The ‘thin’ and ‘thick’ needs of Roma: a participatory mixed methods study

Research With Marginalized Communities: Reflections on Engaging Roma Women in Northern England

“…The community-based participation enables Roma researchers to gain recognition within the community and develop that can be used in research and social settings, contributing to their personal development (Von Unger, 2012). The use of RCs within community-based participation can guide research and reach out to a wider market of Roma participants (Kennedy et al, 2019). The University of Salford supported the RC by delivering training on how to collect data to measure the well-being impact of Roma Connections to enhance skills, promote personal development, and "change in trust and perceptions towards the non-Roma world" (Female RC for Roma Connections, 2022).…”

“…Using community-based participation within research demonstrates how partnering principles and practices across the levels in hierarchical power can endorse transformational change in knowledge and leadership to advance policy and health equity (Jagosh et al, 2012). Members of a marginalized group also gain new skills, insights, and recognition from their participation of a community-based research, demonstrating how the process can be aid personal development (Kennedy et al, 2019). The inclusive element of this method is identified as authentic as opposed to tokenistic, as the process adds value for participants on a personal level, in addition to the purpose of collecting data (Russo, 2012).…”

“…Despite the identified benefits, community-based participation within marginalized communities does not eliminate sensitivities or barriers toward data collection in terms of confidentiality, discomfort toward data collection, and fears of data misuse (Donse et al, 2013). However, the role of a community-based participation plays a part in guiding research as they have gained trust from the marginalized community due to their cultural understanding, language abilities, as well as networking competencies (Kennedy et al, 2019). Furthermore, employing RCs has become a common occurrence when undertaking quality health improvements and implementing new interventions (Miech et al, 2018).…”

Considering a participatory approach to social work – Service user research

“…The process, of course, also runs the risk of raising expectations of change (Branom, 2012) and the risk of tokenism and exploitation for service-user collaborators (McLaughlin, 2010). Roma needs assessment (Kennedy et al, 2019). Pavee Point Traveller and Roma Centre and Department of Justice and Equality's national study of the needs of Roma in Ireland (2018) adopted a participatory research approach in order to counter the community's distrust of non-Roma and authorities.…”