Public contributor agreement

1. Why we have this agreement

Our HRA Community Ways of Working sets out what you can expect when working with us, and our shared expectations for working together respectfully, inclusively and impactfully. This agreement explains how we work together when you take part in HRA activities.

It helps make sure that:

• everyone feels respected and valued
• roles, responsibilities, expectations and time commitments are clear
• support needs are identified early and met wherever possible
• concerns can be raised early and addressed in a fair and clear way

2. Who's it for

As a public contributor, if you are involved in HRA activities such as workshops, recruitment panels, policy or guidance reviews, or advisory groups, this agreement is for you. It does not replace arrangements for Research Ethics Committee (REC) or Confidentiality Advisory Group (CAG) members. 

3. What to expect from each other

What HRA will do:

• create welcoming spaces both online and in-person where everyone, regardless of their background can be involved and supported to contribute meaningfully
• be clear about your role, the purpose of the activity, set out the skills and experience needed and the expected time commitment
• explain payment and expenses arrangements
• listen to your views and tell you how they influence our work
• protect your personal information and follow data protection law
• offer support, including reasonable adjustments and give you a named contact, usually the activity lead

We ask you to:

• treat everyone with respect and kindness
• join discussions helpfully and value different opinions and experiences
• follow guidance from the meeting chair such as turn-taking, staying on topic and timekeeping at meetings
• let us know early if something is not working so that we can support you

4. How we work together

We will work together respectfully, inclusively and usefully. Everyone involved, including HRA staff and public contributors agrees to:

• speak respectfully and avoid personal attacks or language that treats any individual or group in an unfair way
• avoid harassment, bullying, intimidation or actions that treats any individual or group in an unfair way
• keep confidential information private and use shared materials responsibly
• avoid naming other public contributors, stakeholders or HRA staff outside the meeting without their consent
• be mindful of accessibility needs such as speaking clearly, allowing pauses and using plain language
• use social media responsibly 
• not post content online that could reveal confidential information, identify other people without consent or bring the HRA or others into disrepute

5. Support and accessibility

As set out in our ways of working, we’ll do our best to give you the information you need to take part. If you have any questions about the activity, please feel free to contact the activity lead - they’re here to help. 

We’ll ask about any access needs or support requirements, including requests for reasonable adjustments. If there are adjustments we can’t make, we will explain why and work with you to identify alternative support where possible.

While we’ll do our best to facilitate your involvement, our staff aren’t in a position to provide personal support or advice that is not related to the role or opportunity. 

If your circumstances change, please get in touch with the activity lead. We are here to help where we can and will work with you to find the best way forward, whether that is taking a break, stepping back from activities or exploring alternative involvement with us.

6. Raising concerns

We are committed to providing a professional, fair and courteous environment for involvement. If something goes wrong or does not feel right, please raise a concern as early as possible so that we can address it. 

To raise a concern about an activity, a public contributor, HRA staff, or another stakeholder involved in a multi-stakeholder group, you can:

• speak to your activity lead or the public involvement team
• ask to speak to an alternative contact if the concern involves your named contact
• we aim to resolve issues informally first where appropriate. You can use formal complaints process as set out in section 7
• if you have a concern about HRA staff, your complaints will be managed in accordance with our complaints policy and procedure
• we aim to complete complaints investigations within 25 days. If this timescale is not met, you will be kept informed about the reasons for the delay and the expected timescale for completion

7. What happens if expectations are not met

When taking forward your role as a public contributor, the HRA expects you to support our culture of inclusivity and respect. You can expect this in return in your interactions with other public contributors and HRA staff. 

It is uncommon for expectations not to be met. When they do, everyone involved has a shared responsibility to communicate in a way which is helpful and respectful. This helps us maintain an environment in which all individuals feel supported and valued for who they are and what they bring.

7.1 If a staff member’s actions do not meet expectations

Public contributors should feel able and supported to raise concerns. You may pause or end your involvement at any time if you feel uncomfortable.

If a concern is raised about a staff member, agreed HRA policies on staff conduct will be followed. This process usually takes 20 working days. We will explain the process and where appropriate, provide you with a written explanation of the outcome.

7.2 If a public contributor’s actions do not meet expectations

We prefer to resolve issues informally and as quickly as possible. Informal options may include:

• a one-to-one conversation to explain the issue and its impact, and to agree on what needs to change
• a facilitated conversation supported by an HRA colleague with appropriate informal facilitation skills to help keep the discussion respectful and focused on solutions
• providing additional guidance or support where this would help

If an issue is more serious such as, harassment, discrimination, or a confidentiality breach, or if informal steps do not resolve it, we may use a formal process:

• a HRA manager who has not been involved in the situation will review the concern to establish the facts
• we will explain the process, what information we need, and how we will keep you informed
• we may pause your involvement temporarily if needed while we review the issue or agree a plan. We will tell you what the pause means for you and when you will hear from us next

When the review is complete: 

• if we do not uphold the concern, we will write to everyone involved with the outcome and any learning 
• if we uphold the concern, we will invite you to a meeting to discuss the findings and next steps

Participation may end if:

• actions do not improve after support has been offered and expectations are clear
• there is a serious breach such as harassment, discrimination, confidentiality breach
• we decide to end your involvement following a fair, proportionate and well documented process.

If your involvement ends, we will write to explain the decision. You may ask questions or respond. You will not be invited to take part in any future public involvement activity with the HRA.

Your rights and support during this process

During this process you can:

• ask questions at any time and request a different contact if needed
• bring someone to support you in meetings
• where a decision is made to pause your involvement with the HRA pending the outcome of an ongoing investigation, you will be paid for the activities you were involved in before the decision was made. No payment will be made for activities already scheduled but not yet undertaken.
• we will explain the expected timeframes of any investigation and keep you informed throughout

7.3 Appeals process

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of a formal process and the decision would significantly affect your ability to continue your involvement with the HRA, you may request an appeal. This helps ensure fairness, transparency, and trust in how issues are managed. 

How to appeal

To request an appeal, you should:

• submit your request for an appeal via email to the public involvement team within 20 working days of receiving the outcome
• explain why you are appealing, such as important information not being considered or the process outlined was not followed

What happens next

After you submit an appeal, we will do the following:

• a HRA manager who was not involved in the original review will consider your appeal
• they may speak with you and others involved to better understand the situation
• they will review whether the process was fair and whether the decision was reasonable and proportionate

Outcome of an appeal

Following the appeal:

• you will receive a clear written explanation of the appeal decision
• the appeal decision will be final
• where appropriate, we will outline further support available to help everyone move forward positively

8. Conflict of interest

Please tell us immediately before or at the start of any activity if you believe you may have any interest, relationship or involvement that could affect, or could appear to affect, your contribution to this activity. We will review this with you and agree any action needed. This may include recording the interest, limiting access to information or asking you not to take part in all or part of the activity.

9. Data protection and your privacy

As a public contributor we may share personal and confidential information with you. For example, this could include application forms and CVs, references and psychometric profiles if you are invited to support recruitment activity. Any personal or confidential information shared with you must be managed appropriately. This means information should be kept confidential, secure, not shared any further and destroyed or deleted once your involvement has concluded.

We only collect the personal data we need to manage your involvement. Your information is stored securely and used in line with our privacy notice and data protection law. Please see the HRA privacy statement for more information.

10. Keeping it up to date

We will review this agreement regularly with input from contributors and colleagues. We will publish updates and explain what has changed and why.

11. Saying yes to this agreement

You can agree to the contents of this document by electronic signature or written confirmation. If you need it in a different format, please tell your activity lead.

By signing this agreement, you are confirming that you have read and understood it. This does not mean that you are employed by the HRA, and it does not create a contract of employment, does not make you an employee, worker, agent or partner, and does not allow either side to make legal commitments for the other.