In 2022, Bournemouth University was commissioned to undertake a study, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) to develop a better understanding of the challenges of building capacity to undertake social care research in the Wessex region (Dorset, South Wiltshire, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight) and the opportunities for building research engagement and capacity.
Two groups of participants were recruited. The first group (n=22) were practitioners working in social care within the Wessex region. The second group (n=9) were Higher Education Institute (HEI) staff – academics and researchers – working within the Wessex region.
Data was collected between February and September 2022. Two reports were produced from this study. The first focused on the enablers and barriers facing practitioners in Wessex from the perspective of current practitioners and HEI staff who regularly interacted with, or had previously worked within the sector.
Our research noted that there were several areas where resources could be focused on helping to improve the current picture.
- Contact – In an incredibly busy and stressful environment practitioners might not be in receipt of information or opportunities which are sent through traditional internal email systems or reside on static websites. These messages do not always get through to reach them.
- Encouragement – LAs and senior management need to be encouraged to view research as an essential integral part of the social care sector. This includes supporting pathways for career development, allowing time for research and promoting embedding research into practice.
- Support (Applications) – Practitioners interested in Fellowship/LA SPARC applications would benefit from more support before and during the process.
- Support (General) – Research positive practitioners exist at all levels in LAs and would benefit from more support and opportunities to learn about or engage with research.
- Improvements to practitioner research training – Practitioners who had not been sufficiently educated about research might not have an appreciation of its value to their practice and lack knowledge, skills and confidence to conduct research in practice.