Prioritising safety in service design: protecting participants and practitioners

Theme: Psychological Safety | Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility

Content note: Due to the nature of this topic, this talk will touch on sensitive themes including suicidality.

This session will explore why and how to embed robust safety practices into service design, highlighting practical approaches to safeguarding both practitioners and participants throughout the design process. 

Drawing from real-world examples, we will share how safeguarding and wellbeing practices are embedded in the planning and delivery of projects.

Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the key considerations for physical and psychological safety, learn how these principles apply to diverse audiences, and leave equipped with practical strategies, tools and frameworks that can be adapted and applied to their own service design projects.

Participant takeaways: 

• Approaches to effectively planning for safeguarding, including identifying and addressing potential safety risks early on in projects, particularly those involving sensitive topics or vulnerable populations
• How clearly defined, transparent and accessible safeguarding guidelines and support systems can boost confidence, ethical responsibility, and effectiveness in research and design teams
• Practical strategies and tools for designing environments that prioritise the psychological and physical wellbeing of both participants and researchers
• Insights into sensitively and effectively handling safety issues that arise during research or design activities
• Examples of how these approaches can be applied when working with diverse audiences, including people living with physical and mental health conditions, dementia, learning disabilities, and children and young people, including children with complex support needs

This session:

• Includes interaction
• Will encourage you to engage in the conversation and share your own thoughts, opinions and experiences.