Browsing by Person "Cooper, Sally-Ann"

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Challenges and Strategies in Collaborative Working with Service User Researchers: Reflections from the Academic Researcher
(2006) Miller, E.; Cook, Ailsa; Alexander, H.; Cooper, Sally-Ann; Hubbard, G.; Morrison, J.; Petch, Alison
In this article, the authors consider the lessons to be drawn from a collaborative two year research project involving academic researchers working alongside three service user research organisations. The joint working on the project involved designing a research tool and conducting interviews with users of services that were provided by health and social services partnerships. Questions arising from this project involved consideration of the advantages and challenges of collaborative work. Our experience has highlighted the necessity of carefully considering a range of factors, including the ethos and goals of each organisation, as well as the skills and experience of the individuals involved, in relation to the specific purpose of the research. The challenge for academic researchers is to find ways to meet a range of research aims and objectives, while negotiating roles in ways that avoid reinforcing power relations and disempowering service user researchers. Alongside consideration of the challenges involved, this reflective account also highlights some of the advantages of working with user researchers, and suggests ways of harnessing the enthusiasm and skills of service users, with the aim of capturing the unique perspective they bring to research.
Outcomes Important to People With Intellectual Disabilities
(2008-08-28) Miller, E.; Cooper, Sally-Ann; Cook, Ailsa; Petch, Alison; Abstract An emphasis on the outcomes of health and social care services has become increasingly apparent within public policy in the United Kingdom. Alongside this, working in partnership has been a key theme, despite a relatively underdeveloped evidence base. Of central importance, however, must be whether directives toward partnership working are delivering improved outcomes, and in particular, the outcomes that are valued by service users. The authors describe a project that sought to identify the outcomes important to people with intellectual disabilities, and where possible, whether partnerships delivered these outcomes. The research was primarily based on interviews with service users and carers, and involved people with intellectual disabilities as both researchers and research subjects. The project categorized key outcomes in two categories (quality of life and process) and identified ways in which health and social care partnerships can deliver the outcomes service users want. If agencies are to deliver good outcomes to users, as increasingly emphasized in policy, this focus should accurately reflect the outcomes that users themselves define as important