As part of our work on tackling poverty stigma, we are delivering a project aimed at finding local solutions to poverty stigma in Swansea. This project is being run in partnership with Swansea Council (Tackling Poverty team), and Swansea Poverty Truth Commissioners (the project ‘Design Team’).
The goal of this project is to help partners in Swansea to:
1) Understand and learn from lived experiences of poverty stigma in Swansea – where it comes from, how it shows up in people’s daily lives and their experiences of public services, and how it affects people.
2) Understand the role of local public services – both in contributing to and reducing poverty stigma, while also building on any existing efforts that are already working well to tackle poverty stigma in Swansea.
3) Learn from research and promising practice elsewhere – to explore what evidence says about tackling poverty stigma and how these lessons can be applied to policy and practice in Swansea.
4) Co-create a local vision and action plan for tackling poverty stigma – to guide Swansea Council’s Poverty Strategy and broader efforts to combat poverty stigma in Swansea.
We are looking for a research partner to conduct primary research to support the first two objectives. The research partner will work closely with WCPP and the Design Team to help shape the research. Later on in the project, we may decide to extend the commission to include support for objectives 3 and 4.
Key principles and what we’re looking for from a research partner:
After a series of workshop discussions, the project Design Team has agreed that the research carried out by our research partner in Swansea must:
- Prioritise lived experience of poverty stigma, involving people with lived experience at every stage in a meaningful way—not just for show.
- Take a compassionate approach and be non-stigmatising, ensuring the research doesn’t reinforce existing stigmas or make participants feel judged.
- Be a positive experience for all involved, where everyone benefits from participating.
- Represent diverse experiences of poverty stigma, including those who face poverty stigma alongside other stigmas (such as disabled people and Black, Asian, and other racially minoritised people).
- Remove barriers to participation so that the research is inclusive.
- Provide recognition for participants’ time (for those whose time isn’t covered by an existing salary), with multiple options for how this can be done.
- Use simple and accessible language, avoiding academic jargon. The Design Team also agreed that potential research partners should demonstrate:
- Openness to listening and learning from people with lived experience, with a willingness to adjust their approach if needed.
- Experience in participatory/co-produced research and engaging with communities.
- An empathetic and non-judgmental attitude, particularly towards those with low incomes.
- Inclusivity and an ability to connect with diverse communities.
- Understanding of the local context in Swansea or the ability to develop this (they don’t have to be based in Swansea or Wales)
- A proven track record in conducting research that leads to real change in policy and practice.
For the full research brief, email info@wcpp.org.uk by Monday 21 October. The deadline for proposals is Monday 4 November.