The NIHR ARC: East of England social care research programme has developed I am interested in Research!, a tool designed to help social care staff take their first steps into research. Since launching in June 2026, the tool has reached more than 200 users and has been adopted and shared by local authorities across the UK.
Social care staff are uniquely placed to bridge the gap between research and practice, using evidence alongside their professional expertise and insight into the needs of the people they support to inform care and improve the quality of services. To help more people understand how they can begin their research careers, the ASCENT programme developed ‘I am interested in Research!’, a tool that showcases the different pathways available to social care staff.
‘I am interested in Research!’ is a self-directed 15-minute decision-making and learning tool that helps social care staff explore how they can use research evidence in practice, get involved in research projects, or undertake their own research. Designed for a broad range of social care staff, including registered professionals, direct care staff, managers, senior staff members, and evaluation and auditing teams, it provides guidance, resources, and signposting to funding opportunities for people who are interested in pursuing their research journey.
Our aim was to create an easy-to-use tool that introduces key research pathways to social care staff who are interested in learning more about the world of research and helping them start their research journey.
Dr Lida Efstathopoulou
ASCENT Programme Coordinator, NIHR ARC: East of England
The tool was informed by social care staff’s needs, including what they want to know about research. Social care practitioners provided feedback and recommendations into the platform that led to refinements in the content and look of the overall tool.
Since its launch in June 2026, the tool has been accessed by more than 200 unique users and shared across social care networks and local authorities throughout the UK. It has been disseminated through the Local Authority Research Practitioner (LARP) network to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, and Southend-on-Sea Councils. Other councils are now exploring how they can use the tool, while a public health organisation has expressed interest in adapting it for public health practitioners.
I am an NIHR-funded Local Authority Research Practitioner (LARP) at Southend-on-Sea City Council, and I actively share this amazing tool with colleagues throughout the Local Authority. It clearly illustrates the different steps the user can take in their research journey in an accessible and understandable way. It’s really helpful that this is self-paced and can be referred back to at any time.
Elizabeth Buzza
Local Authority Research Practitioner, Southend-on-Sea Council
Elizabeth Buzza continues: "The tool is relevant to all roles in social care and public health, which makes it excellent for training. I have recommended this tool to my LARP network and several are now using in their Councils too."
The development of the tool is part of the ASCENT programme, an NIHR-funded scheme focusing on the development of research capacity in adult and children’s social care. The programme also includes embedding Researchers-in-Residence across local authorities in the East of England to support the development of research capacity, promoting research evidence and mindedness in social care practice and launching the new Seed Funding calls. The ASCENT programme has since been re-funded for a further five years until 2031.
The ASCENT programme was informed by findings from the ARC: East of England Delphi study conducted by the ASCENT team, which identified key priorities for strengthening research capacity and capability within social care. Next, the programme will expand its Research Mindedness offer, allowing organisations to apply for sessions that our team can deliver to their staff.
