Although much of our work is confidential, below is a selection of related examples we can share. The first three videos combine observation with traditional in-depth interview techniques, whilst the fourth and fifth videos employ the reflexive ‘co-discovery’ method. The fifth video is also an example of a summary edit.

Brief:

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?

Result:

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 to be published by the Office for Public Management. As the report is still in its finishing stages, we don’t yet know what the long-term results will be, only that, with regard to our work, the client “loves it! Very happy with both videos…”

Testimonial:

Having recently been signed off, a formal testimonial is still to come. In the meantime, our client has emailed to say: “What a wonderful way to see the impact of programmes we’re trying to understand. Really highlights the importance of understanding the changes for the whole family – not just the child receiving the intervention and the parent(s) – but the siblings and others who might live at home. If ever there was evidence of holistic interventions – really great.”

– Lead Researcher at Essex County Council

Brief:

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?

Result:

This is an example of ethnographic observation with in-depth interviews whilst in the field. 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.

Testimonial:

“You’re extremely professional and really take the the time to understand our needs, balancing that effectively with providing expert advice. We’ve had great feedback from all participants, who say you asked extremely insightful questions. The quality of the case studies has been consistently high, and they’re now regularly used to help people understand the impacts of more personalised care. I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending you.”

– Senior Communications Manager at NHS England

Brief:

Leonard Cheshire runs residential homes across the UK for people with disabilities. Through a ‘human-centred co-production’ approach, their ‘Future Choices’ programme aimed to increase residents’ choice and control, and so improve the standard of care in their homes. As such, the client wanted to know: how well did their ‘person-centred’ process run, and what were the impacts?

Result:

We visited one home, Athol House, three times. Once during their group workshop, then some months later to observe the resulting activities, with a final visit for more in-depth follow-up interviews. Our findings feed into a written report to be published by the Office for Public Management (OPM), with the video being shown at stakeholder events, and appearing on Leonard Cheshire’s website.

Testimonial:

– Future Choices Strategic Lead at Leonard Cheshire Disability

Brief:

This is one of our older projects: Essex was one of the first areas in the UK to offer ‘personal budgets for adult social care’. Prior to this, local authorities would dictate what form of care a person received, and when. The new initiative allocated individual budgets directly to recipients. As such, Essex County Council (ECC) and Essex Coalition for Disabled People (ECDP) wanted to know: what are the actual impacts of personal budgets for adult social care? And what would make the budgets more effective?

Result:

The video above features one of our case study participants: Tim, a 49-year-old with Muscular Dystrophy. For these case studies, we used the ‘co-discovery’ interview technique, where the participant views and responds to the observational footage we’ve already recorded. This forms the narrative to the case study. Our research focused on people’s experiences of: day-to-day practicalities, information and administration, and overall impact on life. Our insights fed into a written report by the Office for Public Management, and the case studies have since been used as an educational tool for frontline staff and new service users.

Testimonial:

“We were very pleased with the results. The time you invested getting to know and listen to some of the disabled and older people in Essex really paid off. We were able to see and hear directly the reality of people’s lives, and share the resulting in-depth insights with staff at all levels in the council. Grounded in solid research, it was a powerful approach that helped create a strong case for making things better than we ever could have done alone.”

– Director at ECDP

Brief:

Another of our older projects: five million working adults without children earn less than £18,500 a year. As such, our client wanted to explore: what socio-economic barriers are faced by full-time, low-income workers? And what policy measures would reduce those barriers?

Result:

This is an example of a summary video, combining several case studies. We followed several participants representing different demographic segments, and focussed on their experiences of: jobs and money, housing and transport, time and relationships, and consumer services. The resulting insights informed a written report by the OPM, and the summary video was twice shown at the House of Commons. The film was also distributed in DVD format, with a sleeve containing a specially designed info-booklet.

Testimonial:

“You did a great job. The case studies were hugely effective in increasing the impact of our messages and in bringing them to life. It helped us to secure important policy changes and get the concerns of this consumer group firmly back on the policy agenda.”

– Senior Policy Advocate, National Consumer Council