RESEARCHING SENSITIVE TOPICS – ENGAGING VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES
Researching sensitive or ‘hard to talk about’ issues can be fraught. It is important to understand the potential impacts it may have on the communities being researched, and the team doing the research.
Join our expert panel as they reflect on their experiences of engaging with vulnerable communities when performing sensitive research and how they look after the community, their team, and themselves.
This webinar discusses:
- Barriers, real and perceived, when engaging with vulnerable communities
- How to support vulnerable communities when conducting sensitive research
- What to look for in your team when conducting sensitive research
About the Experts
Gabrielle Jenkin – Gabrielle has 20 years quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods and transdisciplinary research experience investigating critical social and public health issues documented in 40+ peer reviewed publications and 20+ research reports.
She has research expertise in mental health and wellbeing with 20 published papers and 15 reports in this field, many of which have been presented at international conferences. These include qualitative interview-based research, media and interest group analyses, suicide prevention, analyses of multiple government agency datasets and files, panel surveys, longitudinal cohort studies, gender and cultural analyses.
Stuart Baresford – Stuart is a Senior Consultant with two decades of policy analyst experience within the public sector including six years at the United Nations. He has particular experience within the justice sector, and has provided high quality advice to a range of clients, including to Ministers and other Senior decision makers.
Jaqui Ngawaka – Jaqui is a smart, capable leader with a talent for applying Māori wisdom to boost organisational development, and she believes in the potential of Te Ao Māori and Te Tiriti o Waitangi to guide the future prosperity of Aotearoa NZ.
She most recently supported the Board of a post-settlement iwi entity developing strategy, operating functions, and partnerships with neighbouring iwi authorities, local government, and Crown agencies.
Coming up
Restream + Live Q&A | Credible Evaluations: Balancing Resourcing and Accurate Insights
Date: Thursday 11 September 2025 | 12:10-12:55 p.m. NZST | 10:10-10:55 a.m. AEST
In an era where the competing priorities of understanding what drives policy, program, and service success—or lack thereof—and reduced evaluation resources prevail, how can you maintain the integrity and impact of your evaluations?
In this webinar, our evaluation veterans will discuss how to deliver 'the Toyota' of evaluations, as opposed to 'the Ferrari', by focusing on the fundamentals of credible evaluation within your context. They'll explore the delicate balance of making necessary compromises while avoiding detrimental ones, including strategies for scenarios where there simply isn’t enough capacity to deliver your evaluation work program.
