The experiences of people who sell or exchange sex and their interaction with support services: lived experience engagement

Appendix D: Interview Participant Information

Participant Information Sheet

Individual Interviews

Lived Experience Engagement: the experience of adults with lived experience of selling sex and their interaction with support services

You are invited to take part in a research project. Before you decide whether or not you would like to participate, it is important that you read the information provided below. This will help you to understand why and how the research is being carried out and what participation will involve.

Who is conducting the research?

This research is being conducted by LKJ Research, a research organisation, on behalf of Scottish Government. The project lead is Laura Jones (laura@lkiresearch.com), and the research assistants are Emma Craig and Katerina Mentzou.

Who is funding the research?

This research is commissioned and funded by Scottish Government.

What is the purpose of the research?

This research aims to understand the experiences people who sell sex have with mainstream and specialist services. This includes identifying barriers to access.

The research also aims to gather views on future service design.

Why have I been invited to take part?

You have been invited to take part because you have sold sex in Scotland or, have experience of selling sex elsewhere and currently live in Scotland or, have experience of seeking support for selling sex from services in Scotland.

We are specifically looking to speak to adults who have exchanged in-person physical sexual contact for money, goods, or services (including protection, rent, reduction of a parking fine etc.)

Do I have to take part?

No, taking part in this study is voluntary and choosing not to take part will not impact on your support or service access in any way. You may decide to stop the study at any time without explanation and without penalty - simply let researcher know and we will stop.

You are free withdraw from the research at any up until the report is submitted. Please contact Laura Jones (laura@lkjresearch.com) and let her know. After this point it may not be possible to remove your contributions.

What will happen if I take part?

Your participation will involve completing a short survey (estimated to take 5 minutes) and having a conversation with a researcher on Zoom/reams (estimated to take about 30-60 minutes depending how much you want to say). If you choose to take part you will be asked to discuss your experiences with accessing support services, any challenges you have experienced in accessing services and how you feel services could be changed or improved.

Are there any risks in taking part?

For some people, answering questions about personal experiences can cause discomfort. Your participation is completely voluntary, and you are free to stop at any time. If you feel uncomfortable after participating in this study, you may consider contacting one of the support services listed here: www.encompassnetwork.info

What are the possible benefits of taking part?

This research has been commissioned by Scottish Government, and the results will be fed back to the teams responsible for future policy recommendations. As a thank you for sharing your time and experiences you will receive a £20 Tesco voucher.

Will my taking part in this project be kept confidential?

Yes. Participants will be asked to use a pseudonym, and any identifying remarks made will either be anonymised or removed.

What will happen to the information I provide?

During the conversation, audio will be recorded. This audio data will be accessed by the lead researcher and by a transcription service. If any identifying details have been included in the recording these will be removed to ensure the data is anonymised and fully pseudonymised at the point of transcription.

Anonymised transcripts will be kept on a secure cloud-based storage system (OneOrive) where they will be encrypted, and password protected. The data will be stored for at least 6 months and may be shared on OneOrive among the research team. A weekly backup of data will be stored on the lead researchers encrypted and password protected laptop, and on an encrypted and password protected USS drive, which will be kept in a locked drawer for the project duration and then securely deleted. This will allow restoration of the data in the event of an incident. Following the completion of the research project a copy of the anonymised data will be provided to Scottish Government.

The results from the study will shared with the Scottish Government and may be used in other research outputs. This includes direct quotes- in all cases these will be thoroughly checked to make sure you cannot be identified. The final report will be published online by Scottish Government. You can alternatively obtain a copy of the results by emailing Laura Jones (laura@lkiresearch.com).

All data will be processed in line with UK GOPR Requirements.

Is there someone I can complain to?

If you have any complaints or concerns about how this research has been conducted, please contact Laura Jones (laura@lkiresearch.com)