building a research community let’s consider it together work r… · building a research...
TRANSCRIPT
FEEDBACK
From event held on the 11th November 2019
Dunsilly Hotel
CONTENTS
Part 1: Building a Research Community 2 –12
Part 2: Research Strategy Review - Overview 13-14
Part 3: Next steps 15
BUILDING A RESEARCH COMMUNITY LET’S CONSIDER IT TOGETHER
Page 2 Continued
Part 1: Building a Research Community
Context
In 2015 we launched the Social Work Research and Continuous Improvement Strategy (2015-2020). Our aim was the development of a culture that recognises and values the contribution of research and evidence within social work and social care to support better outcomes for service users and carers.
A review of the strategy was undertaken in (2019) which has identified and acknowledged quite a number of achievements over a relatively short timeframe and made suggestions for moving forward. This review and our recent consultation on the “Protocol for Gaining Initial Support for Social Work & Social Care Research” (2019) have given us impetus for the establishment of a network of interested stakeholders. We hope to build a research community that will foster mutually beneficial relationships and partnerships.
Through collaborative working we hope to build an evidence base relevant to social work and social care in Northern Ireland. Over time this will help us identify the types of research and evidence that will inform practice, explore gaps in our evidence and support the identification of research and evidence priorities. This is in line with the original intentions within the Social Work Research and Continuous Improvement Strategy (2015-2020) which remains important as we move forward
What we have done to date;
On 11th November 2019 we hosted the first, of what we intend to be a number of Network events. We were delighted with the response and the interest and enthusiasm expressed by those who attended the event in Dunsilly Hotel. This included fifty people inclusive of representatives from a range of HSC organisations, academia from Higher Education and other organisations employing social workers alongside service users and carers who have some experience of research. All have a contribution to make as we move forward building the network and revising and updating the current Social Work Research and Continuous Improvement Strategy for the period 2020 onwards.
The programme for the day was designed to be engaging, facilitating a range of sessions from statutory sector representatives, academia and service users and carers. It was designed to allow delegates to listen to examples of what others had done working in partnership to create the evidence base and the importance of co-production in any work progressed. It also facilitated a number of interactive group sessions to stimulate debate and discussion about the value and contribution of partnership working between operational practice and academia. In addition, as we move into Phase 2 of the Social Work Research and Continuous Improving Strategy, delegates also had the opportunity to listen to the Review outcomes.
Page 3
ECEMBER 2019 NEWSLETTER: ISUE 11
Continued
Agenda used at first meeting on 11th November 2019
9.30 Registration and coffee and networking
10.00 Setting the scene Anne McGlade (HSCB)
10.05 Welcome and Opening Remarks Marie Roulston (HSCB)
10.10 Introductions to colleagues and
expectations – what I hope to get out of a research community
Shirley Boyle (NHSCT)
All – group work
10.30
Strategic overview key messages
Review of Social Work Research and Continuous Improvement Strategy
Maxine Gibson (HSCB)
10.40
Working in partnership to create an evidence base
What makes it work?
Helen Dunn (HSCB)
Lorna Montgomery (QUB) and
Catherine Cooke
Senior Practitioner (NHSCT)
10.55
Group work
What’s the added value of research to operational practice
Introduction by Tony McAllister (South Eastern Trust)
All – Group work
11.25 Tea and coffee and Networking
11.50
Group work
What’s the added value of operational practice to research
Introduction by Brian Taylor (Ulster University)
All - group work
12.20 The added value of co-production
as a way of working
Fiona Templeton and Sonia Patton
(Service Users)
Patricia Burns Social Work Practitioner
(Belfast Trust)
12.30
Moving forward
Type of Network
How do people wish to be involved?
Next steps - immediate actions
Action Plan for longer term
All – group work discussion
1.00 Importance of wider engagement Geraldine O’Hare (Probation Board NI)
Thank you and Close Anne McGlade (HSCB)
1.10 Lunch and Networking
“This is a great initiative.” “Need regular meetings”
“Great work !!”
“We need to bring all this energy together “ “We all need to keep it going.”
Page 4 Continued
This short report reflects the analysis of the feedback received from delegates who attended.
Expectations
In terms of expectations of what a Research Community would deliver “ an opportunity to work across organisations, agencies and networks” was identified as key.
“ An inclusive interagency, forum, in which service users and carers are actively involved.”
“ The development of collective ownership to drive forward the research agenda at different levels.”
“Learning and sharing across organisations and programmes.”
Overall goal
Whilst the context statement as outlined on page 2 indicated what the organisers intended as the goal of the initiative it was important to check out delegates’ perspectives also.
Words like promote, develop, engage, strengthen, align were used repeatedly within responses received.
Of particular importance was the emphasis placed on a “collaborative network that supported better alignment of policy and practice with academic discourses.” This type of network it was suggested would “help create the necessary networks to respond to external funding calls supporting the systems necessary to identify resources that would enable relevant research to be undertaken.”
It was suggested that ultimately “a network would over time help create opportunities to enable higher volume and quality research relevant to social work and social care in Northern Ireland.”
Our goal also needs to stay focussed on “ accessibility of findings to managers, practitioners and service users and carers and promote the uptake of findings.”
“Research has the potential to strengthen the social work profession, strengthening social work research and embedding findings into practice to build the necessary evidence base will facilitate ongoing service improvement.”
Finally an emphasis on changing the culture was reiterated within replies “our goal is to establish research as part of social care culture in health and social care and other organisations”.
Page 5 Continued
What would success looks like?
When initiatives are developed, it is important from the outset to consider how we might judge success.
A diverse range of views were articulated within replies but can be grouped under a few themes of collaboration and inclusiveness, evidence of real change, greater connectivity between practice, academia and organisational progress. The ultimate measure would be for research to be taken for granted and when it is genuinely part of the culture.
Collaboration and inclusiveness - real change
Evidence of collaborative improvement and evidence of the difference we are making for service users, carers and staff.
Having the network and seeing some real changes in practice as a result.
Social workers question more what works and why.
Increased use of evidence based practice by front line social workers.
Research is embedded in practice.
A continuum of research activities is in place, across all levels of social work.
A research community inclusive of all.
Greater connectivity between practice and academia
Genuine collaboration exists between practice and academia.
University staff know who to contact for employer engagement when a research grant appears.
Database of research to capture research related activity undertaken regularly by social workers on the Research Methods Programme, at Ulster University, or other courses undertaken at Queen’s University and elsewhere.
An increase in candidates on research focused courses.
Collaborative projects between Public Health Agency/Health and Social Care Board, Health Social Care Trusts, academic institutions and other organisations.
Organisational progress
Commitment, drive and enthusiasm at senior management level that support research activity.
A system is in place to harness senior leaders and practitioners/Department of Health (DoH)/Health and Social Care Board (HSCB)/Trusts and other organisations alongside service users and carers and academia to identify research priorities.
Processes are in place linking with research champions in each Directorate or organisation.
Page 6
Who should be involved?
Delegates at the event were drawn from a diverse range of backgrounds and were as representative of stakeholders as was possible. Attendance lists were readily available for perusal in order to ascertain if there were gaps in attendance.
In attendance were representatives from service users and carers (with knowledge of and competence in research and evidence), statutory, community and voluntary sectors inclusive of current research champions. The DoH, HSCB, Trusts, other statutory organisations and agencies such as Northern Ireland Social Care Council (NISCC) and academia were all invited to attend and were on the delegate list on the day. This also included Patient Client Council (PCC), Northern Ireland Guardian ad Litem Agency (NIGALA), Probation Board, researchers, practitioners, managers and trainers.
Analysing the feedback two gaps highlighted were the HSC R&D office. Representatives from the R&D were invited on the 11th but were unable to attend on the date but are committed to support the work as it progresses.
The other gap highlighted was HSC Research and Governance Committees in Trusts. An invitation has subsequently been extended.
Options for the way forward making best use of those who attended the event. How will we work together? The establishment of the forum was considered by way of creating synergy
and in particular capitalizing on the immense level of energy evident. The network was considered vital for information sharing.
Engagement of service users and carers needs to be continued in the vein that it has commenced and built on the principles of co-production and active engagement and based on the principle of equality of participation.
Hosting regular conferences and events, to communicate and network. Such mechanisms could be used for the active sharing of research via forums and the sharing of learning from past and present research projects and for the dissemination of information going forward.
Page 7
Academic and professional meetings or networks for research integrated with practice and policies.
Need to keep the community connected through activity.
Making effective use of technology in the form of designing an App alongside the effective use of social media. This would help share ideas about projects and research. The comment was however made but not at expense of face to face engagement.
Harnessing and capitalising the skills that practitioners and service users have already gained through research methods and evidence training at local universities.
Greater resources and funding is needed to make this happen was reiterated in a number of responses.
Large funding calls - making best use of the network as potential priorities need to be relevant for both academics and service providers.
Concrete protocol or strategy established on how to engage in order to generate greater co-operation and standardisation amongst HSCTs and arms - lengths bodies.
Our principles and values
There was quite a bit of consensus in the principles and values articulated by delegates. These are reflected below.
Equality;
Inclusion;
Equality of participation;
Openness; and,
Transparency.
Work should be produced on the basis of empowerment, research for all, co-production, service user involvement, excellence, effective and efficient use of robust evidence.
Page 8 Continued
Our immediate tasks
Some practical and useful suggestions were made by delegates in relation to tasks that need to be dealt with imminently.
Disseminate the outcomes of the event and communicate these with other colleagues.
Develop a working group to bring together HSC managers, practitioners, service users and carers, academics facilitating a ground up structure to get regional partnership and social work research off the ground.
Develop an action plan to keep the momentum going.
Resourcing the network is necessary. Resourcing the research strategy is also necessary.
Continue the engagement with service users and carers to see what they want from the Research Community.
Work with service users and carers, practitioners and academia in the spirit of co-production to determine where research is needed and to define research questions.
Promoting research and connecting people making effective use of social media.
Identification of research priorities.
Use the Research Community to get a focus locally and regionally on the importance of research.
Building on contacts made.
Disseminate outcomes from existing research, especially from candidates on post qualifying academic programmes.
Create a database of social workers wanting to take forward research.
.
Page 9 Continued
Our long term tasks
Suggestions included:
Put in place a detailed action plan with clear measurable goals and targets and timeline.
Funding opportunities aligned with identified research priorities.
Ongoing promotion of MSc Research Methods and various PhD courses at both the local Universities.
Social workers supported to do and use research as part of their normal day to day practice.
Embed a research culture community across Northern Ireland.
Corporate business plans to articulate the importance of the research agenda.
Shared access to the research, through the development of, for example, through design of an App.
Regional standardisation in research approval processes.
Continued support of research methods training programmes to build the capacity in the system.
Opportunities created to bring together front line staff, management and academia and service users and carers for discussion on research and evidence.
Ensure there is capitalisation of the research agenda within the new Professional Doctorate award currently being developed for the Social Work Profession.
Create synergy between research and the Professional in Practice Framework (PiP).
Page 10
Group work
What is the added value of research at operational level?
Enablers
It helps to develop an ethos of research mindedness where support from senior levels is forthcoming.
Research and evidence skills training to build on the social work skills. Incorporating critical thinking and evaluation. This needs to be supported further.
Senior managers within organisations commit to structures to support research into practice.
Effective use of the research protocol and Social Media, forum or groups on twitter which lead to service improvements.
If we have champions in local areas it would help to implement the vision for research.
Talk about research as much as we talk about practice.
There is an organisational mind-set for research where there is a research culture supported by front line, senior managers and directors.
Interactive technology.
A platform exists across organisations to support the agenda.
Interested and enthusiastic practitioners, service users, academics, managers at all levels working collaboratively.
We need a key person to disseminate messages and drive forward ideas.
Use of social media, twitter or email for disseminating summaries of research.
Communities in practice initiatives.
Mirror the “staying connected network”.
Inhibiters
Limited structures at strategic and local level.
Avoid competition. Research and quality improvement in the context of skill developmental requirements needs to co-exists. But they are different approaches with different purposes and this needs to be recognised.
Current workforce strategy. This needs to be relooked at in context of evidence skills.
Competing priorities.
Currently corporate and business plans do not profile research.
Job descriptions need to include research.
The Social Work forums don’t explicitly feature items on research - an explicit slot across forums is needed.
Continued
Page 11
Lack of resources.
Lack of time and capacity. Staff shortages means there are competing demands to support network.
Need to build the capacity of staff so that they have the confidence to critically appraise new approaches. There is always a fear amongst practitioners about their ability to undertake research. Still a lack of competence.
What is the value of operational practice to research?
What knowledge and skills are needed?
Wider strategic oversight.
Service development plans that articulate research priorities.
Practice knowledge and experience valued alongside research skills.
Work on assumption that all social workers have the skills to locate the evidence to determine what works or what does not work.
Need to know what’s already known. Knowing how to link with others to find out what is already done in that area and build on gaps.
Using practitioners to inform research priority setting.
Organisations need to be better prepared to share resources.
Collaborative working.
Strengths based working.
Integrating the experience and skills of service users to inform decisions on research.
Building the research skill base across organisations and utilising the skills of those practitioners who have gained skills - mentoring and support roles.
More skills required in the workforce on literature reviewing and database searching to use research that already exists.
Confidence to critically appraise current practice to help answer the question can we do better?
Knowledge of how the research questions fits into wider strategic context of the social work profession and corporate plans.
Continued
Page 12 Continued
Who should be involved in the process?
A general statement was suggested that more people than there are currently are necessary for greater ownership of the research agenda throughout organisations.
Others who need to be included:
Social workers leaders and managers –and other strategic leaders.
Service users and carers.
Academics.
Social workers who are enthusiastic about research.
Social care training and Governance teams and wider Governance teams.
HSC R&D Division of the Public Health Agency.
Page 13
Part 2: The Social Work Research and Continuous Improvement Strategy
“We shouldn’t underestimate the symbolic nature of the Social Work Research and Continuous Improvement Strategy for providing an
impressive commitment to social work research and an important message about its value”
The review of the Social Work Research and Continuous Improvement Strategy (2015-2020) undertaken in 2019 was an opportunity to acknowledge and re-invigorate the commitment already shown to the agenda
It offered an opportunity also to consider how we can collectively plan and shape the future of research and evidence across our organisations –immediately and post 2020
Delegates at the 11th November event had the opportunity to hear emergent
themes and recommendations from the review which explored:
Contextual factors
Implementation oversight
Visibility and development of research mindedness
Progress against strategic priorities
Outcomes
Broad consensus with the 7 Strategic Priorities previously identified in the Strategy.
Acknowledgement that substantial progress was made but not consistent across the service areas and that Trusts need to take more ownership.
Agreed need for robust and measurable action plans against the strategy which emphasise the step change required as well as more effective collaborative working.
Page 14
What next
A broad consensus that the Research and Continuous Improvement Strategy symbolises the overarching commitment to the development of research capacity within the profession.
There was also consensus that whilst a lot has been achieved to date, the strategic direction requires greater clarity regarding purpose, planned actions, outcomes and roles and responsibilities of those involved.
Need for a robust and time focussed implementation plan which identifies how actions will be progressed and by whom.
All social workers need to be research minded, but not all social workers need to be able to undertake research. All social workers should be encouraged through the out workings of this strategy to invest in their continuing improvement through a variety of opportunities provided.
Suggestion for the establishment of a formal collaborative network to focus on:
Agreeing and prioritising of research priorities.
Developing a process of articulating the “evidence needs” and the mechanisms for same.
Seek to agree how research funding should be sought and allocated to best promote evidence based policy and practice in social work and social care.
Progressing a revised Strategy reviewing, adopting and progressing the previously identified priorities.
Development of an implementation plan based on priorities identifying actions, responsibility and timelines.
A consideration of the implementation structure (ownership).
Developmental approach for measurement – outcomes and impact.
Establishment of a collaborative network to strengthen partnership arrangements now underway with our Building a Research Community Initiative.
Information made available in relation to funding bodies.
Continued focus of raising the visibility of research and evidence.
Embedding research, evidence and quality improvement greater clarity of concepts and understanding of differences.
Continuum of research mindedness linked to social workers’ stage of professional development.
Page 15
Part 3: The way forward
And other organisations
Moving forward on Building a Research Community
At our event of 11th November 2019 you indicated a willingness to be further involved
We take the opportunity to invite you for a follow up meeting on the 23rd January 2020
9:30am (coffee on arrival)
Meet at the Mill, Mossley Mill, Carnmoney Road North, Doffer Room
This is to help us to move forward on two elements:
Next Phase of the Social Work Research and Continuous Improvement Strategy
Building our Research Community
Others who also attended the event on the 11th and expressed an interest in follow will also
be invited to become further involved as we move forward.
Please let us know as soon as possible if you can attend by emailing
Many thanks Andriana Alkiviadou
If you have any queries or want to find out more please contact: Anne McGlade, Social Care Research Lead, [email protected]
Further details will be provided in advance of the meeting based on the feedback from the earlier event
NOTES:
Social Care and Children’s Directorate
12-22 Linenhall Street
Belfast, BT2 8BS
Anne McGlade Social Care Research Lead (HSCB)
Contact No: 02895363017
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.hscboard.hscni.net/our-work/social-care-and-children/swresearch