User involvement in designing a survey of people directly employing care and support workers

Josie Dixon, Carol McNaughton-Nicholls, Joanna d'Ardenne, Melanie Doyle-Francis, Jill Manthorpe (2013)

Please note: this is a legacy publication from CPEC (formely PSSRU at LSE).

Evidence and Policy: a Journal of Research, Debate and Practice 9 2 267-278

https://doi.org/10.1332/174426413X662635

http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/tpp/ep/2013/00000009/00000002/art00008?token=0055197811594b67839412f415d7678256245492b5f7b407b6f2530482972715a614f6d4e227a8570e473

Available online: 1 May 2013

Abstract
User involvement in social care research has generally been the preserve of qualitative methodologies, while user involvement in quantitative research has tended to be limited by the assumed inflexibility of statistical designs and concerns that lay people may require specialist training to engage with quantitative methods. Using the example of the Care and Caring study, a survey about the direct employment of care and support workers in England commissioned and funded by Skills for Care, this paper explores the benefits and difficulties of involving service users in the development and design of survey processes and instruments.