People-centred
change
People-centred
change
I previously worked with a private research consultancy, planning and delivering social research and evaluation services to various organisations across Scotland and the North of England. Prior to this, I worked as a Research Assistant with the University of Dundee where I supported the Community Engagement team with qualitative research to inform local policy making.
I have also undertaken research on homelessness and health inequalities involving primary research with vulnerable people to assess their mental health using the Warwick and Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale. I have an MSc in Social Research Methods and am a trained Community Learning and Development practitioner.
Co-production approaches are powerful as they take power from the ‘top’ and redistribute it to the ‘bottom’ or to people affected by decisions and policies on a daily basis. The aspects I’m particularly interested in are peer-to-peer support and building on people’s capabilities – both powerful techniques for building resilience. I also admire the concept of unconditional positive regard which resonates with my own value system and if practiced correctly, has the potential to immediately alleviate experiences of stigma and discrimination and make way for social change.
I have undertaken some evaluation projects for Co-create. The evaluation outputs have helped the respective organisations/clients to better understand the impact of their work and identify gaps and opportunities.
One thing that really matters in my work is making research as inclusive and meaningful for participants as possible.