User Focused Tribunal Hearings

We are looking for people who have made an appeal to a tribunal and attended a hearing about social security, housing, and education tribunals.

We would like to hear about your experience of tribunal hearings and how user friendly they are. This is part of a bigger project which involves watching hearings and speaking with people involved. 

We would like to meet you to have a chat about this. 

The interview will last thirty minutes to one hour and will be arranged for a mutually convenient time.

We can meet online or over the telephone. We can also meet in person if you prefer. 

The interview process is completely anonymous and confidential.

We can offer you a £20 shopping voucher as thank you for your time.

To take part email or text/ WhatsApp us: fanni.gyurko@glasgow.ac.uk 07999475596

Thank you for reading this and we hope to hear from you soon.

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If you want more detail before deciding to take part, please read on!

Understanding and Developing User Focused Tribunal Hearings.

Prof Chris Gill, Prof Tom Mullen, Dr Jo Hynes and Dr Fanni Gyurko

You are being invited to take part in a research study. Before you decide to take part it is important for you to understand why the research is being done and what it will involve. Please read the following information carefully and discuss it with others if you wish. Ask the researchers if there is anything that is not clear or if you would like more information. Take some time to decide whether or not you wish to take part. 

 The research 

This project will explore the concept of “user focus” and examine the ways in which tribunals have developed user-focused approaches following an extensive programme of legislative reform and modernisation.  

Your participation in the research 

You are being invited to take part in online/ telephone interview. If you wish the interview to be conducted in person, please let us know. 

Participation is entirely voluntary and you can withdraw at anytime up until the end of the interview, without providing a reason. If you withdraw part way through an interview, we will ask you whether you consent to interview data provided up until that time being used in the research.   

The interview will last up to one hour and will be arranged for a mutually convenient time. The interview will be audio-recorded. A transcript of the recording will be produced by a professional transcription company. A copy of the transcript will be sent to you for checking. A finalised version of the transcript will then be subjected to analysis.  

 Anonymity, confidentiality and data retention 

You will not be named in the research. Instead, we will use a pseudonym when paraphrasing or directly quoting from data you have provided e.g. Appellant 1, Appellant 2, etc. Your personal information will be kept confidential; your name and contact details will be stored in a separate document. 

In line with the University of Glasgow’s data retention policy, we will store data you have provided (in the form of audio recordings and transcripts for a period of 10 years). This data will be securely deleted at that time. Your personal data (in the form of name and email address) will be deleted on conclusion of the project in December 2026. 

Please note that assurances on confidentiality will be strictly adhered to unless evidence of wrongdoing or potential harm is uncovered. In the unlikely event of this arising, the University may be obliged to contact relevant statutory bodies/agencies. 

How your data will be used 

We will use data you provide (alongside a range of other information collected in the course of the research) to prepare: a final report of the research, policy briefings, blog posts, a practical toolkit, academic articles and conference papers.  

There are no direct benefits to you from taking part in the research, although we hope that the research will identify good practice in delivering user focussed hearings that could lead to appellants having better experiences at hearings in future. 

Funding and approval 

This research has been funded by the Nuffield Foundation. Further information is available on the Nuffield Foundation’s website: https://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/project/understanding-and-developing-user-focused-tribunal-hearings. 

The research has been reviewed and approved by the University of Glasgow College of Social Sciences Ethics Committee. 

How to contact the researchers 

 For any questions about the research or for more information about taking part please contact Dr Fanni Gyurko (fanni.gyurko@glasgow.ac.uk).  

Concerns and complaints  

To raise any concerns or to pursue a complaint about the conduct of the research, please contact the College of Social Sciences Lead for Ethical Review, email socsci-ethics-lead@glasgow.ac.uk.