About
We put people at the heart of social change, involving peer researchers in design, delivery, and analysis.
Lived experience insight
Our peer research can provide insight into:
- people’s lived experiences of challenging issues, such as hearing from families about their experience of special educational needs provision or local authority employment services.
- building better community relationships, for example when looking at how to integrate new housing developments into existing communities, or understanding the needs of specific community groups.
- a new product or service – for example, gaining end-user insights to develop anything from a new healthcare app to a community food delivery service.
Peer research
We have more than 60 years of experience working with some of the most diverse communities in the UK, delivering research and innovation that drives positive impact. We focus on putting people at the heart of social change, and we involve our peer researchers in co-design of research questions and tools, as well as in the analysis of findings. We’ve developed the 10 principles of peer research to set new standards and maintain high quality delivery.
Read our 10 principlesWith networks all over UK tackling a wide range of societal issues, we are collaborative, dynamic, and bring a multi-disciplinary approach. We are always open to developing new partnerships, and we thrive on delivering work that we believe will make a positive difference. Work with us if you want to:
- understand what people in communities think, feel and experience
- support communities to take action on the things they care about
- learn how businesses, public institutions, and communities can come together to shape a fairer future
- drive innovation and support ventures that tackle some of our greatest social challenges
- have impact, leading an innovative project with a strong community dimension
Our trained peer researchers are passionate about making positive change in their communities. They carry out their research where they live, using their connections to access and record diverse experiences, stories and unique insights about the things local people care about. We have a growing network of peer researcher hubs across the UK. If you’re looking to connect with a specific community that isn’t already within our network, we can recruit and train new peer researchers, providing them with the necessary skills to become effective researchers within their community.
Training
We support organisations to develop their staff’s peer research skills, and we co-ordinate local teams of peer researchers. We have developed a comprehensive, interactive training curriculum for adults and young people that can be delivered both virtually and in-person.
Find out more about training opportunitiesBespoke project consultancy
We work with you to translate your research needs and aims into a project brief and timeline. We then work collaboratively with peer researchers to meet your brief. We manage your research project end-to-end, co-ordinating the team, and processing the data and insights that are gathered during the project.
Data analysis and reporting
We help organisations turn insight into positive impact. You decide how you need the project results to be presented, in a meaningful way that speaks to you and to the communities you work with. This might be an engaging report, presentation, infographic, an event to engage a broader community – or another creative output.