Tagged / Centre for Seldom Heard Voices

A research event: “How do we improve secure care? Exploring international perspectives and learning from practice.”

Children and Young People's Centre for Justice

On October 7th, 2024, professionals, researchers, and stakeholders gathered at The Social Hub in Glasgow for an event titled, “How do we improve secure care? Exploring international perspectives and learning from practice.“ This event was funded by the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences at Bournemouth University (BU) and represents an example of the use of faculty funding to support positive and impactful research. It was organised by staff from the Research Centre for Seldom Heard Voices at BU – Dr Stefan Kleipoedszus and Dr Caroline Andow – in collaboration with colleagues from the Children and Young People’s Centre for Justice (CYCJ) in Scotland – particularly Donna McEwan – along with Dan Johnson, Forensic Psychologist and Clinical Director at Kibble Education and Care Centre Scotland, and our international partners Caroline Vink (Netherlands Youth Insitute) and Dr Kate Crowe (Honorary Fellow at the University of Melbourne).

The event was designed to explore critical questions in developing secure care for children, offering national and global perspectives. Secure care, in its traditional form, is locked institutional care for children aged 10 to 17. Children can enter secure care either on criminal justice grounds, when aspects of their behaviour are considered to pose a risk of harm to others, or on welfare grounds, when the risk of harm is to themselves, though there is often an overlap. Our workshop aimed to explore how the continuum of services, including secure care could evolve to better meet the needs of the children, and young people who may require such responses and often come from challenging backgrounds, with experiences of childhood trauma and poly-victimisation. The event’s target audience included practitioners, managers, and stakeholders who are involved with secure care for children.

To start with the most important bit, the food at the venue – which itself was very cool – was incredible. The day started with freshly baked pastries, followed by cakes mid-morning, a delicious grazing platter for lunch (with some accidental haggis consumption by one member of our party!), and an unexpected, yet very much enjoyed, basket of pittas, olives and homemade houmous in the afternoon. If nothing else, our attendees went home full, but we have a feeling they took away much more than satisfied taste buds.

Kicking off the day, three experts provided insightful presentations to secure care in their respective jurisdictions. First, Donna McEwan and Dan Johnson presented the recently released CYCJ ‘Re-Imagining Secure Care’ report. Donna detailed key questions that need to be asked when we think about what the future of secure care could look like, including:

  • How do we hold the risk of harm in the community?
  • How do we deprive liberty for the least possible time with minimal intervention?
  • How do we group children together (for example in terms of harmed/risk of harm, and different gender identities?

The second presentation, by Eva Mulder (Professor by Special Appointment at the University of Amsterdam), was particularly impressive as Eva and her colleagues had spent the night standing on the street following a fire alarm at their hotel, and Eva had not had any sleep. Hats off to Eva! Eva described her research exploring how secure institutions can be made to look and feel like home, using young people’s photographs of home. It was interesting to hear how ‘home’ was conceptualised in terms of feelings – for example, home is somewhere where there are people you know, you feel like you belong, you can be alone when you want to be, there is food that you like, and you feel free. Eva encouraged us to contrast these ideas with how institutional buildings make children feel. Eva described new small-scale residences for children in the Netherlands, without locked doors, where there is continuity with a small team of staff and integration with the community. Research in these places revealed that staff feel that they can develop better relationships with the young people, and the young people want to make more of an effort with the staff and their treatment, and parents feel more included. Eva ended by describing how there is a campaign in the Netherlands to end secure care completely, and how this requires a solution within the community that can keep children safe.

Last, but by no means least, Dr Kate Crowe took to the stage. Kate was awarded a Churchill Fellowship in 2022 to investigate alternatives to secure care in Hawaii, Canada, Scotland and the Netherlands. In 2023 she was awarded a Creswick Fellowship and she travelled to Iceland, Finland and Scotland to investigate the position and design of secure care in light of Australian jurisdictions raising the minimum age of criminal responsibility (MACR). Kate prompted the audience to consider how models of secure care might need to change as the MACR increases. She also posed the perennial question in this area – should children on welfare placements be placed alongside children deprived of their liberty on criminal justice grounds? Along with other details from her travels, the audience were very intrigued to find out from Kate that all secure facilities in Finland have saunas!

With these thought-provoking presentations in mind, participants were divided into six focus groups. Discussions between the group members were audio recorded so that they could be captured as research data. Participants explored critical questions, such as:

  • How can we best meet the needs of children who meet the criteria for secure care?
  • What are the key challenges to reforming secure care systems?
  • What solutions can be developed to address these challenges using solution sketchpads?

At the end, participants explored three core questions that aim to lead to calls for action in the participant’s respective spheres of influence:

  • What can be done now in secure care?
  • What can be done now in the community?
  • What can be done at the interface between secure care and community services?

Several preliminary findings emerged from the discussions:

  • There is strong interest in reshaping secure care for children, with innovative ideas around embedding secure care within local communities.
  • Greater collaboration is needed between secure care providers and other agencies to ensure holistic care for children.
  • For practical application, the need to embed mental health professionals, such as psychologists and education support staff, more deeply within secure children’s homes is a critical step forward.

This event was about exchanging information, but it also aimed at suggesting meaningful options for further development. The participants shared creative ideas, and the discussions showed a willingness to push for progress to improve care for arguably the most vulnerable children in out-of-home care.

One of the most interesting ideas was to embed secure care services more closely in local communities. This would promote closer cooperation among providers, mental health services, and educational support systems.

At the end of the event, it became clear that this seminar was a stepping stone towards future progressive developments in secure care. Participants identified critical areas for immediate action, both within secure care settings and in the broader community and at the intersection between these two worlds. This is crucial for building a system that protects children and communities and supports their long-term rehabilitation and reintegration.

This workshop was a success because it allowed participants to share knowledge, discuss challenges, and develop actionable solutions for the future of secure care. It is an essential reminder of how far we have come—and how much further we want and need to go—to ensure that secure care can continue to meet the needs of children and young people who meet the criteria for secure care. This event provided an excellent opportunity to reflect on the challenges in secure care and consider future development options.

This event also acts as a reminder of how much can be achieved when a group of like-minded people with a common goal come together. We feel privileged to be working with our national and international partners, and we look forward to our next event, wherever in the world that might be. Our thanks go out to our Faculty at Bournemouth University who funded this event.

 

 

Seventh edition of Social Work textbook

Publishing, writing

Congratulations to Bournemouth University’s  Emeritus Professor Jonathan Parker who has just published the 7th edition of his best-selling Social Work Practice. This latest edition of Social Work Practice comes with updated content and case studies.  First published in 2004, this textbook has guided social work students through the processes of working with people, groups and communities looking at the politics of assessment, planning, intervention and review and negotiating a value-based approach to practice that acknowledged the centrality of relationships and respect for the people with whom social workers practice.
Well done!
Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

Check out the artwork from the ESRC funded project, Communities of wellbeing: the digital lives of LGBTQ+ young people.

This year’s ESRC-funded Festival of Social Sciences includes the project: Communities of wellbeing: the digital lives of LGBTQ+ young people. Jayne Caudwell and Frankie Gaunt secured a small amount of funding from ESRC and BU research Centre for Seldon Heard Voices (CSHV) to run workshops, have artwork designed and displayed at the Lighthouse, Poole.

The workshops involved  discussions about on-line spaces that make LGBTQ+ young people feel safe, happy and provide them with a sense of belonging. Three workshops took place in August and October. Six themes emerged from group discussion at the workshops: 

  1. Types of social media, especially social media platforms that allow participants to have control over who sees their content. This made them feel safer, and Snap Chat was the most popular because content is short-term.
  1. Coming Out as LGBTQ+ on social media was seen as positive for people who come out and for people who see someone coming out. This was important for diasporic people who are unable to be openly LGBTQ+ in countries where it is illegal. Coming out on Tik Tok and Snap Chat felt safer compared with other social media sites.
  1. Participants did not like what they called ‘love to hate’ algorithms. It was mentioned that transgender people in the UK experience a lot of hate on social media. However, by being on platforms where they are able to control who sees their content, participants felt they were able to influence algorithms. They said they saw content that was affirming, positive, and joyful.
  1. Away from the popular social media sites, specialised groups were talked about. These groups were referred to as ‘secret groups’ and viewed as trustworthy. To enter these groups involved a long process of screening, but participants understood that this was needed to make the groups safe.
  1. Some social media sites were seen to help educate people about LGBTQ+ issues. For example, terms such as ‘non binary’ are explained by non-binary people in posts on websites. This education aspect was considered very important for people in communities where LGBTQ+ people are silenced and marginalised. Social media can help raise awareness and normalise LGBTQ+ for them. Also, social media can be used to seek advise about LGBTQ+ issues and to learn more about things like transitioning for transgender people.
  1. Workshop participants felt that social media websites can be positive, inspiring, educational, fun, enjoyable and safe because of the posts that are posted not always because of the site. It is the actual posts that are the important thing.

A final point, from the workshops, was that meeting other LGBTQ+ people in-person and doing something together in physical space would be nice.

The above themes were handed over to an artist who composed a series of six picture boards. These picture boards are on display at The Lighthouse in Poole from Friday 25th October to 16th November. The Lighthouse have publicised the project. Go to: Communities of wellbeing: the digital lives of LGBTQ+ young people – Lighthouse

BU Public Engagement have set up ways for people to provide feedback on the exhibition.

The artwork will also be on display at the ESRC event at University of  Southampton on Saturday 9th November as part of Arts and Humanities Day.

Launching the Mental Capacity Toolkit teaching and practice resource featuring new voices from living experience

Following the recent research collaboration with Parkstone Connect day service, and funded by CRN Wessex Small Grant Scheme, members of the social work team are delighted to be relaunching the Mental Capacity Toolkit.
Team members and members of Parkstone Connect will be demonstrating the Toolkit between 2-4 on 30th October in BGB 302. No need to book, just drop in and:
  • Have a go with the toolkit and discover how it can enhance your practice
  • Talk to us about our recent research with a local day service and meet participants
  • Help us develop the toolkit further

 

The King’s Fund roundtable blog

Pooja Shah, a postdoctoral researcher working on the Tangerine project (aiming to develop a novel intervention to improve nutrition and promote healthy ageing among older people from South Asian and Afro Caribbean communities in the UK) attended a roundtable discussion at the King’s Fund to explore what a greater focus on nutrition could mean for the health care system and those at risk of malnutrition. Discussion focused on the causes, prevalence, diagnosis and response to malnutrition. This included how we can engage those working across the health and care system at a national and local level – including primary care, social care, and those with clinical expertise – with improving the early diagnosis of malnutrition through patient screening, greater awareness, and the use of tools for better population health management. In the context of an ageing population, the roundtable also provided an opportunity to discuss the role of improved nutrition and targeted interventions in enabling people to remain independent for as long as possible.

The Kings Fund are delighted to share their recent blog, based on the roundtable discussion.

Wednesday 2 October – Have your say at the LGBTQ+ Digital Lives workshop

This year the national ESRC Festival of Social Sciences theme is ‘Our Digital Lives’. For the festival, BU is supporting events that will run between Saturday October 19th and Saturday November 9th. Jayne Caudwell and Frankie Gaunt in the Department of Social Sciences and Social Work were awarded up to £1,000 to hold an event in the festival.  Their event is an art exhibition focused on “Communities of Positive Well-Being: The Digital Lives of LGBTQ+ Young People”. 
The aim of the event is to showcase on-line spaces that help LGBTQ+ young people feel safe, happy and that they belong. This is important because existing research shows that physical space can be a hostile public place for LGBTQ+ people. This hostility can lead to feelings of marginalisation, exclusion and isolation.
Before the art exhibition, a series of workshops will take place with local LGBTQ+ young people to explore how social media and the internet provide opportunity for positive stories at a time when mainstream media can be negative in its coverage of LGBTQ+ issues. The workshops are funded by the Centre for Seldom Heard Voices, the next workshop is Wednesday 2 October 4-6pm in BG 601, Bournemouth Gateway Building. During the workshop participants will decide the artwork that will be used for the art exhibition. The art exhibition will be displayed in and around Bournemouth and Dorset.
Check out the CSHV twitter @BU_SeldomHeard to share information about the upcoming workshops or visit http://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/lgbtq-digital-lives

Understand what hate crime and discriminatory abuse are and how best to respond to them

Over the summer, Jane Healy (Principle Academic in Criminology at Bournemouth University) led an inter-disciplinary research team at Bournemouth University and Royal Holloway which has conducted a survey to evaluate approaches to safeguarding adults who experience hate crime and discriminatory abuse. 

Responses were received from across the UK, identifying challenges and providing examples of good practice. We are keen to share these findings as widely as possible.

The team are hosting a webinar where they will outline the context of hate crime and discriminatory abuse and discuss the anonymised findings and next steps, in a free online event on Tuesday 22 October 2024, from 12pm to 13:30pm. 

Please click on this link to reserve your tickets: Exploring restorative practice approaches to safeguarding adults Tickets, Tue 22 Oct 2024 at 12:00 | Eventbrite 

Please forward to anyone who might be interested in learning more about hate crime and discriminatory abuse, and the research findings.

We look forward to seeing you all at the online event.

Jane Healy and team

Our Digital Lives – ESRC Festival of Social Sciences

This year the national ESRC Festival of Social Sciences theme is ‘Our Digital Lives’. For the festival, BU is supporting events that will run between Saturday October 19th and Saturday November 9th. Jayne Caudwell and Frankie Gaunt in the Department of Social Sciences and Social Work were awarded up to £1,000 to hold an event in the festival.  Their event is an art exhibition focused on “Communities of Positive Well-Being: The Digital Lives of LGBTQ+ Young People”. 
The aim of the event is to showcase on-line spaces that help LGBTQ+ young people feel safe, happy and that they belong. This is important because existing research shows that physical space can be a hostile public place for LGBTQ+ people. This hostility can lead to feelings of marginalisation, exclusion and isolation.
Before the art exhibition, a series of workshops will take place with local LGBTQ+ young people to explore how social media and the internet provide opportunity for positive stories at a time when mainstream media can be negative in its coverage of LGBTQ+ issues. The workshops are funded by the Centre for Seldom Heard Voices and will run in August and at the start of October.  During the workshops participants will decide the artwork that will be used for the art exhibition. The art exhibition will be displayed in and around Bournemouth and Dorset.
Check out the CSHV twitter @BU_SeldomHeard to share information about the upcoming workshops

Postdoc Appreciation Week: Dr Rejoice Chipuriro

PG research

This week is UK Postdoc Appreciation Week and we are celebrating and showcasing the achievements of our postdoctoral researchers and their important contribution to research at BU. 

Today’s post is by Dr Rejoice Chipuriro, Post-Doctoral Researcher In Social Care, about her experiences as a postdoctoral researcher… 

I trained as a social worker in Zimbabwe before relocating to South Africa where I obtained my MA in Social Development and PhD in Sociology. I joined Bournemouth University in February 2022 as a post-doctoral researcher in the Department of Social Science and Social Work.

A group of researchers stood on steps

Dr Rejoice Chipuriro with her wider research team

I have worked in community-led interventions and health research programmes in Southern Africa and in the UK. My current research projects are both funded by the National Institute of Health and Social Care and focus on community assets and how these contribute to people’s health and wellbeing (commonhealthassets.uk).

I also work with a local arts-based community organisation which supports mental health for marginalised populations such as asylum seekers, people in recovery from drug and alcohol use.

I was initially drawn to social work as a helping profession and later I ventured into research to learn from and understand the societies that I worked in. When I practised social work, I noticed that beyond individual pathologies lay structural and socio-economic issues that either developed or deprived access to life enhancing choices and opportunities. This led me to studying social development and sociology. I found these inter-disciplinary postgraduate courses helpful for my community work.

I was able to co-design participatory and anti-oppressive interventions with the help of people in the communities as experts by experience. I enjoy supporting people going through life transitions as well as groups and communities striving for a more equitable and just society for all.

What I like about being a post-doctoral researcher

I have travelled widely and met researchers, academics, and communities of practice across the globe, which is an enriching experience. I have presented my research in three continents and collaborated on research across the globe. My network is expansive, and I have accessed resources, intellectual support, and mentorship which has helped me grow professionally. I bring with me this international experience into my work, and this benefits the students and communities I support. When work is challenging, I have empathetic colleagues who hold the space for me and offer encouragement when I need it most.

I have been granted opportunities to teach social work and sociology units as well as to co-facilitate CPD units. I am still mastering teaching skills whilst I support colleagues in lesson planning, delivering virtual and in-person teaching and assessments. I enjoy doing things out of my comfort zone and this aspect of my academic training was at first intimidating but now pleasant. I have settled into my teaching duties well and I like infusing the creative as well as pragmatic aspects of my research into the lectures to enhance student learning experience from different fields of practice.

I was allocated a fellow post doc to be my uni buddy, who helped me settle into my role and the practicalities of living in Bournemouth and we became friends, which alleviated some loneliness away from home. I was assigned mentors to help direct my career progression. From the mentorship I managed to submit a successful portfolio of evidence for my associate fellow Advance HE. I also got mentorship in submitting research bids and got my first grant as a Principal Investigator. These achievements are an indicator of the time and effort invested into professional development for post-docs at BU.

The difficult part of being a post-doc

The writing process for peer reviewed publication can be lonely and arduous. However, BU has put in place support for post-docs to attend writing retreats, meet fellow post-docs, exchange ideas and make friendships. This alleviates loneliness and the retreats are an opportunity to learn from established academics. I have joined research centres such as the Centre for Seldom Heard Voices and the Women’s Academic Network, where I present my work and get feedback, which has also positively impacted my academic publishing.

If you’d like to write a blog post to share your appreciation for our postdoctoral researchers, please contact research@bournemouth.ac.uk. You can also get involved on social media during Postdoc Appreciation Week by using #LovePostdocs and #NPAW2023 on Twitter and Instagram and tagging us @BU_Research or @UK_NPAW.

CSHV – International guest lecture on ‘Pacing Adult Womanhood: Young Women, Aspirations, and Expectations in Newly Independent Kosovo’

The Centre for Seldom Heard Voices is delighted to invite you to a special international guest lecture featuring social anthropological research on ‘pacing adult womanhood’ in precarious situations, here through the case study of young women’s situation in Kosovo. Dr Rozafa Berisha (Manchester/ Prishtina), currently visiting the social anthropology sister programme in the Social Science and Social Work department through our Erasmus+ K107 programme in partnership with University of Prishtina, Kosovo, will present her research on Thursday, 27th April, 15:00 to 17:00 in EB-206. All interested staff and students welcome! More details are available in this poster: Rozafa Berisha poster

What’s New at WAN?

Women's Academic Network

We are enjoying a busy second semester at the Women’s Academic Network, now in its 9th year. Here we provide a brief snapshot of what’s been happening and what’s coming up.

Following our excellent Research Masterclass on Focus Group Discussions with Dr Emma Pitchforth, University of Exeter and Professor Edwin van Teijlingen of FSS in Semester 1, our second Research Methodology Masterclass workshop will be held on May 25. This time we will be covering Psychosocial Visual Methodologies, including learning about Social Dreaming techniques. Workshop facilitation will be offered by Dr Lita Crociani-Windland, University West of England. Lita is a British Psychoanalytic Council Scholar and Director of the UWE Centre for Social Dreaming and an expert is her field.  Register with WAN.

More Semester 2 events:

We have enjoyed two highly successful, open-to-all webinars recently.

On April 29, Pro-Chancellor Dr Sue Sutherland OBE introduced three eminent, media profiled, Independent Sage speakers, Professor Susan Michie, Professor Christina Pagel (UCL) and Dr Deepti Gurdasani (Queen Mary) for a powerful, punchy and candid discussion on the Online harassment and abuse of female scientists in the public sphere

On March 17 the BU Vice-Chancellor, Professor John Vinney, opened Women’s International Day at WAN with this year’s prestigious speaker, Jess Phillips, Labour Party MP for the constituency of Birmingham Yardley and Shadow Minister for Domestic Violence and Safeguarding. This was a hugely powerful and entertaining recorded session with one of the UK’s most authentic, audacious, witty and eloquent politicians speaking on the topic of ‘Another Year of Violence Towards Women and Girls!’ 

 What else is going on?

The ever-popular WAN Writing Retreat is being held on July 11. Please register your interest.

WAN takes its responsibilities to support the career profiles of our women colleagues very seriously. Our annual Writing Retreat is a great opportunity to get down to some seriously inspired writing in a supported environment where your writing experience is facilitated by experienced and prolific women scholars.

Coming up: WAN speaker/panel series: ‘Gilead Now? Resisting the March of Misogyny’. We are in the process of planning a number of events under our rolling new series that draws on Margaret Atwood’s dystopic Handmaid vision to explore reminiscent manifestations of women’s oppression emerging in contemporary societies.

Not yet a WAN member?

All women academic/PGR across any academic discipline can join WAN.

For more information and to register interest in events please contact:

Professor Sara Ashencaen Crabtree: scrabtree@bournemouth.ac.uk

 

Join the Centre for Seldom Heard Voices February Seminar

Dr Rosie Read will be talking about the ‘Carers experience of the Covid-19 pandemic’.
February 23rd 
12:00-13:00 via TEAMS
If you would like to join the seminar please email jonesc@bournemouth.ac.uk
About the Topic:

Adult social care in the UK denotes a diverse range of provisions for people over 18 with chronic illness, mental illness, physical disabilities or frailties in older age. Social care is largely coordinated by local government and since the 1990s there has been a marked growth in community-based social care services that are delivered to people in their homes. Unlike the National Health Service (NHS), social care provision is highly residual, and has always relied heavily on the cooperation of carers (family members and friends of people using social care services) in order to run smoothly.

This presentation will examine the experiences of carers during the Covid-19 pandemic 2020-21. It will draw on qualitative data from a study of waged and unwaged caring labour provided to people at home during lockdowns and social distancing in BCP and Dorset, which incorporated 14 in depth interviews with carers. It will be shown that the closure of health and welfare services left carers with significant additional caring work and obligations, yet also unable to access support networks. Carers’ experiences of confinement, abandonment and isolation will be examined alongside the challenges they confronted in navigating health and welfare systems and finding out about entitlement to help. It will be argued that these experiences are a particularly acute iteration of a more general pattern whereby the work performed by carers is taken for granted and made invisible. The presentation will conclude by reflecting on why it is that carers are so poorly supported in the contemporary UK social care system, despite being crucial to it.

 

We look forward to seeing you at the seminar

Centre for Seldom Heard Voices

 

Announcing Bespoke Research Masterclasses – Women’s Academic Network

Women's Academic Network

Dear women academics and PGR at Bournemouth University, we would like to inform you that the Women’s Academic Network (WAN) is offering two bespoke, qualitative Research Masterclasses for our members this academic year. We believe these Masterclasses will be helpful to, not only seasoned female academics wishing to polish up their methodological toolkits, but also of particular benefit to ECR and PGR colleagues, and others who are beginning to explore and develop methodologies expertise.

The first of our Masterclasses WAN Masterclass Focus Group Research will be held on November 10, 13.00-16.00 in BG-302  (the new Bournemouth Gateway Building on Lansdowne). This session will be facilitated by Dr Emma Pitchforth, Senior Lecturer and Senior Research Fellow in Primary Care at the University of Exeter and our own Professor Edwin van Teijlingen, Professor of Reproductive Health Research.

Early announcement of second event. This will be an all-day Masterclass workshop on Psychosocial Visual Methods, to be held on 25 May 9.30-4.30, facilitated by Dr Lita Crociani-Windland, Senior Lecturer in Sociology and Psycho-Social Studies at University of West of England (UWE), Bristol. Limited spaces. Look out for further announcements.

 WAN events:

We would like to remind anyone interested in attending these Masterclasses that while you do need to be a member of WAN to access this event, joining WAN is free, easy and beneficial to women scholars at our institution as well as being a unique initiative supported by UET. We have been described as ‘the most collegial network in BU’ for good reason. Join us and find out more about what we do to help our women colleagues.

WAN Convenors are:

Dr Joanne Mayoh

Dr Abier Hamidi

Dr Melsia Tomlin-Kraftner

Professor Sara Ashencaen Crabtree

For more information on Masterclass bookings and WAN, please email:

Professor Sara Ashencaen Crabtree scrabtree@bournemouth.ac.uk

 

 

 

 

 

Join us at our first Lunchtime Seminar this October.

 

Join us at our first Lunchtime Seminar this October. Email jonesc@bournemouth.ac.uk for the online link.

Octobers Seminar – 12:00-13:00 on 27th October

Mark Berry will be presenting our first lunchtime seminar on ‘The ethics and challenges of semi-covert research with active drug dealers’

Ethnographic research with offenders has become increasingly difficult to carry out in the UK and internationally. Requirements of institutional review boards (IRB) are stringent. Research that involves fieldwork in high-risk settings is often turned down, which in effect silences the voices of vulnerable and marginalised populations within them. Furthermore, witnessing and recording crimes that are not known to the police is risky and could put the researcher in a position where they are legally obligated to give up the information. Ethnography with criminals may also require elements of covert observation in order to be successful and protect the safety of both the researcher and the researched. Covert research is especially difficult to get approved and is frowned upon for being deceptive. It can, however, benefit participants by illuminating hidden injustices, whilst leading to proposals for progressive policy change. This talk draws upon data from a 5-year semi-covert ethnography of the illicit drug trade in a city in England. It outlines the ethical and methodological challenges of conducting ethnographic research on hard-to-reach criminal groups.