1. Developing partnerships for mental health research Training workshops for service users, carers, workers and researchers Kris Atkin Christine Blayney Louise Bryant Academic Unit of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences

2. Why we ran the workshops  Belief in the importance of service user involvement  Capacity building involve service users and carers in future research in the Unit develop networks provide training in the research process

3. Funding  Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) seminar series grant  Academic Unit of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences

4. Participants  Who Mental health service users / survivors carers workers (paid or voluntary) researchers  How we advertised Local voluntary groups Mental Health Trust

5. Development and Facilitation  Alison Faulkner (consultant) expert by experience experience of user-led research prior research training workshops  Academic unit staff Research experience Teaching experience

6. Course content (1) The research process (5 workshops) 1. Background to service user and carer involvement in research 2. Beginning a research project 3. How to answer research questions (research methods) 4. Turning research findings into change 5. Moving forward

7. Course content (2) Workshop speakers: users or carers with experience of involvement in research 1. Developing public involvement in research (Direct Impact – SWYMHT) 2. Partnership working in self-harm research (Louise Pembroke) 3. Evaluating assertive outreach in Lincolnshire (Julie Repper, Sylvia Minshull, Su Hodgson) 4. User focussed monitoring and change (Jon Fowler, Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health) 5. The future for user led research (Peter Beresford, Brunel University)

8. Attendance  1st workshop 11 service users 4 carers 12 workers  Other workshops average 22  More workers than users or carers dropped out

9. Money  Grant of £11,500 from ESRC  Average cost of each workshop £2,300 (excluding AU staff costs) Travel/childcare expenses £15 for attendance Venue & catering Consultant/Trainer Stationery for training packs

10. Evaluation Participant feedback forms after each workshop  Return rate 68-78%  Mostly positive about course content increased knowledge about research found talks understandable didn’t find workshops stressful or intimidating  Negative comments about “noisy” venue

11. Christine Blayney What did I learn from them as a service user and what did they do for me?

12. Lessons learned  Venue to be quiet breakout rooms for group discussions  Consultant trainers more than one person for each workshop  Recruitment open up to researchers try to increase carer attendance

13. What happened afterwards?  Research interest group (UCRIG)  Dissemination seminar for Academic unit article submitted to Psychiatric Bulletin this presentation!  Research projects involving users self harm and advocacy action research – role of SUIT doctor/patient communication