Memory People (1): Evaluation of a social enteprise
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Memory People: Independent evaluation of a social enterprise, co-led by people with learning disabilities, to develop life story resources for people with communication and memory difficulties
IRAS ID
277813
Contact name
K Bunning
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of East Anglia
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 3 months, 29 days
Research summary
The proposed study is about an independent evaluation addressing the development of a co-user led social enterprise called ‘Memory People (1)’, staffed by people with learning disabilities and support staff. The mission of Memory People is to develop tangible, creative resources (such as memory boxes) for use by children and adults with communication and memory difficulties so they might take ownership of their personal histories. The beneficiaries of the social enterprise will be people who have difficulty recalling memories that are significant to their sense of identity or people who have difficulty communicating those memories. The potential beneficiaries will form the focus of a second proposal (Memory People 2) which will seek separate ethical approval at a later date. It is proposed to carry out an independent evaluation of processes and outcomes connected to this development project, focusing on the social enterprise team (Memory People 1), which is made up of people with learning disabilities and their support staff without learning disabilities. The evaluation will employ mixed methods at an assessment point in each of the 3 years of the project. The methods include: semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, review and analysis of progress records completed by the host organisation.
REC name
Social Care REC
REC reference
20/IEC08/0001
Date of REC Opinion
7 Apr 2020
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion