RELEVANT ETHNOGRAPHY EXAMPLES

Although much of our work is client / participant confidential, here are some examples we can share. The first two are summary key-insight films, and the last three are individual in-depth case study videos.

Assessing the impact of a ‘Cultural Citizens Programme’ / Arts Council England

Background:

Last year the Arts Council funded a ‘Cultural Citizens Programme’ to promote arts and culture to young people who would not normally have access or an interest. The programme was implemented by different organisations across the country. So our client wanted to find out: what was it like being on the programme, what were its impacts, and how could it be improved?

What we did:

We visited a pilot area in Liverpool during and after the programme, to document the experiences of one school group there. Our ethnographic research focussed on the young people’s initial expectations, their experience, and the overall impact. Our findings fed into a written report by the Renaisi, published by the Arts Council.

Why some people become agency or contract workers / REC

Background:

We were commissioned by the Recruitment & Employment Confederation, to find out: why do some people choose to be freelance, contract or agency workers? And what are their resulting experiences?

What we did:

We created a series of individual ethnographic case studies with participants of different backgrounds, which fed into REC’s final report. We then edited these individual studies into a single ‘all-in-one’ video, appearing above, to highlight the key insights from each study in a more PR-friendly format. Our focus was on understanding: a holistic view of each participant’s motivations, the benefits to the way they work, and the challenges.

Assessing the impact of a ‘Family Innovation Fund’ / Essex County Council

Background:

Essex County Council’s new ‘Family Innovation Fund’ programme aims to help families and individuals in volatile situations build resilience, and reduce their reliance on statutory support. The programme is being implemented by six different partners across the region, each offering their own intervention service. As such, the client asked us to find out: what impact, if any, have these interventions had? And where could they be improved?

What we did:

We visited families who were recipients of different forms of intervention, each with their own story to tell. The video above follows 12-year-old Lewis, who had been experiencing extreme behaviour at home. We looked at the context leading up to referral, the experience of support, and the overall impact. Our research contributed to a written report, designed by us and published by the Office for Public Management.

Experiences of Personal Health Budgets / NHS England

Background:

Personal health budgets are available to people with long-term conditions, to help them take a more personalised approach to managing their health. Budget recipients are able to decide for themselves what type of care they want to receive, and when. As such, NHS England commissioned us to find out: what are the impacts of personal health budgets? And how can the budgets be applied most effectively?

What we did:

We visited several budget recipients across the country, each representing different demographics, with different long-term conditions. The video above features Adrian (who has arthritis and early onset dementia) as well as interviews with his personal assistant and two service providers. Our case studies now appear on NHS England’s website to help inform possible recipients and professionals.

Assessing the impacts of the ‘Warm Home Discount’ Scheme / OFGEM

Background:

OFGEM’s ‘Warm Home Discount’ scheme offers a range of advice and initiatives to help people, particularly low-income or ‘vulnerable’ customers, better manage their gas and electricity usage. As such, our client wanted to know: how effective has the ‘Warm Home Discount’ scheme been at meeting consumers’ needs? And what would help improve the scheme’s effectiveness?

What we did:

We visited several scheme recipients across the country, each representing different demographics. The video above features Barry, a 74-year-old widower from Lincoln. For this project, we focussed on understanding people’s: overall home life and lifestyle, household energy use, financial management, and engagement with energy advice. The results contributed to, and accompanied a report published by OPM, and the videos were distributed by OFGEM online and at workshops.