Our Second Co-Design Workshop in Brighton with Charity Partner: Friends, Families, Travellers

In a rainy, windy Brighton we met 8 women for our second BEAMs workshop. With the support of Emma (BEAMs Peer Researcher), Rosie and Kara from FFT, we had a lively and productive day. It was clear that the engagement of the women was linked to the strength of Emma’s connections and her ability to inspire and motivate others. Thank you!

1. Ideas Map

Key suggestions were based around early sharing of information and a reminder to health care professionals to not assume they knew everything because they had a child already. Good ideas were shared about culturally appropriate imagery, hierarchy of content and signposting to someone trustworthy for advice.   

2. Circle of Trust

We took a consensus approach to placement of trusted people on our circle of trust. Trust is a big issue, NHS information is trusted but its successful delivery is dependent on the personality of the person e.g. HV/MW/GP. Trust is more likely to build through a continuous relationship, and then the professional is described as well located to deliver tailored information.

3. Place-based identities

The majority of the women focused on the large map of the UK and Ireland. There was a strong sense of family within the locations which were starred as stories were shared, hinting at the breadth and depth of the interplay between family, place and identity. Across both workshops we have seen a variety of place-based identities which aligns with our intent to engage with women with a variety of lived experiences.