Building research capacity in hospital-based social workers: A participatory action research approach

Fox, Mim; Hopkins, Dominque; Graves, Jenni

doi:10.1177/14733250211048543

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…• worked at different layers of the social care and research infrastructure (Huxley, 2009), working with colleagues who were policy leads, infrastructure staff, providers and practitioners • provided support in multiple ways (Donley and Moon, 2021;Harper and Dickson, 2019), including through experiential opportunities on learning courses, mentoring and facilitating peer support (Withington et al, 2020) • connected people (Rubin et al, 2016), focusing on establishing relationships (Fox and Hopkins, 2021), which included supporting research and practice development groups (RPDGs) • offered information and support that responded to 'what mattered' (Mignone et al, 2018) through learning courses and through working with individuals and organisations.…”

Section: Programme Aims and Objectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Going DEEP: an evaluation of a social pedagogy-informed approach to evidence-enriched practice in social care

Toms,

Verity,

Andrews

et al. 2024

International Journal of Social Pedagogy

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Social care workers benefit from multiple types of evidence to enhance citizen well-being, support their own well-being and improve social care services. Building capacity within social care to find, collect and use different forms of evidence is an international concern. The Developing Evidence Enriched Practice (DEEP) programme in Wales is informed by the values and aims of social pedagogy. It aspires to enhance both the generation and use of evidence in social care. To learn about what works in the programme, we conducted an evaluation based on contribution analysis that explored programme impacts between 2020 and 2023. Based on a co-produced theory of change the evaluation drew on exemplar cases, questionnaire responses, documentary evidence, process data and unsolicited feedback. There was evidence that the DEEP programme contributed to people better valuing and gaining a better understanding of different forms of evidence. Citizen voice could become more central in decision-making, and there were examples of practice, policy and research being informed by diverse evidence. Many people who attended the DEEP learning course enhanced their confidence and skills by using the DEEP approach and said that they would put their learning into practice. It was harder to evidence longer-term impacts and the sustainability of the approach. These findings suggest that there can be merit in developing capacity-building programmes informed by social pedagogy. Such programmes can be characterised as relational, holistic, practice-focused, multifaceted, contextualised and co-produced with intended beneficiaries.

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Section: Programme Aims and Objectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Going DEEP: an evaluation of a social pedagogy-informed approach to evidence-enriched practice in social care

Toms,

Verity,

Andrews

et al. 2024

International Journal of Social Pedagogy

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“…Banks et al (2021) also pointed out how PAR could build awareness of situated ethics in social work practice. Fox et al (2021) argued that PAR can foster egalitarian knowledge exchange between academic researchers and practitioners, making a case for the important roles that 'pracademics'/practitioner researchers play in transdisciplinary learning and producing both theoretical and practical knowledge. It might be harder to think about how academics involved in social work PAR could transgress the disciplinary boundaries to become 'academic practitioners', especially in countries and services where social work practice is narrowly defined as statutory work for adult and children safeguarding, such as the UK.…”

Section: What Types Of Knowledge Are Produced By Par In/for Social Work?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Collaborative practice research in social work: piloting a model for research and professional learning during COVID-19

Kong

Степанова

Thanki

2023

European Social Work Research

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Given the quintessentially collaborative nature of social work practice research, many researchers have explored the utility of participatory action research for promoting collaborative learning and knowledge production in social work. As a response to this call for participatory practice research methodology, we developed and piloted ‘collaborative practice research in social work’ in the project, ‘Empowering Social Workers in Challenging Times: Learning from Best Practice during COVID-19’. ‘Collaborative practice research in social work’ is a networked approach to social work participatory practice research, designed to integrate practice wisdom and research evidence to produce useful knowledge for social workers to practise ethically and effectively during COVID-19. This article will present some findings from the evaluation of ‘collaborative practice research in social work’, showing how the reversed sequence of involvement (practitioner researchers first and then academics) in research can enable practitioner-led learning, democratise knowledge production and help validate different types of knowledge in social work practice research. ‘Collaborative practice research in social work’ has demonstrated the need to address alienating academic practices that are not sensitive to the needs of practice or see practice as an afterthought. Findings further suggest the need to better prepare academic researchers to engage with participatory practice research, which can be an emotionally unsettling and unfamiliar research environment.

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What Influences the Use of Research by the Adult Social Care Workforce?

Sumpter,

Willis,

Cameron

et al. 2024

The British Journal of Social Work

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Despite a recognition that research evidence plays a critical role in informing decisions in adult social care, there has been little investment in developing the sector’s own capacity to engage with it. This article reports on a qualitative study of the adult social care workforce (social workers, occupational therapists, managers and commissioners) in three local authorities in England. Data were collected through twenty-five semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders and analysed iteratively using thematic analysis. The interviews explored participants’ understanding and use of research in adult social care. Four key influences on research use were identified: time; accessibility; skills and confidence; and organisational support. Finding time was the most frequently cited barrier. This was exacerbated by the difficulties participants described in finding research that was trusted and relevant. Protected time was regarded as essential, and both organisations and individuals had a role in ensuring that time was available to engage with research. Participants identified skills gaps, including how to read, critically appraise and apply evidence from research. The findings confirm an appetite within the workforce for developing the skills and confidence to make more use of research but suggest that achieving this requires organisational support and access to resources.

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Building research capacity in hospital-based social workers: A participatory action research approach

Cited by 6 publications

References 29 publications

Going DEEP: an evaluation of a social pedagogy-informed approach to evidence-enriched practice in social care

Going DEEP: an evaluation of a social pedagogy-informed approach to evidence-enriched practice in social care

Collaborative practice research in social work: piloting a model for research and professional learning during COVID-19

What Influences the Use of Research by the Adult Social Care Workforce?

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