4. Values and Standards in PPI activities
Values
What are the values that underpin PPI? The national PPI Ignite Network has adopted a set of values and principles to guide PPI:
Equity & Inclusion
- The active identification and removal of barriers and creation of entry points throughout the research lifecycle. We want real co-design and partnership to take place that values equally people's diversity of opinion, experience, ability, background and expertise.
Empowerment & Power Sharing
- The inclusion as early as possible in funding decisions, strategy and decision-making, the co-design and co-production of research. We want a wide range of involvement strategies to ensure that this happens.
Respect
- The recognition of the roles, knowledge, insights, experiences, strengths, limitations, and contributions across the research team and PPI partners and throughout the research lifecycle. We want to benefit from the diversity of the team and partners, and work together effectively and enjoyably.
Collaboration & Partnership
- The inclusion of PPI partners throughout the research lifecycle with commitments and expectations agreed from the outset, as much as possible. We want true partnership where all contributions are valued and respected equally.
Flexibility
- The recognition of the time and other commitments involved in PPI and that this is acted upon in the research plan. We want to co-design appropriate changes and responses to the experiences and to the views of PPI partners.
Transparency
- The need for clear, open mutual communication between the research team and PPI partners about research decisions and progress. We want transparency in developing a clear, shared understanding of aims, roles, process and other terms of involvement.
Trust
- The building of reciprocal trust. This takes time to develop, is relationship based, needs to be consistently worked on. We want everybody's opinion to be fully heard and we want confidentiality to be negotiated and respected.