Izzidien, Shayma, Stemp, Rachael, Akram, Sakab, Ahmed, Sabbir, Rangel-Cristales, Alay, Irvine, Karen, Sharma, Shivani and Midgley, Nick (2024). The lived experience of co-production: Reflective accounts from the inCLUDE project. Research Involvement and Engagement, 10 ,
Abstract
Background The value of co-produced research in health and social care is increasingly recognised, but accounts into the processes and individual experiences of co-producing research are lacking. This paper describes the personal journeys of four researchers (two experts by foster caring experience and two experts by profession) throughout the life course of a co-produced research project exploring the barriers and facilitators to inclusive research in foster caring, the InCLUDE project. Methods Each researcher kept a diary throughout the InCLUDE project of their personal reflections, questions, and learning. These were synthesised and reviewed by the researchers and two colleagues external to the team, and key themes were extracted. Results Narratives constructed from the diaries are presented in relation to distinct aspects of the co-production journey, alongside illustrative quotes. These aspects include: motivations for starting the project; making sense of the project; defining roles and responsibilities; challenges; and reflections on acquired knowledge and skills. From these insights, the researchers present recommendations for others endeavouring to engage in co-produced research. These include: recognising vulnerabilities and challenges during the early stages of a project; creating safe spaces; seeing the value of diversity; harnessing individual strengths; establishing a strong routine; and ensuring equal voice. Conclusions This paper presents a novel perspective on the realities of co-produced research by documenting the lived experiences of researchers within the context of foster care research. It highlights the importance of both measurable, tangible project outcomes, and the personal and skills growth of team members. The consistent use of diaries is encouraged as a valuable practice to capture learning, progress and achievements throughout the co-production process.
Publication DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40900-024-00639-2 |
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Divisions: | College of Business and Social Sciences > Aston Business School College of Business and Social Sciences Aston University (General) |
Funding Information: | This paper is funded by the NIHR Public Health Research (award number MIDGLEY127422) as an additional piece of work conducted as part of the Reflective Fostering study. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR o |
Additional Information: | Copyright © The Author(s) 2024. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0. |
Uncontrolled Keywords: | Children’s social care,Co-production,Diaries,Ethnicity,Foster care,Kinship care,Participatory research,Patient and public involvement,Reflection,Underserved,Health(social science),General Health Professions |
Publication ISSN: | 2056-7529 |
Last Modified: | 01 Apr 2025 07:11 |
Date Deposited: | 26 Nov 2024 08:50 |
Full Text Link: | |
Related URLs: |
https://www.sco ... tnerID=8YFLogxK
(Scopus URL) |
PURE Output Type: | Article |
Published Date: | 2024-10-14 |
Published Online Date: | 2024-10-14 |
Accepted Date: | 2024-09-22 |
Authors: |
Izzidien, Shayma
Stemp, Rachael Akram, Sakab Ahmed, Sabbir Rangel-Cristales, Alay Irvine, Karen Sharma, Shivani ( ![]() Midgley, Nick |