COLLABORATIVE APPROACHES TO CRIMINOLOGICAL RESEARCH Presentation for the Welsh Criminology Conference 7 th April 2009 Sam Wright and Fionn Gordon, ARCS LTD

ARCS LTD Working with diverse partners Advantages of research collaborations Disadvantages of research collaborations Potential models of working The challenges of collaborating Securing funding for projects

ARCS LTD ARCS Small national group of researchers Focus on a range of community safety issues Existed since mid 1990s - expanded in 2004 Criminologists from a range of backgrounds and disciplines:  teaching at academic institutions  public, private sector and voluntary organisations  service delivery, policy and commissioning roles

ARCS LTD Working with diverse partners Commissioned research increasingly requires an extremely wide variety of expertise and technical skill Track record of working with partners that includes:  academics  practitioners  policy makers  philanthropic organisations  research consultancies  experts from related fields

ARCS LTD Advantages of collaborating Increased capacity Increased opportunities for securing funding Multiple perspectives enhance project success Increasing networks and circles of influence Skill sharing Enable individuals to work to their strengths Being each other’s ‘critical friend’ and improving the quality of the finished product

ARCS LTD

Disadvantages of collaborating Managing work across disparate locations Divergent understanding of project goals and methods Need to spend time negotiating and managing roles and ways of working Shared tasks – might miss out on key learning or on favourite aspects of research process Might have to compromise!

ARCS LTD Potential models of working Consultant to a project Responsibility for strand(s) of work A shared role in project design and delivery University-led projects :  the university manages the work directly  the university partner plays a critical director role  the university “leads” in name only and the research is managed day to day by another partner

ARCS LTD The challenges of collaborating  Difficulty reconciling different organisational objectives  Poor lines of communication / information sharing  Too many meetings  Lack of clarity over lines of responsibility  Delays due to seeking whole team agreement  Incompatible methods of working

ARCS LTD Securing funding for projects Need to be able to evidence: Clear understanding of the commissioner’s needs An excellent grasp of the breadth and depth of issues raised Having assembled the best team for the job Good project management skills The technical skills to deliver the research Appropriate costing of project The potential to deliver a research product that meets the commissioner’s needs

ARCS LTD In summary Encouragement Substantial potential benefits A wide variety of options Planning and management demands Key methods to adopt