Volunteering in Mental Health Care for People with Psychosis (VOLUME4)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Volunteering in Mental Health Care for People with Psychosis (VOLUME4 - WP4)
IRAS ID
140159
Contact name
Stefan Priebe
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Queen Mary University of London
Research summary
In the UK we have a long tradition of charitable or voluntary activities within the community. When working within the health service with people who have mental health difficulties, voluntary schemes that offer support to people with mental health difficulties through activities that fall outside of what is possible within NHS services should be of particular interest to mental health professionals. Befriending schemes are one such activity, in which people from the community volunteer to spend time in a voluntary capacity with people who have mental health difficulties. Volunteers aid these individuals by facilitating participation in the everyday activities that may constitute a social life and inclusion within the community. There are many such schemes, facilitated both through NHS organisations and through the 3rd sector, but there is little research examining how best to organise these schemes and how to appropriately support both volunteers and people with mental health difficulties that participate in them. In the research described in this proposal we plan to interview befriender volunteers and befriending recipients to;
• Explore their experiences
• Identify what makes a good befriending relationship
• Conceptualise how such a relationship could be best supported by scheme organisers.We also plan to audio or video record a naturally occurring befriending session between the volunteer and befriendee to explore how elements of the interaction may contribute to a successful or unsuccessful befriending relationship.
This research is a component part of a larger research programme funded by the NIHR, and the results will be fed into the development of an ‘ideal’ befriending scheme that could be utilised through NHS services. This scheme will be trialed at a later stage in the research program and would require a separate IRAS application.
REC name
London - City & East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/LO/1790
Date of REC Opinion
3 Feb 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion