Learning Disability Safe Space Cafés

To CREATE, Be HEARD, EDUCATE, Remove BARRIERS and INSPIRE. 

The aim of this project is to develop the Reach Voice and Participation Group for people with a learning disability, to engage with them about research and healthcare topics which are important to them. We will conduct Safe Space Cafés on different topics which have been identified as being important to people with learning disabilities. These cafes will offer an opportunity for shared learning in a space which is familiar and comfortable to those from this under-served community.  

Approach (how you plan to do this) 

We will develop the Voice and Participation Research Group, bringing together adults with a learning disability to empower them to share their views and engage with research in a meaningful way. The group will work in co-design with the clinical academic research group at the Centre for Academic Primary Care at the University of Nottingham. They will identify topics which are considered important to learn more about and these will be the focus of the Learning Disability Safe Space Cafés. At these cafés, a healthcare professional will provide specific advice and signposting around the chosen topic and a clinical academic researcher will work in co-production with participants who would like to develop primary care research ideas. Previously identified topics include Men’s and Women’s health, barriers to accessing primary care healthcare services, housing and homecare, and falls/falls prevention.  

Previous work to create a toolkit to help health and social care researchers to design and plan research to support adults with a learning disability identified the importance of coming to them rather than expecting people with learning disabilities to come to research or healthcare environments. “Think about an environment where I can be myself and feel-good in.” “Come to me in my own environment, yeah it’s a safe space.”  “In a group I feel more comfortable and can be myself in a group, in a group there is power.” Therefore, the Voice and Participation Research Group sessions and Safe Space Cafés will be held in venues familiar to those attending and with supporting adults who are known and trusted by them. The Lead applicant has an established relationship with Reach Learning Disabilities working with them on the SPCR funded co-production project. 

Working with adults with learning disability we want to develop and continue those connections we have made through our existing workstreams and help develop the Learning Disability Voice and Participation Group for onward engagement with research activities.  

Proposed timelines 

The Voice and Participation Group were formed to facilitate the service users at Reach to be involved with staff training and recruitment. We have piloted working with them in a research capacity through our current workstreams and they are excited to work collaboratively through co-production on future research projects. The group is therefore ready to begin in September, holding the Voice and Participation Research Group on a monthly basis, and the Safe Space Cafés quarterly (first one in Jan 2025). 

Amount awarded: