Negotiating Access to Hard-to-Reach Populations through Institutional Gatekeepers in Social Work Research

Abstract

Abstract Institutional gatekeepers play an increasingly important role in social work research, and their involvement in the research process is essential for the development of a usable knowledge base. This article explores the experience of recruiting participants through institutional gatekeepers for research on hard-to-reach populations in social work. The article aims to find out how researchers negotiate access to research participants with institutional gatekeepers. A qualitative research strategy was used to accomplish this goal. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews with researchers revealed that the researchers enter into negotiations with institutional gatekeepers with some idea of the challenges and risks, but in part they enter into the unknown and are forced to make situational assessments in joint interactions. Research evolves and transforms based on how the researcher moves through the research process, what types of gatekeepers the researcher seeks at different stages of the research process and for what purpose. We identified three basic forms of negotiating access with institutional gatekeepers: logistical assistance, barter transaction and trust-based collaboration. This article looks at the different kinds of relationships that exist between researchers, gatekeepers and hard-to-reach population. It examines the power dynamics involved in the recruitment of marginalised groups through gatekeepers in social work research.