Would you like to get involved with INVOLVE?
We are looking for new members
We are looking for people with experience in one or more of the following areas to join our Working Groups:
- Members of the public, including patients and potential patients, carers, people who use health and social care services, disabled people.
- People from voluntary sector organisations which represent people who use health and social services.
- People from NHS, local authority and research organisations with commitment and ability to promote public involvement in NHS, public health and social care research.
Applicants will have a wide range of backgrounds, experiences and research interests, but will all have an understanding and experience of public involvement in research.
We aim to achieve an equal balance of public and professional perspectives across the INVOLVE membership. We currently have more professional members, so in this recruitment round we will be seeking to appoint more public members.
We are seeking to widen the diversity of our membership and welcome applications from all sections of the community.
All INVOLVE members have their expenses covered for attending meetings. If you are appointed as a public member and are not employed full-time in the public sector, you may also be able to claim a committee fee.
Mary Nettle, a mental health user consultant, has been a member of INVOLVE for some years and her term with us has come to end this year. Reflecting on her experience she says:
"I have nothing but good memories of being part of INVOLVE. It started with a member of staff bothering to come and meet me to explain what being a member of INVOLVE meant and the support that would be on offer.This has continued all the way through.
Being valued for my expertise by being paid made a difference… I have met fascinating people and learned a lot. My contribution has been valued and I have always been given space to share my thoughts".
How to apply
The opportunity to apply for INVOLVE Working Group membership is now closed. From 12 noon on 31st October 2011 we will no longer be accepting applications. If you have applied in the last few days, please be patient while we send out your acknowledgement.
If you have any questions about this membership, please contact INVOLVE on membership@invo.org.uk or call us on 023 8065 1088.
Membership Information Meetings
To support this recruitment opportunity, we held some Information Meetings. At the meetings we had some displays about our work, showed a film and had question and answer sessions. You can download information about these at the links below.
Presentation about being a member
Some sample Working Group discussion papers [in pdf] - these show some of the projects / discussions you will be expected to contribute to if you become a Working Group member.
Presentation about the INVOLVE Conference
We also had some sample publications on display. You can look at all of our publications here .
We showed the short film about INVOLVE.
Current members took part in a panel discussion - you can read about the panel discussion at the Bristol meeting here .
The questions people asked us about applying for membership have been added to the Frequently Asked Questions section - you can click on the question to go straight to an answer or browse all the questions.
Frequently Asked Questions (about applying to be a member)
General questions
How many people are INVOLVE looking to recruit?
Is INVOLVE's funding secure?
Do I need previous experience of public involvement in research to apply?
I applied for membership of INVOLVE before but wasn't successful, can I apply again?
I live in one of the devolved nations, can I still apply?
I didn't get to one of the information meetings but would like to know more - what shall I do?
Questions about the application form
Question 2 on the application form asks me to choose just one term to best describe myself. How do I do this if I have more than one role?
Question 3b on the application form is about having links to relevant groups and organisations. What sort of groups are considered to be ‘relevant’?
Question 4e on the application form asks for additional information. Can I use this as an ‘overspill’ from the other text boxes?
Can I provide information in note form on the application form?
Do I need to provide details of referees?
Do I need to submit a CV with my application form?
Is the application form available in other formats, for example, for people who are unable to express themselves in writing?
Can someone at INVOLVE look at my application and tell me whether I stand a good chance of being offered membership?
Questions about shortlisting
What are the criteria for shortlisting?
Is the group doing the shortlisting the same as those who will be interviewing?
Is there positive action in the selection process, for example in terms of disability, age or ethnicity?
Questions about the Selection Days
What exactly will happen on the Selection Day?
How many people will be on the interview panel and who will they be?
How will you meet people's support needs?
Questions about membership of the Working Groups
If selected, how will a decision be made about which Working Group I will join?
How can I find out about the payment policy for members?
Where will the Working Group meetings take place?
General questions
How many people are INVOLVE looking to recruit?
Around 15.
We expect competition for these places to be high. In 2007, we had around 180 applications for 15 places. It will be a hard job for the panel to select from the high number of applicants and will probably mean that we will be unable to offer membership to many people with excellent skills, knowledge and experiences. It is important to show in your application how you match the person specification for membership (see page 6 of the Membership Information). We have produced the Guidance for Applicants to help people do this. The extra information now added to the website will also give you more advice on how to apply. If you have any other questions, please contact us at INVOLVE.
We aim to maintain a balance of equal numbers of public and professional perspectives across our membership. We currently have more professional members, so in this recruitment round, we will be seeking to appoint more public members.
Is INVOLVE's funding secure?
INVOLVE is funded by the National Institute for Health Research. The Director General of Research and Development, Professor Dame Sally Davies, is very supportive of public involvement. Our current contract runs until January 2016.
Do I need previous experience of public involvement in research to apply?
Yes. INVOLVE has a key national role supporting public involvement in NHS, public health and social care research. Therefore, our members are people who already have some experience of involvement in research and are able to focus on the key national and strategic issues. It will be important to show how your experience in other settings, for example with research projects, a research group or committee, is relevant to INVOLVE’s national role.
I applied for membership of INVOLVE before but wasn't successful, can I apply again?
Yes, every application will be considered on its own merit. In 2007, competition was high - we had around 180 applications for 15 places. Unfortunately, we had to turn down many people who had good skills, knowledge and experiences to offer. We felt fortunate to be able to select from this pool of high calibre people. If you are still interested, it is likely you will have gathered more experience and skills relevant to INVOLVE. It is important to show in your application how you match the person specification for membership (see page 6 of the Membership Information). We have produced the Guidance for Applicants to help people do this. The extra information now added to the website will also give you more advice on how to apply. If you have any other questions, please contact us at INVOLVE.
I live in one of the devolved nations, can I still apply?
Yes, you can still apply. However, INVOLVE is funded to support public involvement in research in England. If you live in another part of the UK you will need to show in your application how you meet all the relevant criteria and that your experience and skills are relevant to the work of INVOLVE.
I didn't get to one of the information meetings but would like to know more - what shall I do?
There are a number of ways:
• some of our current Working Group members are available to have an informal chat. Please contact us at INVOLVE and we will put you in touch with someone.
• information provided at the meetings is now on our website - see the section above
• contact us at INVOLVE - membership@invo.org.uk or 023 8065 1088.
Please remember, the main purpose of the meetings was to provide more information about INVOLVE, being a Working Group member and how to apply. It was not essential to attend one of these meetings to apply for membership. Your application will not be treated more favourably if you attended a meeting. The panel who will assess all the applications will not take into account whether you attended a meeting or not. They will assess your suitability based on the information you put in the application form only.
Questions about the application form
Question 2 on the application form asks me to choose just one term to best describe myself. How do I do this if I have more than one role?
We appreciate that this question may not be easy to answer for some as people have varied backgrounds and bring more than one perspective. However, we are trying to identify your primary perspective and main interest. People contribute different perspectives in different settings so it may help you to answer this question if you think about what you as an individual want to bring to INVOLVE.
Question 3b on the application form is about having links to relevant groups and organisations. What sort of groups are considered to be ‘relevant’?
We’re not being prescriptive here but ideally, across all the group listed, you will show how you have links to groups concerned with both public involvement and research. It might be that some groups are about public involvement and others are about research. It might also be useful to list some groups which have helped you to develop relevant skills, for example working collectively with people from a range of backgrounds.
Question 4e on the application form asks for additional information. Can I use this as an ‘overspill’ from the other text boxes?
Yes, and you can also use this box if you feel that we have not asked you about something you think is important to tell us.
Can I provide information in note form on the application form?
As long as the information you provide is accessible it doesn’t need to be written in full sentences and paragraphs; bullet points are fine.
Do I need to provide details of referees?
No, we have decided against requesting references.
Successful applicants will be appointed as individuals but in cases where people will be doing their INVOLVE work in their work time, we will ask their employing organisation for a statement of support.
Do I need to submit a CV with my application form?
No, we are only asking you to submit the application form together with the diversity monitoring questionnaire.
Is the application form available in other formats, for example, for people who are unable to express themselves in writing?
We can provide the documentation in a larger font or in a different font style. If you need another format please contact us at INVOLVE.
If you want to submit an application in a different format than in writing, please contact us at the INVOLVE Coordinating Centre to discuss this with us. We will be able to accept some alternatives, such as an audio application. If you do choose this option, you will need to make sure it covers all the questions asked in the application form.
Can someone at INVOLVE look at my application and tell me whether I stand a good chance of being offered membership?
No, the panel will only start assessing applications after the deadline of 31 October 2011 and we will look at them all together. Please refer to the Guidance for Applicants for general advice on how to complete the application form and the type of information we think will show your suitability. You can also speak to a member of staff at the INVOLVE Coordinating Centre if you are not sure about how to answer any of the questions on the application form.
Questions about short listing
What are the criteria for shortlisting?
Applicants will be assessed on how well they meet the person specification for the role (see page 6 of the Membership Information). We will also take into account how people's particular background and experiences will contribute to the membership as a whole. We will be offering places to people with a mix of backgrounds, interests, perspectives and experiences. To achieve a good mix, we may have to turn down people who have good skills, knowledge and experiences as places will be limited.
Is the group doing the shortlisting the same as those who will be interviewing?
Yes, the same people will be shortlisting and interviewing.
Is there positive action in the selection process, for example in terms of disability, age or ethnicity?
There is no automatic selection of people with disabilities or on account of their age or ethnicity - all applicants will need to meet the criteria set out on page 6 of the Membership Information. This is the first time we have included a diversity monitoring questionnaire in the application process. Taking positive action is something we may consider in the future once we have built up some baseline data. However, for this current round of recruitment, we will be making sure we achieve a balance of public and researcher perspectives across the group as a whole - this means we will recruit more public members.
Questions about the Selection Days
What exactly will happen on the Selection Day?
If you are shortlisted you will be invited to a half-day session (morning or afternoon). At the session you will take part in two activities: a 30-minute group exercise and a 15-minute interview.
We haven’t finalised the group exercise yet but it will be similar to the sort of discussions that take place in Working Group meetings (see sample papers above). There will be a topic for discussion and you will be asked to collectively agree an action point, for example a recommendation on what to do next. There will be no right or wrong answer to the group exercise - we will be interested in what you say and how you contribute to the discussion.
We will send all shortlisted candidates information in advance about the group exercise and individual interview topics - you will have time to think about what you want to say. The interview panel will observe the group exercise - other INVOLVE staff and members will run the session.
The Selection Days will be on Thursday 5th, Friday 6th and Monday 9th January 2012. We expect they will all be in central London.
How many people will be on the interview panel and who will they be?
There will be four people on the interview panel (INVOLVE staff and members). We are in the process of finalising membership of the panel, which will have an equal balance of public and research/professional perspectives.
Some other people (INVOLVE staff and members) will be running the group exercise. Again we are in the process of finalising who they will be, but they will also have a mix of perspectives.
How will you meet people's support needs?
In the application form, we ask people to tell us about specific support needs so that we can try to meet them at the Selection Days and, if offered membership, at Working Group meetings. There are some standard things we do, for example checking venues for accessibility; offering papers in alternative formats. We always try to respond positively to individual requests.
Questions about membership of the Working Groups
If selected, how will a decision be made about which Working Group I will join?
We will look at the balance of perspectives across the Working Groups and allocate new members to ensure a balance of public and professional perspectives and a mix of skills and interests in each group. However, there will be an opportunity to move to a different group of your choice at a later date. We are currently reviewing the three Working Groups as part of work related to our new Strategic Plan so the current groups may change their names and main focus.
How can I find out about the payment policy for members?
The full payment policy will be sent to everyone who is appointed. If you want to see it in advance you can view it here.
Where will the Working Group meetings take place?
The meetings are held mid-week. Three meetings a year are in London, with the fourth held as part of a consecutive two day event, usually requiring an overnight stay out side London.
If you have a long distance to travel for meetings, or your support needs would make it difficult to travel and attend the meeting on the same day, we can provide overnight accommodation.
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