Key players Overview This strategy sets out a direction and the steps needed to achieve the following aim: For Wales to be internationally renowned for its excellent social care research that supports the people of Wales by informing and improving social care policy and practice. It looks at five areas: Focus area 1 – Involving the public in social care research Focus area 2 – Research priorities Focus area 3 – Use of existing and routinely collected data Focus area 4 – Developing the workforce and organisations Focus area 5 – Communication and use of research For each area, we have included reasons why the issue is important and an overview of what we will do. Focus area 1 – Involving the public in social care research Why is this important? This strategy is built upon a firm and clear commitment to public ‘voice and control’ and co-production in policy, practice and research, as articulated in Welsh Government legislation and policy guidelines. This includes involving people with
Objective 2: Develop a skilled research workforce of national and international standing that can undertake high quality research. Objective 3: Through the work of the Wales School for Social Care Research (DEEP program -Developing Evidence Enriched Practice) and the ExChange model, support connections and bridges between research institutions and policy and practice settings to support facilitating research- minded social care organisational cultures. Objective 4: Support the development of tools and processes for social care practitioners to engage with evaluation and research in their setting. Objective 5: Support the development of incentives to engage in research drawing on examples in clinical health research such as time awards for NHS clinicians. Objective 6: Actively support and showcase the value of social care research and reflect this in the funding for social care research. Objective 7: Review ethics and permissions processes for social care researchers. Focus area 5 – Communicating and using research Why is this issue important? A major challenge for social care is ensuring practitioners and policy makers have access to the results of research evidence, so that policy and practice, as well as service organisation and delivery, take into account the best available research evidence. For evidence dissemination to be effective, a culture of research mindedness within social care organisational environments is also required, so that staff are both able and motivated to engage with research and make use of it. There is also a need to overcome the perception that individuals operate either as researchers or practitioners, but not both. The view of practitioners as passive recipients of research findings also needs to be overcome. Another challenge is the question of how to enable access to research evidence in an understandable format that enables organisational leaders and practitioners to inform practice. For example, the way that research is communicated can create barriers to its adoption by those without research backgrounds. Individuals working
Dr Dan Venables Head of Social Care R&D and Public Involvement Health and Care Research Wales, Welsh Government Health and Care Research Wales, Welsh Government Professor Fiona Verity Director, Wales School for Social Care Research Sub-Group Co-Chair College of Human and Health Sciences, Swansea University College of Human and Health Sciences, Swansea University Naomi Alleyne Director of Social Services and Housing Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) WLGA Suzanne Clifton Head of Business Development Vale of Glamorgan Council ADSS Donna Davies Policy Advisor to the Chief Inspector Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales Sue Evans Chief Executive Social Care Wales Social Care Wales Alex Hills Acting Head, Health and Care Research Wales Support Centre Health and Care Research Wales(Support Centre) Health and Care Research Wales(Support Centre) Melanie Minty Policy Advisor Care Forum Wales Care Forum Wales Professor Catherine Robinson Professor of Social Policy Research Bangor University Bangor University