User Focused Tribunal Hearings

*** CALL FOR PARTICIPATION IN RESEARCH *** 

We are looking for input from advisers and representatives (both legally qualified and lay reps) as part of our research project “Understanding and Developing User Focused Tribunal Hearings“. This blog post explains what the project is about and the input we would like from advisers and reps. Thank you for reading!

What the research is about 

The research is about understanding the experiences of people who use tribunals. The tribunal system is supposed to be “user focused”; this research aims to evaluate whether that is the case and identify ways to make it work better for users. The research is looking at tribunal chambers dealing with social security, education and property in England and Scotland. We are particularly interested in tribunal hearings but also want to explore the end-to-end appeal process. 

Why we need your help 

As part of our research, we need to speak with people who have direct experience of using tribunals and helping people with their appeals. The experience and expertise of advisers and representatives will be invaluable for ensuring that the project generates robust findings that can influence future policy and practice.  

What is involved 

If you wish to take part, we will invite you to an online interview that will take no more than one hour. Your participation will be completely anonymous and we will not name you when reporting the findings of the research. 

The benefits of taking part 

The aim of the project is to make things better for those who use tribunals. At the end of the project we will develop a toolkit that tribunal judges and panel members can use to enhance how they conduct hearings. We will also seek to influence policymakers to make sure that tribunal policy reflects our findings about tribunal users’ needs. 

Who we are 

We are Professor Chris Gill, Professor Tom Mullen, Dr Jo Hynes, and Dr Fanni Gyurko from the University of Glasgow. We are researchers with expertise administrative justice and access to justice. The Nuffield Foundation is funding the research. 

Taking part 

If you would like to take part, please email fanni.gyurko@glasgow.ac.uk to arrange a mutually convenient time for an interview.  

Please share this post with anyone who you think might be interested in helping with this research. Many thanks.