Doing Sensitive and Emotionally Demanding Participatory Research

The Participatory Research Network and Emotionally Demanding Research Network invites all staff and students at the University of Sheffield interested in emotionally demanding research and participatory research to our joint event 

In the session we will hear from researchers about their experiences of doing participatory research on sensitive and emotionally demanding topics.  The event will involve listening to informal talks, a Q&A discussion and opportunities to reflect in small groups on attendees’ own experiences of doing participatory, sensitive research.  Issues we hope to consider together in the workshop are: 

• What is it like for peer/community researchers to do emotionally demanding research?
• What is the role of academic researchers in supporting peer/community researchers where the research is emotionally demanding?
• Where are the gaps in institutional support and what resources would be helpful? 

Tea/coffee and biscuits will also be provided. 

Register by 16 February 2026.

Sign up here

Please contact Jennifer Kettle (j.e.kettle@sheffield.ac.uk) with any questions.

About the speakers

Raj Saghera is a researcher and teacher specializing in girls' experiences of school, with a focus on built environments. Her research explores emotions in research, arts-based methodologies, and feminist frameworks. Based in Colombia, she is currently working on completing her first YA novel while teaching.

Dr Shirley Lewis is a research associate in the School of Allied Health Professions, Nursing and Midwifery. Her research focuses on children and adults who have been affected by involvement with children’s social care including care experienced people, parents who have had a child in care, children in care, and birth and adoptive parents. Shirley is also a registered social worker with work experience in children’s social care. Shirley is working on a Leverhulme funded study ‘Everyday Parenting with Care Experience’, and is the Principal Investigator of the Willow Study, around pre-birth assessments for women who use substances.

Danica Darley is a Research Associate at the University of Sheffield on The WIllow Study which is exploring how pre-birth assessments for women who use substances in England and Wales are experienced by women and social workers. Dani’s PhD research examined the experiences of care-experienced young people of child criminal exploitation (CCE) and was co-produced with three young people who had been in the care of the local authority and had experienced CCE. Her research interests include care-experience, child exploitation, women in conflict with the law, relational practice, professional boundaries, lived experience criminology and co-production.