand how schools approach and think about working with LGBTQ+ young people, and how to examine, in a broader study, how to effectively improve their knowledge about this vulnerable group. Woking with the research team, the student will help organise several development workshops. 

Student role

Working with the research team, the student will help organise 5-6 development workshops with school staff. These workshops will discuss challenges for LGBTQ+ young people, and the challenges for school staff to acquire current knowledge about supporting this vulnerable group of young people. The intern will also get the chance to contribute to a grant proposal, seeking funding to examine this issue more robustly. 

Skills required

The applicant needs to have skills in using standard computer programmes (Word, Excel, PowerPoint). They must be independent and a self-starter. An interest in LGBTQ+ young people would be helpful, but not required.