Research that works with people, not just about them.
We combine methodological rigour with a genuine commitment to the people at the centre of every project. Whether we are designing a study, evaluating an intervention, facilitating a workshop, co-producing knowledge with communities, or training a research team, the approach is the same: clear, honest and grounded in lived experience. We work across five areas.
Qualitative research design and delivery.
Good qualitative research asks the right questions, reaches the right people, and produces findings that decision-makers can act on. We design and deliver qualitative studies for charities, public bodies, academic institutions and international organisations, from initial design through to final write-up.
We specialise in research with communities that are often underrepresented in mainstream research: migrants, sanctuary seekers, survivors of trafficking, and people affected by health inequalities. We use a range of methods including in-depth interviews, walking interviews, focus groups, ethnography and secondary analysis.
Every project is designed with the end user in mind, whether that is a charity board, a policy team, a clinical audience or the communities themselves.
Participatory and co-produced evaluation.
Evaluation works best when the people it is about are involved in shaping what gets measured. We design and deliver evaluations that go beyond tick-box compliance, producing evidence that organisations can learn from and funders find credible.
We use co-produced indicators developed with the people your organisation works with, so the evaluation reflects what actually matters to them rather than what is easiest to count. Methods include qualitative interviews, focus groups, photovoice, and mixed-method approaches combining quantitative and qualitative data.
We work with charities, local authorities and international organisations evaluating programmes in health, social care, migration and community development.
Workshops, training and consensus processes.
We design and facilitate workshops, training sessions and community processes that bring people together around difficult questions. We are experienced working across difference, with communities, practitioners, policymakers and researchers in the same room.
We offer workshops and facilitated processes on qualitative and creative research methods, participatory approaches, global health and decoloniality. We also facilitate stakeholder events, consensus processes and co-design workshops for organisations that need to make decisions with their communities rather than for them.
Our facilitation is grounded in research: every session is designed to produce something useful, whether that is a set of agreed principles, a shared evidence base, or a room full of people who understand each other better than when they arrived.
Community partners embedded throughout.
Co-production means more than consultation. It means involving the people your work affects as genuine partners, in designing the questions, choosing the methods, interpreting the findings, and shaping the outputs.
We have extensive experience of co-produced research and knowledge projects, including work with survivors of trafficking, sanctuary seekers, young people affected by violence, and communities facing health inequalities. We train and supervise peer researchers with lived experience, support organisations to build participatory practice, and develop co-produced outputs, from research reports to creative anthologies to ethics frameworks.
Done well, co-production produces better research and builds the capacity of the communities involved. It also tends to produce findings that land harder with the audiences that need to hear them.
Bespoke training for research teams and organisations.
We deliver bespoke training for research teams, academic institutions and organisations looking to strengthen their qualitative, participatory and creative research practice. Training is tailored to the audience, from introductory sessions through to advanced programmes for experienced researchers.
Programmes delivered include training on qualitative research in trials, participatory approaches, creative methods, and meaningful impact. We have delivered training at UK universities and internationally.
What we bring to every project.
Whatever the method or context, three things stay consistent across all our work.
- RigourWe take research quality seriously. Methods are chosen because they fit the question, not because they are familiar or convenient.
- RespectFor the people at the centre of every project, for the complexity of the questions we are asked to investigate, and for the organisations trusting us with their work.
- UsefulnessFindings are only valuable if they reach the people who need them. Every project ends with outputs designed for the audience that matters most.