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Contents
About IARS & IDRICS..3 About this project..3 About this guide...........4 Participatory Action Research (PAR)5 Interviewing essentials for community interviewers....6 Commonality of experience.7 Ethical considerations......9 Duty of care11 Working with distress.13 Barriers to engaging with interviewees (and solutions) ...15 Practical issues how to reach the sample...15 Cultural sensitivities and legal situations16 Age/status related sensitivies...16 Cultural approaches to narrative..17 Family protection and legal status...18 Religious or inter-communal barriers and bonds..19 Use of translators...20 Learning from other action research projects20 References and recommended further reading.22 Appendix A..24

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About IARS
IARS is a leading, international think-tank with a charitable mission to give everyone a chance to forge a safer, fairer and more inclusive society. We achieve our charitable aims by producing evidence-based solutions to current social problems, sharing best practice and by supporting young people and the community to shape decision making. For more information about IARS and our membership scheme please see Appendix A.

About Institute for Diversity Research, Inclusivity, Communities and Society (IDRICS)
Buckinghamshire New Universitys Institute for Diversity Research, Inclusivity, Communities and Society (IDRICS) has expertise across a number of areas, including education research and community cohesion and development. Director of IDRICS, Dr Margaret Greenfields, is a social policy practitioner specialising in working with Gypsy/Roma and Traveller communities to devise action research programmes and has a large portfolio of research undertaken on behalf of national and local government agencies, and charities with a particular interest in health, economic inclusion and the accommodation needs of Gypsies and Travellers as well as family support processes.

About this project

This three-year project funded by Comic Relief aims to generate institutional change and increased gender sensitivity in the treatment of refugee and asylum-seeking women, both by harnessing existing research and by allowing the women themselves to identify the problems they currently face through community-led action research. The project will enable refugee and asylum-seeking women in London to design and deliver a training programme for professionals working with refugee and asylumseeking women.

About this guide

This good practice guide has been developed by IDRICS and IARS as part of a three-year project funded by Comic Relief, which seeks to support refugee and asylum-seeking women (RASW) in undertaking action research into the most pressing needs faced by women who are refugees or asylum-seekers. The project sets out to develop a programme which trains RASW women to obtain information from their peers (other women who have gone through/are experiencing the asylum-seeking process), with the intent of informing health care providers and legal representatives working with RASW about how best to engage with, and deliver services to, women who are frequently vulnerable, and may have experienced horrific violence during their journey to safety in the UK (Aspinall & Watters, 2010; Refugee Council, 2005).

This guide for undertaking action research with RASW is based upon discussions with the women who are participating in the IARS research project, findings from the literature review and also knowledge gleaned from carrying out participatory action research (PAR) with other excluded and marginalised communities who face similar barriers to accessing services as a result of disenfranchisement, disbelief and prejudice (Greenfields and Ryder, 2012). The purpose of this short publication (which should be read in conjunction with the associated literature review which underpins this project) is to provide supporting information to the refugee and asylum-seeking women carrying out research for the on-going project, agencies which share IARS aims of ensuring that RASW and those working with them receive adequate support and are able to achieve high quality services, and activists who want to gain best practice knowledge in terms of meeting challenges to engaging with RASW and predicting what interventions might best limit barriers to engagement and develop solutions to community participation in research projects.

My GP knew there was something disturbing mebecause all the time I had [health] problems. And it took so long for me to tell her about my historybecause I didnt know you could tell your GP stuff like thatso I was dying alone. It took me two months to write that letter [my personal testimony] because for me its not easy. You have these memories every day. Even now and the time I was going to the Home Office, it was stressing me more because I knew they would ask those questions.
43 year old Kenyan asylum-seeking woman

Participatory Action Research (PAR)

PAR is not just a method of gaining information it is an ethically-based approach to research, delivering a process which empowers researchers and research participants by enabling their voices to be heard. By working with rather than on communities (Greenfields and Ryder, 2012), PAR sets out to build participants (both interviewers and interviewees) capacities; helping to increase public knowledge, dialogue and centre-stage the experiences of people who are often pushed to the margins of society, and who face economic, social and cultural exclusion. PAR is by definition an action model, which enables the inclusion of case studies, interviews and a wide variety of approaches to research projects and which is versatile and diverse in the approaches it takes to obtaining information from informants. PAR is a cyclical process which enables interviewers and community members (who are in the case of this study the same people women from diverse communities who have experienced the asylum-seeking process) to explore participants experiences, feelings and perceptions of the processes they have gone through in seeking services from health care providers and legal advisors, through techniques of participatory research. Once the interviewers and interviewees have reflected on their shared and individual experiences of the processes of obtaining health care and legal services, the lessons learnt are then explored and analysed by the research team comprising equally the RASW researchers and experienced academic 5

team members - who work in close partnership to consider the findings and develop recommendations from the outcomes.

The women who are/have carried out the research with RASW (not all from their own communities allowing a reflection of the difference as well as similarities of experience amongst asylum-seeking women from the Middle East, SubSaharan Africa and the Asian subcontinents) have all undertaken training and considered reflection into the collaborative nature of PAR, allowing them to unpick the ethical underpinnings of this model of research as well as the

challenges to working with vulnerable community members who have gone through the asylum-seeking route.

Interviewing essentials for community interviewers

Make sure you are familiar and comfortable with the questions you will be asking. Answer questions an interviewee asks you honestly make sure they know that you cant change their situation but that you are interviewing them in the hope that the information they give will help to improve things for other refugee and asylum-seeking women in the future. Remember that the person you are interviewing is a volunteer always be respectful and remember they can end the interview at any time they choose. Only ask one question at a time and try to make sure the interviewee is clear about what you are asking - you should remind them they can ask you to explain a question. Use follow-ups and probes where appropriate but take care not to cause distress. Offer them another interviewer if necessary or see if they would prefer to talk to (for example) an older woman or with someone who speaks their own language if possible. Where they would prefer, tell them you will try to see if there is someone else who can carry out the interview with them and that you will get back to them as soon as possible. 6

Be patient with people you are interviewing. Remember UNLESS THERE ARE CHILD OR ADULT PROTECTION CONCERNS everything you are told (or see) is CONFIDENTIAL only you, the person who told you about it and your IARS link worker will ever know who has been interviewed, and the story they have told you.

Remember to thank the woman for taking part and assure her that she has been helpful. Do make sure that the women who have taken part are clear that they can always change their mind about having their information analysed and included in the study as long as they contact you within a reasonable time to tell you that they have changed their mind.

Let participants know when you expect the report to be completed, and ensure that if she wishes to receive a copy or attend the launch that she has provided an address or contact details so that she can be contacted in due course.

Commonality of experience
One key advantage of undertaking PAR using trained community interviewers is that both interviewer and interviewee have a broad common basis of experience (Greenfields and Ryder, 2012). In the case of the present study, all community researchers/interviewers are women refugees or asylum-seekers who have experienced the fraught process of undertaking a journey to the UK to seek a new life and once here have had to engage with lawyers and advice teams to obtain information, receive help with legal processes and experience of undergoing an asylum tribunal. In many cases, they have also had the stress of preparing for and appearing at an asylum appeal (sometimes without legal representation), a subject which the literature review found to be a fundamentally distressing experience for many RASW.

In addition, whilst coming from a wide variety of countries and hence having qualitatively different experiences (for example, a womans skin colour, 7

identifying religious markers - such as wearing the hijab - or common public knowledge of the plight of different communities of asylum-seekers) may lead to their being treated differently in both official situations and in public spaces, all participants have undergone the experience of loss of community, country and the transition to being a stranger in Britain meaning that despite apparent differences, women from vastly different backgrounds have points of contact and shared understanding. The secondary theme on which the current study is based consists of access to healthcare. Whilst again, womens experiences will vary depending on language skills, place of origin, parenthood/maternal status and existing (or emergent) health needs, a core set of needs and values will exist for example, working through the complexities of registering for services, difficulties in obtaining repeat prescriptions when moving home frequently, or language or cultural barriers which can make it difficult to explain needs or obtain appropriate help.

People should know more about refugees and asylumseekersand know that sometimes you are going through some tough things, maybe you are depressed or you might not have anyone to talk toBut thats if youre brave enough for them to know about your situation. People like me, Im kind of shy and I think that if they know about me then they might be rude or not want to attend to me.
Congolese asylum-seeking woman Two key themes (access to legal services and health care) were selected by the

RASW researchers as the key elements of the PAR project because these act as major barriers for women who are refugees and asylum-seekers regardless of their country of origin or social, cultural or religious origins. Choosing these topics offers the opportunity to obtain good evidence of the hurdles women need to overcome to be able to make a new life in Britain and enables training to be delivered to service providers which includes both good and bad practice, and

which can lead to a vastly improved experience for women already facing challenging circumstances.

Key practice point

Although interviewers may have broad similarity of experience it is also necessary to remember that empathy/understanding of other womens experiences do not equate to identical circumstances or complete knowledge of what anyone else is going through, or has experienced.

Both interviewers (PAR participants) and staff working with RASW need to remember that there are many differences between women using services. An asylum-seeker from Afghanistan may have little in common with a refugee woman from Zimbabwe and it is important that service providers dont think that interviews or information provided by other RASW can act as tick-box exercises. It is important to get a womans story from her, to ensure that services meet her needs even where valuable background trends and experiences remain the

same. Even two women from the same country might have different needs and experiences. Never pigeon-hole a woman because of her ethnicity, religion or country of origin. Dont make assumptions or tell her story because you feel you know what she wants you to share with others.

Ethical considerations
It is important for interviewers (and staff working with them) to remember that every woman who takes part in the project is a volunteer. The need for obtaining informed consent is critical and interviewees need to be reminded that they can stop the interview at any time without having to give a reason. If they want to stop the interview they must not be pressurised to

continue and although they should be given the chance to have a further interview in the future if they wish they are free to refuse this offer.

Although an interviewer will probably have had some similar experiences to the women she is interviewing, it is important to remember that there are particular issues which exist when working with vulnerable individuals and groups who may be harmed by being asked to recall distressing events. There may be pressures on interviewees which interviewers are not familiar with. For example if a family member is present, they may not know about sexual violence which a woman has experienced and it may cause real harm to ask a woman about experiences which can awake strong emotions or cause problems in her personal relations with family and friends.

They tell me to bring my children to help me to translate but I cant say everything in front of my children. I went once with my eldest daughter but she wasnt able to explain everything and it was embarrassing. Also when my daughter couldnt understand all the words that I wanted her to translate she felt bad and started to blame herself for me feeling unwell. She says to me dont say too much, I might not be able to explain everything.
Turkish refugee woman

When working with vulnerable women, there might be particular circumstances when taking part in research can expose them to danger or make them more vulnerable (for example - perhaps they are illegal migrants after a failed asylum appeal, and the people they are living with would not want them to talk about their circumstances of being trafficked). The researcher has an obligation to do everything possible to minimise any dangers caused to women by participating, as well as a duty to be completely open about any potential danger that cannot be eliminated. So although all interviews will be anonymised (no real names used) it is always possible that something a woman says might lead to her story 10

being recognised by people who know her well. If she is worried about that risk but still wants her story to be told speak to your organisation link worker and see if slight changes to any information used in the report can be made, to reduce any risk to the woman involved.

Duty of care
When an individual agrees to take part in this study she should know prior to the interview (and the interviewer should remind her) that information gathered is confidential unless she reveals something which means that a child or vulnerable adult is at risk of harm. She should be aware that this would trigger a duty for the interviewer to report their concerns to the organisation link worker. It is important that she is reminded of this fact prior to the interview taking place. This does give her some level of control over what she information she is providing to the interviewer and also ensure that the interviewer has clearly revealed her ethical responsibilities to the woman taking part in the interview.

Interviewees should also be reminded that they can stop the interview at any time and withdraw from the survey. HOWEVER, if prior to their withdrawing from the study they have revealed information which gives the interviewer cause for concern in relation to child or vulnerable adult protection the womans withdrawal from the study does not end the legal and ethical duty to report these concerns to the organisation link worker who will then reflect and consider on whether there is adequate cause to pass on concerns to the relevant authorities.

Interviewers need to be alert to concerns about child or vulnerable adult protection and although cultural awareness and understanding of issues which might impact on family well-being (such as living in very overcrowded circumstances, or cultural practices such as knowledge of planned female circumcision/FGM) are important, there is a need to ensure that staff are approached by interviewers (in the first instance) if any worries exist about an individuals welfare. Do not let sympathy for a woman or her difficult 11

circumstances mean that someone is placed in danger or continues to experience danger. If an interviewer has worries about an interviewee, or a woman being interviewed discloses something of concern (such as domestic violence, forced marriage, or children, the elderly or people with learning disabilities being in danger) then an interviewer should NOT attempt to deal with the problem herself (for example by giving advice) but should withdraw from the situation after the interview, (or sooner if she is worried) and contact her organisation link worker as a matter of urgency.

Sometimes (although this is VERY unusual) it may be necessary to end an interview at an earlier stage than planned for example, perhaps the interviewer is concerned about personal safety or their own emotional health if something has triggered distressing memories, or they feel that the interviewer really isnt able to engage with the interview in the way they expected or that she cant provide any helpful information. Occasionally, the interviewer might have heard something which means that they feel the urgent need to speak to their organisation link worker about child or vulnerable adult protection matters, for example, a planned visit abroad for a child to have female circumcision (FGM) or for a marriage to take place which they believe could be classed as forced marriage as the young person does not know it is to take place, or is identified as not being a willing party to the marriage.

Sometimes too an interviewer will need to be able to think about how to draw an interview to a close because an interviewee is spending so long on some questions that the interviewer is worried that she cant finish the questionnaire and perhaps she needs to go somewhere else (for example to collect her own children from nursery).

It can be difficult or cause undue distress or alarm to an interviewee if the interview is simply ended abruptly so the following hints might help in the unlikely situation where an interviewer needs to end the interview at an early stage. 12

Finish the question which you are discussing with the interviewee and then if necessary (and where this is not too obvious) suggest that you dont have very long in which to complete the interview and that you will need to try to finish off in a fairly short time-period

Move forward in the questionnaire to another topic - where this can be done sensitively and without obviously disrupting the flow then gradually work to the end of the questionnaire as rapidly as possible (as an alternative if you want to ask the rest of the questions, run through the questionnaire quickly, allowing short comments from the interviewee but get through it as fast as possible to enable you to complete the interview and leave, not forgetting to thank her for her help).

Do check that you have correct contact details for the woman if you feel that for her sake or because of significant concerns that you will need to terminate the interview at an earlier stage. This will help with providing her with support or if there is need of a follow-up in relation to any of the matters listed above.

Working with distress

More commonly, during interviews a woman might become distressed by thinking about a topic such as family being killed, her home being destroyed or experiences of personal violence do not press her on the subject but move onto another question and come back to the original one only if appropriate and she is ready to speak to you. Remember too, that you the interviewer can become upset, as talking to women who have had similar experiences might reawaken disturbing memories. If this happens, talk to your organisation link worker and explain how you felt they can then provide you with support or advice on who to speak to for help.

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The EU Code of socio-economic research (Dench et. al. 2004) reminds researchers that there is a duty to protect interviewees AND interviewers from physical and emotional harm as well as damage to their professional and personal ethics. You should therefore remember to take care of yourself as well as the women you are interviewing.

Sometimes women who are thinking about being interviewed might decide that they want time to consider the questions, or to talk to family members about whether they should be involved in the project. They have a perfect right to do that. It can be irritating if you have come out to interview someone and then they change their mind, but vulnerable people need to be aware of the stages of the project, what the information will be used for, and to be able to consider that taking part will probably not help THEM personally but might bring about changes in the future. Give them clear information and remind them they can talk to a staff member if they need to know more.

Key practice point

If the interviewer has ANY concerns about the woman she is interviewing or other members of her household or even the researchers relationship with the interviewee (for example barriers to engagement resulting from power differentials/age/place of birth/education etc.) these are all ethical issues.

Always seek further advice from organisation link staff and clearly specify what your worries are, and why you feel the need to report a concern or consider if a referral to other agencies should be made.

Decisions as to referrals onto other agencies will be made by staff members so that interviewers personal situation and relationship with interviewees or their own community is not compromised.

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Barriers to engaging with interviewees (and solutions)

In this section of the guide we consider some common issues which need to be considered in terms of reaching women for interview, as well as ways of overcoming communication barriers which can interfere in successfully carrying out interviews with other RASW.

Practical issues how to reach the sample

During the training sessions interviewers received advice on how best to ensure that they were interviewing the right mixture of women (the sample) to ensure that research findings provided information on a wide range of experiences and needs.

Information is being disseminated about the project to a wide range of contacts who are working with RASW, and in particular to agencies who run womens selfhelp and empowerment groups, as well as networks of advice agencies. In this way we hope to be able to contact a high number of potential interviewees from different ethnic communities.

It was decided during the training sessions that to avoid interviewers having to screen and decide if a woman is suitable for interview (for example we want to reach a mixture of age ranges, including grandmothers, mothers, young women in their late teens etc) that volunteers to be interviewed will contact IARS first so that if they arent needed (or if it is felt that they might be too vulnerable to interview them without causing harm) that it is the IARS team working with agency staff who know the women, who will include or exclude them from the sample. However it might be that interviewers will be introduced to friends or relatives of the women who they interview for the project. This way of reaching potential interviewees is called snowballing (as like a snowball which collects snow as it

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is rolled along the ground, the group of people involved gets bigger and bigger through contact with women who are already taking part in the study).

Generally speaking it would be a good idea to take the contact details of the woman you have been introduced to and then let staff contact them first to see if they should be included in the interview. You can always say to a woman you meet in this way that you have to have information leaflets sent out to her before you can carry out an interview. If she has a very important story to tell and you dont think you will have a chance to meet her again unless you interview her at that time, try to speak to your link worker first. If you cant get hold of them then try and contact them as soon as possible to let them know that the interview has taken place.

Cultural sensitivities and legal situations

The Refugee Council (2005) conference report on working with RASW, reported (and see further literature review for this project) that women's experience of persecution was often different from mens. Womens experiences are not necessarily taken into account in considering their claim as most asylum-seeking procedures are based around the model of a young male who has left his country of origin because of involvement in political activities. The IARS RASW project is more culturally sensitive as it is designed by women for women. However, even amongst women there will be particular cultural sensitivities which will need to be taken into account when carrying out interviews.

Some of the key areas which should be considered when setting up and taking part in interviews include:

Age/status related sensitivities

It can be a good idea to ensure that you know a little bit about the person you will be going to interview before you arrive. If possible (for example where the interview is being set up by a support group, or the interviewee is being 16

screened in advance by an IARS support worker) try to ensure that you are aware of: The womans age, culture or community, preferred name (for example - she might wish to be called by her full name, for you to use a respect term; or she may have an English name which she has adopted since coming to England).

Make sure that if possible you are aware of her religious beliefs (so for example you dont try to arrange to meet with her or arrive during a particular festival or time for prayers which might cause embarrassment or distress).

Wherever possible the person arranging the interview should seek to find out if the interviewee has any preferences over the characteristics of her interviewer: for example she would prefer to speak with a woman who is from her own cultural background, is younger or older than herself, or who is another Muslim/Christian etc. She might even prefer to speak to someone who isnt an asylum-seeker or refugee so she should be offered that option too to ensure that she is supported appropriately in her decision to speak about her experiences.

It is also a good idea to find out if possible if she has any illnesses, conditions, or caring responsibilities which impact on when and how she can be interviewed or contacted for interview (for example she might need to rest in the afternoons because of age or pregnancy) or she may not want an interview to take place on days when she has her husband, brother or son in the house.

Cultural approaches to narrative

If the interviewer and interviewee dont share a culture and language (or sometimes particularly if they do come from the same community and want to avoid embarrassment or stigma) a woman might tell her story in a way which shows events in a particular (favourable) light, or which ignores (or is not understood) as involving political or gendered actions and choices. 17

We know from what women tell us that Border Agencies and health workers often dont understand what a woman is telling them leading to barriers to accessing services but an interviewer also needs to be clear what they are hearing, and ensure that they ask questions (probes) to understand what they are being told, as well as to allow the woman to explain clearly about her experiences. Sometimes women will say they had no trouble with health or legal services but when their story is told it is clear they received bad or inappropriate treatment or services it is important to encourage interviewees to think more deeply about what went on do not simply pass over a subject if you (the person carrying out the interview) thinks there is more going on that the woman indicates at first. For example, probing might reveal that a woman had to seek help for a health concern on several occasions as a result of being given wrong information initially or not knowing about her legal rights. Remember however, not to put words in her mouth or to make her feel bullied to give the right answer.

Family protection and legal status

As indicated above (under ethics) some women might decide that it is more important to protect family members or the people they are living with, than to seek help for themselves for example if they are experiencing domestic or personal abuse, or they are not aware of their rights to remain in the country if they have entered as a dependent of a male asylum-seeker. A story may give concern in relation to vulnerable adults or children at risk, but equally a woman may provide hints that she is experiencing domestic abuse or that she has not received clear information about her own personal rights.

Alternatively a woman might indicate that she is a failed asylum-seeker who is in hiding a situation which can often place her at additional risk as a result of her 18

legal position and reliance on other people (see the IARS literature review for further information). In some cases a womans story might be contradictory or confused as a result of her trying to hide her situation, or because she does not have clear knowledge about her legal position. Women who may have been trafficked into the UK may be at particular risk, for example: not reporting domestic or sexual violence for fear of jeopardising their own or other peoples asylum claim, or if they are working illegally to pay back debts to their traffickers, or because they are involved in dangerous work for very low pay.

Religious or inter-communal barriers and bonds

Sometimes it can be easy to speak to a woman who shares your own religious or country background it can make a bond between you and enable you to find similarities in your experiences, or mutually identify a common cultural understanding which might be missed by someone else. You might even decide that you will deliberately arrange to meet (or might simply come across) RASW women through Mosque or Church activities (or in communal spaces belonging to your place of worship) or cultural events for example many different communities in London hold organised events at cultural centres, community group buildings, or in parks, particularly when events are associated with religious or national holidays.

Whilst you might find that any of the suggestions above help you to meet other RASW, barriers can also occur which can get in the way of obtaining an interview or reaching out in a friendly way to other RASW. These could be because you are members of different denominations or sects within a common faith (Catholic and Evangelical Protestant or Shia and Sunni for example) or because of historical tensions between your communities.

Whilst you might perhaps feel able and willing to speak to a woman whose community/ethnic group or country of origin has been in conflict with your own community, it does not necessarily mean that she will feel comfortable speaking 19

with you. In such circumstances (particularly if you are introduced to each other by someone who is not aware of traditional or historical tensions or assumes you are both members of the same ethnic or linguistic group) then it is important to let your link worker know so that they can arrange for an alternative interviewer to meet with the woman and explain (if necessary) why this is considered important.

Use of translators
We are aware (see further the literature review associated with this project) that sometimes RASW are working with translators who may not accurately tell their story because of limited linguistic/translation skills, embarrassment over some events, or occasionally because they are asked to tell a narrative which shows their own community in a bad light (where there are intra or inter-ethnic conflicts in a country or region). Very often a woman might not be aware that there are problems with the narrative presented on her behalf but sometimes she tries to intervene or provide additional wording or accounts as she may understand more English (or another language) than she speaks. If you are concerned that the translator is perhaps not assisting you very well for any of the above reasons then try to assure the woman that she may be re-contacted for further information. In such circumstances you should speak to your link worker who will discuss the best way to proceed perhaps through their contacting an agency who works with the woman, or through attempting to arrange a follow-up interview using a different translator. Where you do have some concerns about the quality of translation even if you feel it is reasonably accurate do ensure that you let your project leader know.

Learning from other action research projects

All of the above discussions on potential barriers and solutions to obtaining information are informed by information drawn from other action research projects and programmes which IDRICS and IARS staff have worked on.

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Whilst the content of this particular programme is new, there are many similarities which exist when working with community groups and developing action research programmes. Research participants might wish to explore

publications and findings from other action research projects to gain background information on theoretical models and key transferable skills and lessons which can be gained from working in this manner. Most commonly (as found in numerous projects): The impact of action research on developing community cohesion and a sense of solidarity despite the many differences evident between different populations; The ability of PAR to raising awareness about cultures, needs and aspirations amongst members of the public and service providers; Methods and the need for public education on rights and barriers to engagement for both service users and providers; A sense of readiness amongst excluded populations to increase engagement and participation in working with their own communities and public service providers; The development of a strategic vision for the best way forward for working with excluded and marginalised populations; The impact on PAR participants (interviewees and interviewers) of investment in capacity building for their communities and listening to their voices; Long-term and sustainable commitments between all sides to increasing engagement between community groups and breaking down barriers through recognition of commonalities and human need.

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References and recommended further reading

Aspinall, P. & Watters, C. (2010) Refugees and asylum-seekers A review from an equality and human rights perspective London: EHRC Asylum Aid (2010) Unsustainable: the quality of initial decision-making in womens asylum claims London: Asylum Aid Barnsley, J ed. (1992) Research for Change: Participatory Action Research for Community Groups Vancouver: Womens Research Centre

Dench, S, Iphofen, R & Huws, U (2004). An EU Code of Ethics for SocioEconomic Research Brighton:IES Government Equalities Office (2008) Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). London: Government Equalities Office. Greenfields, M & Ryder, A (2012) Research with and for Gypsies and Travellers in Richardson, J & Ryder, A eds. Gypsies and Travellers: Accommodation, Empowerment and Inclusion in British Society Bristol: Policy Press Liamputtong, P (2007) Researching the Vulnerable Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications

McIntosh, P. (2010). Action Research and Reflective Practice. Creative and visual methods to facilitate reflection and learning. London & New York: Routledge McIntyre, A (2008) Participatory Action Research Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications Patel V. (2001) Cultural factors and international epidemiology. British Medical Bulletin 57: 3345. Peel M. (2004) Rape as a method of torture. London: The Medical Foundation for the Victims of Torture. Refugee Council (2005) Refugee and Asylum-seeking Women: Challenges, changes, choices. Report of a conference organized by the Refugee Council. London: Refugee Council

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Siddiqui, H & Patel, M (2010) Safe & Sane: A Model of Intervention on Domestic Violence and Mental Health, Suicide and Self-harm Amongst Black and Minority Ethnic Women London: Southall Black Sisters Walter, N (2012) The Human Spur to Action on Asylum (news article 29/5/12) The Guardian Newspaper available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/may/29/women-refugee-statistics accessed 20/11/2012 London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM)/Scottish Refugee Council (SRC) (2009) Asylum-seeking Women: violence and health London: LSHTM/SRC

Useful websites
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) UK law and policy http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/crime/violence-against-women-girls/female-genitalmutilation/ Forced Marriage (UK law and policy, information leaflets etc.) http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/when-things-go-wrong/forcedmarriage/ Overview of Methodological Approaches for Action Research http://www.web.ca/robrien/papers/arfinal.html Learning Research and Change Methods http://changemethods.wordpress.com/ 16 Tenets of PAR http://www.caledonia.org.uk/par.htm Social Policy Association Guidelines on Research Ethics: http://www.socialpolicy.org.uk/downloads/SPA_code_ethics_jan09.pdf

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Appendix A
IARS is a leading, international think-tank with a charitable mission to give everyone a chance to forge a safer, fairer and more inclusive society. IARS achieves its charitable aims by producing evidence-based solutions to current social problems, sharing best practice and by supporting young people and the community to shape decision making. IARS is an international expert in restorative justice, human rights and inclusion, citizenship and user-led research.

IARS is known for its robust, independent, evidence-based approach to solving current social problems, and we are considered a pioneer in user-involvement and the application of user-led research methods. IARS delivers its charitable mission:

By carrying out action research that is independent, credible, focused and current By acting as a network that brings people and ideas together, communicates best practice and encourages debates on current social policy matters. By supporting the individual (with an emphasis on young people) to carry out their own initiatives to shape decision making. By being an authoritative, independent and evidence-based voice on current social policy matters.

As an independent, advocacy organization we have a mission to transform young peoples lives by enabling them to have a better future, and participate equally and democratically in civic life. IARS young people learn to inform policies and practices affecting them whether at a local, regional, national or international level. IARS membership is open to anyone who believes in the charitys mission. Membership benefits package:

25% discount to our Annual Conference 1 hard copy per annum of Youth Voice Journal Free membership to the Restorative Justice Research Network 24

25% discount to all our hard copy books and publications including Youth Voice Journal. 1 hard copy of our annual impact report 25% discount of advertising space on our hard and soft copy publications

To become a member:

Email: contact@iars.org.uk

Tel: +44(0) 20 7820 0945

www.iars.org.uk

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