Survivor Researcher Network News

About us

The Survivor Researcher Network (SRN) aims to provide mental health service users and survivors involved and interested in research a forum for networking, sharing information, and supporting each other.

We are keen to acknowledge and promote the diversity of experiences, identities and backgrounds of survivor researchers and to challenge the marginalisation of some communities in mental health research (including user-led research), in terms of access to resources, participation and leadership. 

If you would like to share your experiences of survivor research, or if you have anything you would like to share with other SRN members we would love to hear from you! 

E-mail Emma (or call 07885 964293). 

NSUN's Member Survey 

Help us evaluate our work and shape next year's priorities

We are seeking the views of members and stakeholders in order to evaluate NSUN's work and plan the coming year's priorities.
Your input is really valuable as it will help us to find out what we are doing well and identify the areas that we can improve on as an organisation.
Personal comments will remain anonymous but will be combined with other responses to inform what we do now and in the future.
Your data will be stored until we have completed our annual evaluation work.

We would like to thank you in advance for giving up your time to complete this survey. It will take approximately 10 minutes to complete. The deadline for responses is Friday 26th February 2016.

What is Mad Studies? 

Brigit McWade of Lancaster University introduces the idea of Mad Studies and raises some key questions in her blog: Researching Mad Pride: The Stigma and Violence of Knowledge Production. 

Free Course in "Mad People's History and Identity" at Queen Margaret University

“Mad People’s History and Identity” is a free 5 week (6 weeks including induction) module, open to anyone with experience of mental health issues.

 Topics will include “What is Madness?”, “History of Treatments and Confinement”, “Madness and Gender” and “Activism” and begin to look at mental health and madness as a social, human rights and equalities issue.  

The course will run 10.15 – 3.15 on a Wednesday, starting on 6 April 2016. Find out more on the Mad Studies Network website. 

Disability Studies Conference

Mad Studies Stream - call for papers

Lancaster University, 6 - 8 September 2016   

During the last two years, there have been several events exploring what Mad Studies means, what it might entail in practice in the UK, and what it might offer us in terms of critical scholarship and activism in the field of madness and disability. The Mad Studies stream of this conference will offer further opportunities for discussion, connection, and debate, as well as the possibility of continued collective work. Presentations are welcomed on any topic. 

Traditional academic presentations should be 20 minutes long, please get in touch with Brigit (b.mcwade@lancaster.ac.uk) if you have ideas for a different kind of contribution (such as a film screening, for example).

The deadline for submission is 31st March 2016. More information about the call for papers and how to submit can be found on the call for papers page

Mental Health and Cultural Diversity International Conference - call for papers 

Exploring Transformative Practices and Service Models  

DeMontford University, Leicester 22 - 24 June 2016                            

The aim of this conference is to discuss and debate transformatory practices, appropriate and acceptable services and models from diverse cultural communities around the world.

The conference is for medical, health and social care professionals and service providers. It is also for service commissioners, service users and carers, academics, policy makers, and third sector organisations. All are invited to actively participate in this conference. The topic areas for submission of papers is broad: check the list here and choose your favourite.

Deadline date for submission of abstracts: Sunday, 13 March 2016 – Midnight

Seminar at Wolverhampton University

Hosted by the Institute of Adult Learning, Further and Higher Education and Work-based learning (ALFHEW)

Women and alcohol: challenging stereotypes and putting social learning into practice

Thursday 25th February 2016, 5-6.30 pm (drinks from 4.30 pm), Walsall Campus, WN building, Room 205                            

Dr Patsy Staddon has been a service user and a carer, and is an academic researcher in the field of mental health and addiction. She chairs Bristol’s Women’s Independent Alcohol Support (WIAS) and is a fellow of Plymouth and Wolverhampton Universities. 

Her seminar will look at the way that social disapproval impacts particularly on ‘women who drink’ making it difficult for them to seek help, and how traditional services have seemed helpless to address this while misunderstanding the women’s real needs.

To book: please e-mail fewhevents@wlv.ac.uk                                         

Research and Evaluation Workshop Series

The Institute of Mental Health, University of Nottingham

The final seminars in this workshop series will be taking place in March.  Book your place  by emailing karen.sugars@nottshc.nhs.uk 

Dissemination and Writing for Publication, Tuesday 15 March 9.30 - 12.30                                                                                                                        

This workshop will cover the essentials of writing for publication including: what Editors look for, the review process, styling for a specific journal, how to start your paper so people want to read it and the essentials of a discussion. It is likely to include an exercise reviewing a sample paper. Attenders are encouraged to bring along academic papers they are working on to discuss them.

Fixing your problems in Research and Evaluation, Thurs 24 March 9.30 - 12.30 

Just like Bunyan's story of The Pilgrim's Progress, every step of the research process can have its pitfalls. How you understand problems and deal with them is a key part of the process of making the research work but also improving your research knowledge and expertise.  Attenders are encouraged to bring along their problems, issues and concerns around current or previous research studies to discuss them. This may be particularly valuable for MSc and PhD students.

Launch of Mental Health Research and Innovation Hub Birmingham and Solihull Foundation Trust

On 23 February, Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust will be launching the ‘Mental Health Research and Innovation Hub’ at the National Centre for Mental Health. 

The all day event will showcase the research and innovation work the trust has undertaken in recent years. It will be an opportunity to find out what the trust is doing to provide better care for service users.

For further details, please visit the West Midlands Academic Health Science Network website. 

Please email research.innovation@bsmhft.nhs.uk to secure your place and/or to express an interest in submitting a poster. 

UK Policy Framework for Health and Social Care Research - for consultation 

Background

This new policy framework is aimed at all those responsible for health and social care research in the UK. When finalised, it will replace the current research governance frameworks published by each of the UK health departments.

The UK Policy Framework for Health and Social Care Research has now been issued for public consultation and is available here.

You can respond to the consultation via the online survey here. To help respondents consider and prepare their answers in advance, the consultation questions are also available as a free-standing document here. All responses should be received by 24 March 2016.

You can also find out more and have your say in person at one of the consultation events the HRA is holding for different audiences. 

The Equality and Human Rights Commission

Research Database

The EHRC are responsible for running the Commission's research database. This is a database of researchers, academics, and policy contacts in the UK and in other countries with an interest in equality issues and currently contains more than 2,300 members. It is used to:

• maintain an up-to-date list of contacts;
• store information about individuals' ongoing and recently published research;
• answer internal and external research inquiries; and
• send out quarterly newsletters electronically to all database members. These newsletters publicise EHRC ongoing research projects and provide summaries of our latest research publications.

All EHRC research reports can be downloaded here. The EHRC welcomes new entrants to the research database. If you would like to come on to it, please contact Research@equalityhumanrights.com for further information about the database and to receive the most recent newsletter.

Peter Beresford's latest book 

All our welfare: towards participatory social policy

This book is the first to critique the past, present and future welfare state from a participatory perspective. Peter Beresford demonstrates the value of ‘user knowledge’ by challenging orthodox social policy and the limitations of both Fabian and Neo-liberal perspectives drawing on service users ‘ own ideas and experience.
More informtion here. Paperback price: £23.99 Kindle version £22.79

You can also read Peter's latest blog ' Sex,Violence, Drugs, Death & Lies' here.

The 2nd Annual Conference on Peer-supported Open Dialogue 

Jointly organised by North East London NHS Foundation Trust and the Academy of Peer-supported Open Dialogue.

Monday 25 April, 2016 (10am - 6pm), Logan Hall, 20 Bedford Way, London, WC1H 0AL Click here for more information on the location

At the conference you will hear from the first UK staff trained in Peer-supported Open Dialogue and peers working in Open Dialogue teams across the UK. Click here to read more about the POD approach. 

Tickets for the day conference are donation based - pay as much or as little as you choose, starting at £1. Click here to buy tickets

Funding opportunities

If you are looking for funding for a research project, here are some links you may find useful.

If your bid needs an academic partner, let us know and we can share your request.

Wellcome Trust: Research bursary in humanities and social science

Wellcome Trust: Support for libraries and archives

The Mind Association: Conference grants

Curriers: Bursary for a London-based primary care research project