Co‐Designing an Engagement Strategy to Include the Voices of a Minority Group in Assessing the Quality of Maternity and Neonatal Care

This collaboration between academic researchers, staff from the Health Service Executive (HSE), and Cairde, a community health development organisation, aimed to involve all stakeholders, including members of the Roma community, in the co-design of an engagement strategy that allowed the experiences and perspectives of women from the Roma community who have given birth in Ireland to be captured. Staff from Cairde, including members of the Roma Community, co-designed a series of workshops and a questionnaire, and provided support on the set-up and delivery of the workshops and questionnaire. Two of the eight Roma women who participated in the co-design process also participated in the workshops. They provided guidance on communication and cultural considerations. This collaboration enabled the successful delivery of focus groups, informational sessions and a questionnaire, with full participation by the eight participants. Staff from Cairde, including members of the Roma community, also contributed to the interpretation of findings and drafting of the papers. Partnering with Cairde afforded privileged access to the Roma community, allowing the research team to engage with this seldom-heard group. The many barriers to this engagement were addressed through partnering with an organisation with the trust of the Roma community and with the capacity to participate [1].