ABSTRACT
This chapter presents details of the strategy used throughout the research to explore the attitudes and experiences of Core Members, volunteers and stakeholders who had recently completed a Circle or were still involved with Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA) at the time of the research. This research was a national study, and at the time, this was the first large-scale research by university academics to evaluate the process of CoSA using the perspectives of the various participant groups named above. The chapter identifies the aims and objectives of the research. Then it outlines the sampling criteria for each of the participant groups and the approach taken to access these individuals. The chapter describes the research process used to collect data and the various ethical issues associated with this research.
