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FOCUS GROUPS WITH MINORITY ETHNIC COMMUNITIES

Annex One Lessons Learned: Practice And Processes

The following discussion draws on the experiences of conducting research with minority ethnic communities in this study. The appendix discusses the lessons learned and offers practical suggestions as to good practice guidance ²⁶. The issues of practice and process in the research are presented as follows:

• The Role of Organisations and Community Groups
  • Gatekeeping
  • Research fatigue
  • Requests for payment
• The Question of White Researchers
• The Role of the Assistant Facilitator
• Language: Translation and Use of Interpreters
• Focus Groups
  • Mixed gender groups
  • Mixed ethnicity groups
  • Choosing appropriate venues and times

The Role of Organisations and Community Groups

To a large degree the ability and willingness of minority ethnic community organisations and groups to work along side the consultants influenced the success of this survey. Blake Stevenson contacted a wide range of organisations in the four geographical areas with a view to assisting us to identify and contact members of the different communities and interest groups.

Advice was sought from relevant contacts and from the research Advisory Group about whom to contact. Each contact was then followed up by a letter and accompanying literature explaining the background and purpose of the research. On some occasions, where appropriate or where specifically requested, the consultants visited the organisation to explain the research in greater detail and to address any questions people had.

The majority of responses from organisations were positive in that they were able and willing to assist in the research. Some organisations were unable to assist due to financial, time or practical constraints. Overall, this was a positive and successful approach which facilitated partnership working and the successful inclusion of some groups who are hard to reach or traditionally absent from consultations.

Gatekeeping

A particular issue which emerged from this approach of working in partnership with organisations who represent minority ethnic communities is gatekeeping. This is a situation where organisations, projects and their staff may inadvertently limit participation and exclude sections of minority ethnic communities. By acting as gatekeepers to communities and individuals they have the potential to make decisions on behalf of their clients and communities without actually consulting them.

Research fatigue

Another barrier to participation of organisations and individuals was the issue of 'research fatigue'. This was alluded to by staff both in organisations who did or did not participate in the review. It is important to bear in mind that a considerable amount of research about minority ethnic groups has been and continues to be conducted both at local and national level. Blake Stevenson encountered a strong sense that sufficient research had already taken place and, significantly, that little practical action or outcomes had come about as a result of this.

The question of 'research fatigue' needs, however, to be balanced with a consideration of how many people from minority ethnic communities have actually participated directly in the research and in particular how many people at the grass roots level have the opportunity to articulate their experiences.

The experience of Blake Stevenson is that most members of minority ethnic communities know about research that has been carried out and the results of the studies. However, few of the focus group participants had actually ever taken part in a research project or been consulted with. The lesson learned here is the importance of clarity over the purpose of research and the potential outcomes and of the importance of a comprehensive dissemination strategy.

Requests for payment

A further issue faced by Blake Stevenson during this consultation was the request for payments from organisations. Such payments could take two forms. In the first instance a request for payment by organisations to participate and to cover costs such as staff time, sending letters, contacting potential focus groups participants and so on. The second situation was requests for direct payment for focus group participants to attend sessions.

The question of payment raises practical and ethical concerns in the context of this type of research and for agencies such as the Scottish Executive. Payment for participating in a focus group is a strong incentive but can encourage people to attend but without being willing to contribute to the group. A decision was taken by the Scottish Executive not to make direct payments to participants in this study but to reimburse for out of pocket expenses including childcare and transport.

The payment of organisations is a more complex issue as many of the organisations and projects approached are publicly funded and as part of their remit funded to facilitate the inclusion of minority ethnic communities. This raises the ethical question of whether public funds (however indirectly) can be provided via an additional route. On one occasion, when a request for payment was declined, organisations and the groups they represented decided not to participate in the research, further highlighting issues around the gatekeeping role of organisations.

In the main however, the research was successfully completed with the generosity of everyone concerned in terms of time, resources and effort.

The Question of White Researchers

The question of using white researchers to research predominately Black and Asian minority ethnic groups was raised during the review and requires serious consideration.

While it is true that White researchers cannot fully know the exact experiences of Black and Asian members of the community, it would be inaccurate and unhelpful to argue that there is no common ground between the two. Researchers and their subjects may well share a variety of experiences, from parenting to education to health. While experiences may not be identical there must be some acknowledgement of commonality. It would also be unfair to argue that white researchers do not necessarily have direct experiences of discrimination, whether this is on the basis of gender, age, disability, sexual orientation or religion.

A single emphasis on skin colour does not take into account the ethnic and cultural differences that exist within white ethnic groups themselves. One example of such differences is in relation to Gypsy Travellers. Sharing the same skin colour does not guarantee shared culture or experiences. In common with many research consultants, Blake Stevenson have worked with a variety of groups including drug users, homeless persons and offenders. The fact that researchers do not have direct experience of these issues does not disbar them from researching these client groups.

The role of the consultant and researcher demands a degree of professional expertise and objectivity. This takes training and experience and is not determined by ethnicity or any other characteristic. In order to add to this expertise however, and to add more local knowledge to the interpretation and analysis, Blake Stevenson recruited a number of assistant facilitators from the local communities. All of the assistants recruited were knowledgeable about local minority ethnic groups either by being part of or working with these communities. Our primary concern was to recruit suitable candidates rather than to match assistant facilitator's ethnicity to the ethnicity of the group. All of the assistant facilitators worked with ethnically diverse groups, thus suggesting subjects and researchers do not have to be ethnically matched. In the majority of cases, however, the assistant was from a minority ethnic community.

Whilst this approach helped to address the issue of White researcher it is crucial to note that the assistants were recruited for their skills and experience and that membership of a minority ethnic group does not in itself guarantee competency in carrying out this type of research.

The Role of the Assistant Facilitator

A total of five assistant facilitators were recruited on the basis of the following criteria:

• A knowledge of the local area, context and associated issues affecting Minority Ethnic Communities
• A knowledge of the different services available, especially those focused on Minority Ethnic Communities
• The ability to engage and interact with members of different communities
• Available during working and out side working hours

Training sessions were then held to outline the aims and objectives of the review, the purpose of the focus groups, the technical issues and the expected individual contribution.

Part of the facilitators' role was to write up notes on the focus group. The advantage of this approach was that it enriched the data collection and so contributed the research process as a whole. A 'de-briefing' session was held after each focus group that allowed the facilitator and assistant facilitators to reflect on the process and content of the focus group.

There were a significant number of benefits to be derived from the use of assistant facilitators. Of particular benefit was their knowledge of the local area, services and issues affecting the community. However, arguably of more importance was the ability to facilitate the discussion, to be inclusive and to remain objective.

Achieving a balance between local knowledge and facilitation skills has the potential to be problematic. If an individual is well known or works with the local community their knowledge is of benefit to the focus group. However, working and living in the local community also has the potential to make objective facilitation of the discussion difficult. Being known by the community could also present a challenge to the assistant facilitator in maintaining their distance from the group.

Examples of 'best practice' were achieved when the assistant facilitator was able to establish themselves as known to the group but for the purpose of the discussion, external to the group. The function of the role was also enhanced when there was an opportunity for the assistant facilitator to participate in several focus groups over a period of time

Language: translation and the use of interpreters

There are several aspects of language use that were significant in relation to this research:

• Language barriers are not simply about an inability to speak, for example, English. While many focus group participants did have a basic knowledge and understanding of English, their preference was to use their 'main' or 'first' language because they felt more confident doing so. For this reason, it should not be assumed that because a person appears to be comfortable and fluent in their use of English that an interpreter is not required.
• Speaking any language on a day to day basis is qualitatively different from being able to understand technical or conceptually complex language. For the purposes of this review participants were given a written list of issues to read or to be translated. Although every effort was made to present these issues in simple terms (social inclusion for instance was described as 'being included in all aspects of society') such concepts are, arguably, not part of everyday language for lay people. Therefore, good practice indicates that thought should be given to using simple, non-technical and readily understandable language.
• Language is bound up with culture. Therefore, it is important to appreciate different methods of communication and patterns of speech. For example, in many Asian cultures the main point or purpose of the conversation is approached via a detailed contextualisation. In contrast, Northern European speech usually begins by addressing the main point or purpose of the conversation and then provides a justification. These contrasting patterns of speech can lead to, at best confusion, or at worst offence and frustration. If a facilitator feels that a participant is not addressing the point in question, they can feel frustrated as if the person is avoiding the issue. Finally, by the time the point of the conversation is reached, the facilitator may miss its significance, having mentally moved on.
• Blake Stevenson commissioned translations of the topic schedules for use by non-English speaking participants and this was appreciated by participants. However, it should be borne in mind that many people from minority ethnic communities do not read or write their own language. In these cases, participants were talked through each of the topics by the interpreter.
• The use of interpretation services raises a number of challenges to ensure that the best use is made of the service. For those unfamiliar with interpreting services it is vital to take instruction from the interpreter about how the translation will be conducted. Ideally, the interpreter should be relatively 'invisible', with participants and facilitator addressing one another directly rather than through a third party. The facilitator should use of short, simple sentences that avoid figures of speech or dialect. ²⁷
• Every effort was made to recruit trained and qualified interpreters from, for example, community interpreting services, in order to ensure a high and professional standard. This intention, however, had to be balanced with the need for the focus group to feel at ease with the person undertaking the interpreting. For these reasons, where appropriate lay interpreters and gender-matching were used.

Focus Groups

Mixed Gender Groups

While the question of mixed gender groups is not significant for all minority ethnic groups, people's cultural preferences should always be taken into account. Blake Stevenson responded to requests for women only groups but there were no requests for similar male groups.

Requests for women only groups were made by Hindu, Muslim and Sikh organisations and reflected the women's own wishes. In total three women only, non-specialist groups were held. In practice, some mixed gender focus groups naturally divided themselves by gender with men sitting to one side of the facilitator and women to the other. In another example, a curtain was placed between men and women with the facilitator in the middle facing both groups to allow a mixed focus group to proceed.

In practice the review already included a number of women only groups in the form of three groups made up of women with young children. Overall, however, the gender balance was maintained because the majority of participants in other non-specialist as well as specialist groups (such as Traders) were male.

Mixed Ethnicity Groups

The original rationale behind the focus groups was to identify interest groups rather than to separate groups by ethnic origin. However, in some instances it was appropriate to hold groups made up of one ethnic group only. The main circumstance under which this applied was in relation to older people's groups, where separate groups were held for older Hindu people and older Chinese people.

In terms of the older people's group, there were practical as well as methodological issues to be taken into consideration. Interpreters were always used for older people's focus groups. Mixed ethnic groups would have entailed the use of two or more interpreters, which in turn would have added to the time taken and would have made considerable demands on participants in terms of waiting for multiple translations.

A more general issue that arose in some mixed ethnicity groups was that of divergent views, interests and experiences. While such diversity is to be expected it has practical implications for the management of an ethnically mixed group. There is the potential, for example, for the group to split along ethnic lines and facilitators need to be aware of this.

Choosing appropriate locations and times

Members of any community or group benefit from being placed in suitable venues in which they feel secure and confident. The majority of the focus groups took place at the offices or premises of the contact organisations. This sometimes meant that the venue or meeting was less than ideal in terms of size, for example, but it did ensure that participants felt at ease.

Where ever possible Blake Stevenson attempted to fit in with times and venues when groups were already meeting. This approach had the benefit of fitting into the schedule of the participants and being in a location they knew and were able to travel to.

Where appropriate childcare was provided during a focus group or participants were reimbursed for childcare costs.

On a number of occasions Blake Stevenson arranged refreshments for participants. This had the added benefit of allowing space for participants to talk informally with one another or the researchers before and after the groups.

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