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Section 2 Key principles of quality in research and consultation

2.07 Ensure the research and consultation is inclusive

Service users are not all the same. There is likely to be a wide range of social, cultural and economic differences amongst service users. Some may be vulnerable or may have particular needs which impact on their ability to participate.

This means that a one-size-fits-all approach to researching service users is inappropriate and is likely to yield poor quality and often misleading results. To capture and understand the views of a diverse range of people research and consultation strategies need to be designed so that the research is as inclusive as possible. This means that the needs of all groups must be recognised and a range of different research approaches that are sensitive to these needs must be adopted. Good practice to promote the participation of excluded and vulnerable groups will also reduce barriers to participation for all groups. These issues are addressed more fully in the section on making research and consultation as inclusive as possible.

Practice point

• Recognise the diversity amongst service users and ensure that the design and execution of the research and consultation minimises barriers to participation.

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