Background

Social care is facing many challenges and, in a time where staff are stretched and resources are low, research can feel like a luxury rather than part of daily activities. Yet research is crucial for improving practice and finding innovative ways to overcome challenges. To increase capacity in social care research, academia and social care need to work together to understand each other and co-produce a programme that will fit with the workplace demands of social care and focuses on issues that hold meaning and value to those we are seeking to engage. The work that we co-produce will therefore lead to tangible practice change and/or a strengthening of the evidence for existing practice. The University of Portsmouth (UoP) and Portsmouth City Council (PCC) do not currently have a research learning partnership established, however our civic partnership agreement provides a strong impetus to build a learning partnership that will inspire, engage, and provide professional development for social care professionals in research, whilst providing academics with direct experience of co-producing research in complex public service contexts. Through this project we aim to develop such a research learning partnership.

Contributors:

Amy Drahota, Reader in Health & Social Care Evidence & Evaluation, University of Portsmouth

Carole Fogg, Senior Research Fellow, University of Southampton

Patricia Gilbert, Lecturer (Sociology), University of Portsmouth

Patryk Jadzinski, Senior Lecturer (Paramedics), University of Portsmouth

Gail Mann, Research Development Lead, Portsmouth City Council

Nils Niederstrasser, Senior Lecturer (Psychology), University of Portsmouth

Lucy Porteous, Senior Lecturer (Social Work), University of Portsmouth

Clare Rachwal, Deputy Head of Service, Adult Social Care, Portsmouth City Council

Jenny Roddis, Associate Head (Research & Innovation), University of Portsmouth

Sharon Smith, Principal Social Worker, Adult Social Care, Portsmouth City Council

Annabel Tremlett, Senior Lecturer (Social Work), University of Portsmouth

Aims and Objectives

Our overall aim is to build research capacity in social care through establishing a research learning partnership between the University of Portsmouth (UoP) and Portsmouth City Council (PCC) adult social care team, the public and other key partners, and develop co-produced research relevant to PCC social care practice and national issues.

We will achieve this via the following four objectives:

A.         To establish a research learning partnership for social care between UoP and PCC which will provide learning opportunities for both partners and their associated stakeholders around the development, design, and delivery of research.

B.         To identify and prioritise research topics for development for further grant funding opportunities, within social care and also in collaboration with other health and care delivery partners.

C.         To undertake preliminary research activities (e.g. a systematic review, public involvement activities, and potential data gathering) on a prioritised topic in adult social care, which will underpin a funding application for further primary research.

D.         To develop guidance on increasing capacity in social care research via co-production in collaboration with wider ARC Wessex social care research partnerships. 

Research Plan / Methods

We will begin this project with a three-month exploratory process with social care teams, that will be about relationship-building and working together to devise a programme of activities that will meet the needs of social care, establish what a learning partnership would look like, and how this will fit with the expertise of academics. We envisage that we will co-develop some activities that centre around relevant topic(s) of importance to social care, and that the academics can support based on their expertise. Our focus will be adult social care, to tie in with the School of Health & Care Professions’ thematic strength in older adults, PCC’s adult social care team, and the ‘ageing and dementia’ research area of ARC Wessex. The project will involve a researcher-in-residence, employed by UoP but embedded within PCC, to work alongside adult social workers and build a culture of joint research across the organisations. We will be seeking to integrate research into current processes, for example through senior social worker team meetings and practice support forums that would be happening anyway. Throughout the project we will be seeking to establish a legacy of ongoing work and practice, through the development of funding applications for future projects and the development of a community of practice that will outlive the duration of the funding, nurture an affinity for research, and help demonstrate the value of research to social care.

Summary of findings

This project had four strands:

1: Growing a research culture and working togetherWe helped six people at Portsmouth City Council (PCC) to become research active or develop their research skills; four were awarded ‘Visiting Researcher’ status at the university, and two were social workers employed on the joint social work project as research assistants. Of the four visiting researchers: One social worker received mentorship to undertake their own small research project; One Mental Health Practitioner developed their research ideas, and applied for research funding; Two individuals independently completed a research project and were supported to develop their analysis and findings through collaboration with University researchers. All individuals are pursuing further research and supporting each other. 

2: Joint social work projectA research question was developed through discussions and shadowing within adult social work teams at PCC. This led to a review of the evidence on how and why different features of collaborative working may impact the outcomes of older adults receiving services. We found 28 relevant studies that helped develop three theories on collaborative working. The theories relate to: how multidisciplinary team meetings are managed; how staff can learn from each other and feel safe to speak out; how new solutions for older adults can arise when staff feel safe to speak out. These theories can be used to develop recommendations and new interventions to improve how social workers can work with other professionals to provide the best care for older adults.

3: Research learning programmeA 6-part seminar series, Research Skills in Social Care, was delivered in-person for colleagues at PCC and online for wider audiences. The series gave an overview of the six stages of conducting a literature review to grow research knowledge and encourage discussions. Team members also gave seminars on their research projects through the Applied Research Collaboration Wessex online seminar series.

4: Reflecting on what we have learnt about growing researchThe process of growing research has been rewarding and challenging. Success has come from mentorship and individual relationships where trust and rapport are developed, and confidence is built at a steady pace. Arranging rooms and technology in a different organisation for the seminar series was difficult, however the in-person nature of the seminars was beneficial for sparking informal conversations and removing barriers between research and practice, presenting an “accessible” face.

What we did with this Knowledge

The knowledge from the joint research project is being shared with the wider adult social work team to inform team development.

Additionally, we are working the Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC) at Portsmouth City Council to establish how the activities to grow research can be expanded to other areas of the city council and local authorities wider afield.

We are working together to develop a report for publication and continue to work with the adult social work team to grow research.

Where next?

•A funding application has been submitted by an Approved Mental Health Professional to conduct a literature review around racial disparities in coercive mental health treatment

•A social worker is planning small research project evidencing the need for a larger autism/neurodivergence support service for adults

•Further collaboration with Health Determinants Research Collaboration initiative

•Discussing development of interventions based on the findings of the joint research project. This will form the basis of a future funding proposal.

Koren Luddington – Visiting Researcher & Social Worker

“I was matched with a mentor from the University, who was empathic and reassuring of my self-doubts.  She made me feel as though all questions were valid and she was able to provide explanations that felt personalised and relevant to my field of work”

Taken from Koren’s blog post on NIHR ARC Wessex

Supporting capacity building in this project has been really eye opening - throughout this project I have met incredible, passionate people that are doing everything they can to provide support.

There is such a wealth of knowledge and innovation happening in Adult Social Care, and it’s up to us in research to support and encourage that.

Dr Leah Fullegar

Leah.Fullegar@port.ac.uk