Developing the research capacity of health and social care organisations can enable the delivery of research and support the use of research evidence in practice. Research to date has focused on studying research capacity in health organisations. Less is known, however, about research capacity in social care organisations.
Background
The Social Care Research Capacity Development Programme (ASCENT) supported the development of research capacity in social care settings across the East of England region (2024-2026). As part of evaluating the contribution of the ASCENT programme, we are conducting a Delphi study to identify key areas of research capacity development in social care settings across the East of England region. Defining a list of key areas can guide social organisations with supporting research and using research evidence in practice.
Developing research capacity can facilitate the delivery of research and the use of research evidence in decisions about care. The main aim of building an organisation’s research capacity is to improve the quality of life of people who access care and their carers via the use of reliable and relevant evidence. Different areas of research capacity development have been found in literature. Examples include improving the research skills of practitioners, publishing and sharing research findings, improving research processes (e.g., research governance), staff members supporting the dissemination of research, such as research champions and Researchers-in-Residence. Most of those examples have been implemented in healthcare settings.
The ASCENT programme implemented a set of activities to support the development of research capacity in social care. Those included: (a) supporting social care practitioners to develop a career pathway in research, (b) expanding the network of adult social care and build a new network in children’s social care, (c) implementing the Researcher-in- Residence model, (d) increasing awareness about the value of research and (e) improve research process within social care (e.g., research governance processes).
Project Aims
To identify key components of research capacity development in social care settings across the East of England region.
Project Activity
- We adopted the Delphi method to define important areas of research capacity development for social care in the East of England region. The purpose of the Delphi method is to receive advice from a group of experts across the region, who are invited to share their opinion on the said topic.
- Data are collected via a number of repeating questionnaires, giving the opportunity to participants to reflect on their responses.
Anticipated or actual outputs
A list of key components of research capacity development will be shared with participants and the network of the ASCENT programme (Local Authorities, third sector organisations, care homes, universities and academic institutions across the region).
Papers and resources
Who is involved?
- Lida Efstathopoulou, University of Hertfordshire
- Naoko Kishita, University of East Anglia
- Kathryn Almack, University of Hertfordshire
Contact
Lida Efstathopoulou, l.g.efstathopoulou@herts.ac.uk
