Background in applied social policy research and evaluation, as well as developing and delivering training and workshops with professionals and children and young people. Research interests: qualitative and participative research methods, research with children and young people, health, public health and social care, participation and public involvement. PhD (2017) on children and young people's participation in health services and research. Phone: 07380 529001
A report on Generation R, a national Young Person’s Advisory Group, identified the need “to devel... more A report on Generation R, a national Young Person’s Advisory Group, identified the need “to develop a systematic way to measure the impact of [young people’s] involvement activities”. Following previous unsuccessful attempts to address this issue, the James Lind Initiative commissioned this project to investigate the feasibility of measuring young people’s involvement in National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) studies. The project sought to identify data currently collected on the nature and impact of young people’s involvement by the NIHR Clinical Research Network: Children (CRN Children), and consider the scope for future data collection across NIHR.
Louca-Mai Brady is currently using action research to explore participation in health and social ... more Louca-Mai Brady is currently using action research to explore participation in health and social care service, as part of her doctoral research. In this seminar she will explore what it means to ‘embed’ children and young people’s participation in health and social care services and discuss some of the issues emerging from her research and a number of related workshops. Attendees will also have an opportunity to contribute to this on-going work by reflecting on their own knowledge and experience of children and young people’s participation in health and social care
We’re all very aware of including young people in our clinical work – it’s why we’re in child hea... more We’re all very aware of including young people in our clinical work – it’s why we’re in child health – but what about making it happen in research? This blog post by Louca-Mai Brady, a researcher working in the field of CYP’s participation in health services and research, and NIHR INVOLVE advisory group member, briefly outlines why this matters and how it could be taken forward. http://blogs.bmj.com/adc/2015/01/06/guest-blog-involving-children-and-young-people-in-health-and-social-care-research-the-need-for-a-new-perspective/
In this chapter the authors discuss the involvement of children and young people in social care w... more In this chapter the authors discuss the involvement of children and young people in social care within the wider context of children’s participation and rights, and models of child participation. They then outline how a focus on children’s rights has, to some extent, been reflected in increasing interest in children and young people’s involvement in research, both as participants (or research ‘subjects’) and through their active involvement in the research process, presenting a model for involvement developed by the NCB Research Centre. The practical implications of this model for social care research are then explored through case studies of three NCB Research Centre projects: involving young people in public health research; evaluating the Youth4U Young Inspectors programme with a team of young evaluators; and involving young people in a study exploring why children who have been in care are disproportionately likely to be remanded or sentenced to custody. In the final section the...
This workshop is organised by invoNET (http://www.invo.org.uk/invonet/) to debate: • what do we m... more This workshop is organised by invoNET (http://www.invo.org.uk/invonet/) to debate: • what do we mean by the 'evidence base' on nature, extent and impact of public involvement in research? • who are we trying to influence with this evidence? • what are the purposes of the evidence base on public involvement in research? What could and should the evidence be used for? • what is lacking in the existing evidence base in order to fulfil the purposes identified? (For example, are we looking for evidence on impact on the research, evidence on what does and does not work, information in relation to particular groups and types of research including social care and health research). • What are the next steps in building the evidence base?
While patient and public involvement (PPI) in health and social care research has progressed succ... more While patient and public involvement (PPI) in health and social care research has progressed successfully in the last decade, a range of difficulties with the evidence base exist, including poor understanding of the concept of impact, limited theorization and an ...
While patient and public involvement (PPI) in health and social care research has progressed succ... more While patient and public involvement (PPI) in health and social care research has progressed successfully in the last decade, a range of difficulties with the evidence base exist, including poor understanding of the concept of impact, limited theorization and an ...
ABSTRACT Research commissioned by Play England exploring the extent to which young children, from... more ABSTRACT Research commissioned by Play England exploring the extent to which young children, from birth to five years old, are involved in physically active play whilst in early childhood provision. Through observation and a literature review the research explores factors in the child’s environment, relationships with others and adult attitudes that affect the extent to which children attending provision play in physically active ways.
Background
Arguments supporting the involvement of users in research have even more weight when i... more Background Arguments supporting the involvement of users in research have even more weight when involving the public in systematic reviews of research. We aimed to explore the potential for public involvement in systematic reviews of observational and qualitative studies.
Methods Two consultative workshops were carried out with a group of young people (YP) aged 12–17 years to examine two ongoing reviews about obesity: one about children's views and one on the link between obesity and educational attainment. YP were invited to comment on the credibility of themes, to propose elements of interventions, to suggest links between educational attainment and obesity and to comment on their plausibility.
Results Researchers had more confidence in review findings, after checking that themes identified as important by YP were emphasised appropriately. Researchers were able to use factors linking obesity and attainment identified as important by YP to identify limitations in the scope of extant research.
Conclusion Consultative workshops helped researchers draw on the perspectives of YP when interpreting and reflecting upon two systematic reviews. Involving users in judging synthesis credibility and identifying concepts was easier than involving them in interpreting findings. Involvement activities for reviews should be designed with review stage, purpose and group in mind
ABSTRACT Drawing on contributions from user activists and academic researchers, this topical read... more ABSTRACT Drawing on contributions from user activists and academic researchers, this topical reader provides a critical stock take of the state of user involvement. It considers different contexts in which such involvement is taking place and includes diverse and sometimes conflicting perspectives on the issues involved. This chapter considers the legislative and policy context for children and young people's participation in the UK, and how this relates to the evidence base for their involvement in research. We then examine a project which supported young people to contribute to public health research, and consider the lessons for the involvement of children and young people in research and policy, with contributions from three young people who were involved.
Whilst there is growing awareness of the case for children and young people’s participation acros... more Whilst there is growing awareness of the case for children and young people’s participation across the public sector, there is limited evidence on how this apparent commitment to participation and children’s rights translates into professional practice and young people’s experience of participation in health services and research. Participation in health tends to be driven by a public involvement and engagement agenda rather than discourses of participatory practice. Young people’s views are still not consistently sought or acknowledged within healthcare settings; they are rarely involved in decision-making processes and often occupy a marginalized position in healthcare encounters. In addition to the piecemeal approach to participation in health services there have also been disparities in the characteristics of young people likely to participate, the types of decisions they are involved in making, and the extent to which this participation is meaningful and effective. This study drew on theories of participation and childhood, and considered how these were informed by debates around children’s rights, citizenship and agency in relation to young people’s participation in health services and research. Using a participative research approach informed by an action research methodology, the study sought to explore how participation was understood and operationalised in two case studies: a community children’s health partnership and a randomised controlled feasibility trial. Through working collaboratively with adults and young people in these case studies, and informed by a wider process of collaborative inquiry, the study sought to build capacity through learning to inform the embedding of participation. This study found that participation in health services and research was still conceptualised primarily as adult-initiated, context-specific collective participation in formal settings which potentially excludes some of the young people most likely to use health services and limits the potential for fundamental change. The learning from the study identified the potential for new approaches which would do more to transfer power to young people, and informed a rights-based framework for embedding participation in practice.
A report on Generation R, a national Young Person’s Advisory Group, identified the need “to devel... more A report on Generation R, a national Young Person’s Advisory Group, identified the need “to develop a systematic way to measure the impact of [young people’s] involvement activities”. Following previous unsuccessful attempts to address this issue, the James Lind Initiative commissioned this project to investigate the feasibility of measuring young people’s involvement in National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) studies. The project sought to identify data currently collected on the nature and impact of young people’s involvement by the NIHR Clinical Research Network: Children (CRN Children), and consider the scope for future data collection across NIHR.
Louca-Mai Brady is currently using action research to explore participation in health and social ... more Louca-Mai Brady is currently using action research to explore participation in health and social care service, as part of her doctoral research. In this seminar she will explore what it means to ‘embed’ children and young people’s participation in health and social care services and discuss some of the issues emerging from her research and a number of related workshops. Attendees will also have an opportunity to contribute to this on-going work by reflecting on their own knowledge and experience of children and young people’s participation in health and social care
We’re all very aware of including young people in our clinical work – it’s why we’re in child hea... more We’re all very aware of including young people in our clinical work – it’s why we’re in child health – but what about making it happen in research? This blog post by Louca-Mai Brady, a researcher working in the field of CYP’s participation in health services and research, and NIHR INVOLVE advisory group member, briefly outlines why this matters and how it could be taken forward. http://blogs.bmj.com/adc/2015/01/06/guest-blog-involving-children-and-young-people-in-health-and-social-care-research-the-need-for-a-new-perspective/
In this chapter the authors discuss the involvement of children and young people in social care w... more In this chapter the authors discuss the involvement of children and young people in social care within the wider context of children’s participation and rights, and models of child participation. They then outline how a focus on children’s rights has, to some extent, been reflected in increasing interest in children and young people’s involvement in research, both as participants (or research ‘subjects’) and through their active involvement in the research process, presenting a model for involvement developed by the NCB Research Centre. The practical implications of this model for social care research are then explored through case studies of three NCB Research Centre projects: involving young people in public health research; evaluating the Youth4U Young Inspectors programme with a team of young evaluators; and involving young people in a study exploring why children who have been in care are disproportionately likely to be remanded or sentenced to custody. In the final section the...
This workshop is organised by invoNET (http://www.invo.org.uk/invonet/) to debate: • what do we m... more This workshop is organised by invoNET (http://www.invo.org.uk/invonet/) to debate: • what do we mean by the 'evidence base' on nature, extent and impact of public involvement in research? • who are we trying to influence with this evidence? • what are the purposes of the evidence base on public involvement in research? What could and should the evidence be used for? • what is lacking in the existing evidence base in order to fulfil the purposes identified? (For example, are we looking for evidence on impact on the research, evidence on what does and does not work, information in relation to particular groups and types of research including social care and health research). • What are the next steps in building the evidence base?
While patient and public involvement (PPI) in health and social care research has progressed succ... more While patient and public involvement (PPI) in health and social care research has progressed successfully in the last decade, a range of difficulties with the evidence base exist, including poor understanding of the concept of impact, limited theorization and an ...
While patient and public involvement (PPI) in health and social care research has progressed succ... more While patient and public involvement (PPI) in health and social care research has progressed successfully in the last decade, a range of difficulties with the evidence base exist, including poor understanding of the concept of impact, limited theorization and an ...
ABSTRACT Research commissioned by Play England exploring the extent to which young children, from... more ABSTRACT Research commissioned by Play England exploring the extent to which young children, from birth to five years old, are involved in physically active play whilst in early childhood provision. Through observation and a literature review the research explores factors in the child’s environment, relationships with others and adult attitudes that affect the extent to which children attending provision play in physically active ways.
Background
Arguments supporting the involvement of users in research have even more weight when i... more Background Arguments supporting the involvement of users in research have even more weight when involving the public in systematic reviews of research. We aimed to explore the potential for public involvement in systematic reviews of observational and qualitative studies.
Methods Two consultative workshops were carried out with a group of young people (YP) aged 12–17 years to examine two ongoing reviews about obesity: one about children's views and one on the link between obesity and educational attainment. YP were invited to comment on the credibility of themes, to propose elements of interventions, to suggest links between educational attainment and obesity and to comment on their plausibility.
Results Researchers had more confidence in review findings, after checking that themes identified as important by YP were emphasised appropriately. Researchers were able to use factors linking obesity and attainment identified as important by YP to identify limitations in the scope of extant research.
Conclusion Consultative workshops helped researchers draw on the perspectives of YP when interpreting and reflecting upon two systematic reviews. Involving users in judging synthesis credibility and identifying concepts was easier than involving them in interpreting findings. Involvement activities for reviews should be designed with review stage, purpose and group in mind
ABSTRACT Drawing on contributions from user activists and academic researchers, this topical read... more ABSTRACT Drawing on contributions from user activists and academic researchers, this topical reader provides a critical stock take of the state of user involvement. It considers different contexts in which such involvement is taking place and includes diverse and sometimes conflicting perspectives on the issues involved. This chapter considers the legislative and policy context for children and young people's participation in the UK, and how this relates to the evidence base for their involvement in research. We then examine a project which supported young people to contribute to public health research, and consider the lessons for the involvement of children and young people in research and policy, with contributions from three young people who were involved.
Whilst there is growing awareness of the case for children and young people’s participation acros... more Whilst there is growing awareness of the case for children and young people’s participation across the public sector, there is limited evidence on how this apparent commitment to participation and children’s rights translates into professional practice and young people’s experience of participation in health services and research. Participation in health tends to be driven by a public involvement and engagement agenda rather than discourses of participatory practice. Young people’s views are still not consistently sought or acknowledged within healthcare settings; they are rarely involved in decision-making processes and often occupy a marginalized position in healthcare encounters. In addition to the piecemeal approach to participation in health services there have also been disparities in the characteristics of young people likely to participate, the types of decisions they are involved in making, and the extent to which this participation is meaningful and effective. This study drew on theories of participation and childhood, and considered how these were informed by debates around children’s rights, citizenship and agency in relation to young people’s participation in health services and research. Using a participative research approach informed by an action research methodology, the study sought to explore how participation was understood and operationalised in two case studies: a community children’s health partnership and a randomised controlled feasibility trial. Through working collaboratively with adults and young people in these case studies, and informed by a wider process of collaborative inquiry, the study sought to build capacity through learning to inform the embedding of participation. This study found that participation in health services and research was still conceptualised primarily as adult-initiated, context-specific collective participation in formal settings which potentially excludes some of the young people most likely to use health services and limits the potential for fundamental change. The learning from the study identified the potential for new approaches which would do more to transfer power to young people, and informed a rights-based framework for embedding participation in practice.
Uploads
The project sought to identify data currently collected on the nature and impact of young people’s involvement by the NIHR Clinical Research Network: Children (CRN Children), and consider the scope for future data collection across NIHR.
Arguments supporting the involvement of users in research have even more weight when involving the public in systematic reviews of research. We aimed to explore the potential for public involvement in systematic reviews of observational and qualitative studies.
Methods
Two consultative workshops were carried out with a group of young people (YP) aged 12–17 years to examine two ongoing reviews about obesity: one about children's views and one on the link between obesity and educational attainment. YP were invited to comment on the credibility of themes, to propose elements of interventions, to suggest links between educational attainment and obesity and to comment on their plausibility.
Results
Researchers had more confidence in review findings, after checking that themes identified as important by YP were emphasised appropriately. Researchers were able to use factors linking obesity and attainment identified as important by YP to identify limitations in the scope of extant research.
Conclusion
Consultative workshops helped researchers draw on the perspectives of YP when interpreting and reflecting upon two systematic reviews. Involving users in judging synthesis credibility and identifying concepts was easier than involving them in interpreting findings. Involvement activities for reviews should be designed with review stage, purpose and group in mind
This study drew on theories of participation and childhood, and considered how these were informed by debates around children’s rights, citizenship and agency in relation to young people’s participation in health services and research. Using a participative research approach informed by an action research methodology, the study sought to explore how participation was understood and operationalised in two case studies: a community children’s health partnership and a randomised controlled feasibility trial. Through working collaboratively with adults and young people in these case studies, and informed by a wider process of collaborative inquiry, the study sought to build capacity through learning to inform the embedding of participation.
This study found that participation in health services and research was still conceptualised primarily as adult-initiated, context-specific collective participation in formal settings which potentially excludes some of the young people most likely to use health services and limits the potential for fundamental change. The learning from the study identified the potential for new approaches which would do more to transfer power to young people, and informed a rights-based framework for embedding participation in practice.
The project sought to identify data currently collected on the nature and impact of young people’s involvement by the NIHR Clinical Research Network: Children (CRN Children), and consider the scope for future data collection across NIHR.
Arguments supporting the involvement of users in research have even more weight when involving the public in systematic reviews of research. We aimed to explore the potential for public involvement in systematic reviews of observational and qualitative studies.
Methods
Two consultative workshops were carried out with a group of young people (YP) aged 12–17 years to examine two ongoing reviews about obesity: one about children's views and one on the link between obesity and educational attainment. YP were invited to comment on the credibility of themes, to propose elements of interventions, to suggest links between educational attainment and obesity and to comment on their plausibility.
Results
Researchers had more confidence in review findings, after checking that themes identified as important by YP were emphasised appropriately. Researchers were able to use factors linking obesity and attainment identified as important by YP to identify limitations in the scope of extant research.
Conclusion
Consultative workshops helped researchers draw on the perspectives of YP when interpreting and reflecting upon two systematic reviews. Involving users in judging synthesis credibility and identifying concepts was easier than involving them in interpreting findings. Involvement activities for reviews should be designed with review stage, purpose and group in mind
This study drew on theories of participation and childhood, and considered how these were informed by debates around children’s rights, citizenship and agency in relation to young people’s participation in health services and research. Using a participative research approach informed by an action research methodology, the study sought to explore how participation was understood and operationalised in two case studies: a community children’s health partnership and a randomised controlled feasibility trial. Through working collaboratively with adults and young people in these case studies, and informed by a wider process of collaborative inquiry, the study sought to build capacity through learning to inform the embedding of participation.
This study found that participation in health services and research was still conceptualised primarily as adult-initiated, context-specific collective participation in formal settings which potentially excludes some of the young people most likely to use health services and limits the potential for fundamental change. The learning from the study identified the potential for new approaches which would do more to transfer power to young people, and informed a rights-based framework for embedding participation in practice.