Supporting Sexualities and Genders: A Co-production Study v1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The supporting sexualities and genders study: improving personal support for young adults who employ personal assistants
IRAS ID
284704
Contact name
Edmund A Coleman-Fountain
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Northumbria at Newcastle
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 5 months, 31 days
Research summary
Young disabled adults have intimate and personal support needs related to sexuality and gender. We do not know much about how young disabled adults go about getting this support from personal assistants (PAs), or if PAs see it as part of their job. \n\nTo help improve social care for young disabled adults, it is important that we find out about these experiences, and explore ways to ensure these aspects of their lives are fulfilled.\n\nThis research will:\n1. Explore young disabled adults’ (aged 18-30) views and experiences on how the need for personal and intimate support related to sexuality and gender affects their relationships and experiences of employing PAs; \n2. Explore ways to make PAs and social care services more aware of young disabled adults’ gender and sexuality related support needs;\n3. Create information and support resources for young disabled adults and PAs that can help PAs in their role, and disabled young adults to manage their support arrangements.\n\nThe research will comprises two main methods of data collection:\n\na) In-depth interviews, facilitated by creative activities, to explore young disabled adults’ experiences around seeking gender and sexuality-related support from their PA(s). \n\nb) Focus groups and online group discussions to investigate PAs’ knowledge, understandings and advice and support needs around providing gender and sexuality-related support. We will also interview other social care professionals to hear their views. \n\nIn addition, the research will explore how co-production can be used to develop resources with young disabled adults that can inform and up-skill young support users and PAs about sexuality and gender related support. Ethics approval for the co-production activities that will aim to answer this secondary research question will be sought at a later stage.
REC name
Social Care REC
REC reference
21/IEC08/0007
Date of REC Opinion
6 May 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion