Co-production of Government Social Research: lessons learned from a Welsh Government and Disability Rights Taskforce prototype - Annexes

Coproduction Lessons Learned Research Project: topic guide for interviews

Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today. 

Past and present members of the coproduction team have been invited to share their views by reflecting on the topic guide and support sheet for each stage of the project they were involved in. We would like to gather your own experiences and views on the project to understand what lessons we can learn that could be applied to future Government Social Research Projects and more widely. 

In your answers, please try to provide specific and relevant examples from the stages of the project you were involved in. A topic guide support sheet was provided as a reminder of what happened at each stage of the project. If you need reminding of any stage again during this interview, please let me know. 

An information sheet was shared via email with you prior to this interview. This document shared information about the research, making clear that your taking part is voluntary.  Although information collected as part of this interview will be anonymised, due to the distinct roles and working relationships from the co-production project we can’t guarantee complete anonymity. You will therefore have the opportunity to review the transcript following this interview. Do you have any questions before we begin?  

Before we begin, are you happy for me to begin transcription? 

For the interviewer: Please ask all core questions in bold. Interviewers should keep good time and consider how much time is spent on the first few questions to ensure coverage across all questions in the topic guide. Please refer to summaries of each stage if needed as a reminder for participants.

Question 1

Can we start with a brief overview of your role as part of the co-production project?

Question 2

Which stages of the project were you involved in? (Interviewer to note stages to support question routing)

Question 3

What were the main achievements of the project as a whole (and can you say why)? 

Now I will ask you to think about the added value of working together for specific stages of the co-production. 

Question 4

What was the added value from working together as a team (route depending on participant’s involvement):

• when the research was codesigned during the early stages of the project? (You can refer to stages 1 to 3 in the topic guide support sheet to help if needed)
• during the Disability Confident (DC) Employer Scheme research, including planning, delivery, analysis and reporting?
• during the National Centre for Independent Living (NCFIL) research, including planning, delivery, analysis and reporting?
• thinking of the project as a whole?

Prompts

• Did it improve the quality of the research? How?
• What were individuals’ different contributions (e.g., skills, knowledge, time, money, networks, etc.)?
• Were lived experiences and diverse perspectives shared and considered?
• How did individuals benefit from their involvement? Were these benefits sufficiently rewarding to make it worthwhile being involved?

Question 5

In the early stages of the project, the project vision was co-designed by members of the project. This vision was intended to set out the ways of working for co-production to meet the aims of the research.

It was agreed that members should “work in equal partnership, learn how to produce research together, involve taskforce working group chairs without over-burdening them, publish reports of a good standard as coproduced and co-authored research.”

• Does this reflect what coproduction means to you? If no, why not or what does coproduction mean to you?
• To what extent do you feel the project reflected the agreed vision for co-production?

Question 6

Across the co-production project, to what extent do you feel you and other individuals were able to co-produce together? (based on the above agreed vision for the co-production project)

Try to give examples from any part of the project you think would be relevant or important.

Prompts (general coproduction)

• How influential and empowered were you and others?
• Did anything limit full participation in co-production (e.g., statutory rules, GSR ways of working)?
• Do you think this varied through the different project stages and how?

Prompts (social model)

• How accessible was the project? Were there any examples of good practice? Were there any barriers?
• How well was the social model of disability applied?

Question 7

The co-production project was set up and managed as a Government Social Research (GSR) project.

Were there aspects of how the overall project was run that helped coproduction? (Route to next question depending on participant’s involvement) 

Prompts

• What worked well in terms of the project management? (e.g. timetabling, project planning, staffing and financial resource allocation)
• How did Government Social Research principles (e.g. objectivity, impartiality, GSR report formatting) help during the project?

Were there any examples where this worked well:

• During the early stages of the project? (It may be helpful to refer to stages 1 to 3 in the topic guide support sheet)? 
• During the Disability Confident (DC) Employer Scheme research, including planning, delivery, analysis and reporting?
• During the National Centre for Independent Living (NCFIL) research, including planning, delivery, analysis and reporting?
• Across the project as whole including resource and project management (stage 6 in the topic guide support sheet) and how we worked together (stage 7 in the topic guide support sheet)?

Were there aspects of how the overall project was run that hindered coproduction? 

Prompts

• What did not work well in terms of the project management? (e.g. timetabling, project planning, staffing and financial resource allocation)
• Did Government Social Research principles (for example, objectivity, impartiality, GSR report formatting), rules or ways of working act as a barrier to co-production? If yes, how?

Were there any examples where this did not work well:

• During the early stages of the project? (It may be helpful to refer to stages 1 to 3 in the topic guide support sheet)? 
• During the Disability Confident (DC) Employer Scheme research, including planning, delivery, analysis and reporting?
• During the National Centre for Independent Living (NCFIL) research, including planning, delivery, analysis and reporting?
• Across the project as whole including resource and project management (stage 6 in the topic guide support sheet) and how we worked together (stage 7 in the topic guide support sheet)?

Question 8

What are the main lessons for Welsh Government social research in the future to enable it to better reflect lived experience of disability?

Prompts

• What did we do that future projects should ideally adopt?
• What could be improved or done differently to overcome barriers for any future projects?

Question 9

Is there anything else you wish to add that hasn’t been covered today?

Thank participant for their time.

Research information sheet for research participants

Who is doing the research?

This research is being undertaken by Co-production Lab Wales.

Why is the research being conducted?

The co-production project was a prototype for involving stakeholders in Government Social Research (GSR). This was seen as an important way to learn how to improve the quality of social research that is relied upon to inform decisions that affect people’s lives. Coproduction involves sharing decisions and ‘assets’ (which could include skills, knowledge or networks). The overall aim of the lessons-learned project is to understand to what extent it is possible for a Government Social Research department to coproduce research. We would like to identify what level of involvement is feasible at different stages of a project. For example, when it is not possible to share all decisions about a project, when is it appropriate to co-design, to consult or to inform. In addition, it will also consider any lessons on applying the social model of disability in Government Social Research. 

Why have I been invited to take part?

As a member or ex-member of the co-production team, you have been specifically invited to take part to share your views. We wish to collect the views, experiences and perceptions of all past and current members of the co-production project. 

What will taking part involve?

We would like to collect views either via a one-to-one semi-structured interview via video call with a representative from Co-Production Lab Wales or you can submit a written response. Before taking part, we will ask you to verbally consent to indicate that you are willing to participate and understand what your participation involves. Whether you take part in an interview or submit a written response, we will ensure that you receive the topic guide (the questions we will ask) as well as a topic guide support sheet in advance. 

Do I have to take part?

No, your participation in this research project is completely voluntary. It is up to you to decide whether to take part and you do not need to explain your reasons. If you do agree to take part in the research, you can decline to answer any questions asked.

What will happen to my personal information and the recording of the discussion?

Please see the Privacy Notice that accompanies this research information sheet, which describes how we securely handle your personal information and the recording of the online discussion. 

How will my data be used?

All transcripts or written submissions will be anonymised and then analysed thematically. The thematic analysis will inform a report and will be published on the Gov.Wales website. This may include direct quotations that you have provided. The Welsh Government Social Researchers leading on this project will publish the final report in HTML (English and Welsh) which will include an executive summary. The accessible summary will also be published in British Sign Language (BSL) and Easy Read.

Have you considered any potential ethical issues that may arise? 

Yes, and this will be an ongoing consideration. Welsh Government Social Researchers have undertaken a full ethics checklist in advance of this research project commencing. Two ethical risks have been identified. The first is a greater risk of bias given this project is being led by Welsh Government social researchers and is not being delivered using a co-production approach. Several measures are being taken to mitigate and reduce the influence of potential bias, including commissioning an independent organisation who will collect your views and undertake thematic analysis. This organisation is Co-Production Lab Wales, who have a strong understanding and experience of co-production. Co-Production Lab Wales will share anonymised transcriptions or anonymised written responses with Welsh Government social researchers. We have also appointed an independent academic ‘peer reviewer’ to sense check the questions we will ask research participants in advance of fieldwork commencing, the themes that emerge from the data analysis as well as the final draft report. 

The second risk identified is a risk of disclosure of personal identity in the reported findings. We cannot unfortunately guarantee complete anonymity given the size of the sample, the distinct roles of members of the co-production project, and the pre-existing working relationships developed from working closely together. To mitigate against this risk, if you opt to be interviewed as opposed to providing a written response, you will have the opportunity to review, amend or redact any quotes from the transcription that is produced. Participants will be given 7 days after the transcription is produced to make any amendments. Following this, further alterations will not be possible. However, there will also be an additional opportunity for you to review the draft report so you can check you are content with how your views have been written up and represented and to check for any text that might cause unintended disclosure of identity. 

What if I have a query or concern?

Individual wellbeing is always our priority. If you want to talk to us about anything, please do get in touch with the lead researchers and we can arrange a call if needed or respond via email. 

Thank you for considering taking part in this research project.