About the West Midlands ADASS research programme
WM ADASS has been working with the National Institute of Health and Social Care Research and the University of Birmingham on a programme to develop a sustainable research culture and infrastructure for adult social care in across the West Midlands.
The Department for Health and Social Care and the NIHR recognise the need nationally for a research culture to be developed in local authority adult social care, and in 2022/23 the Chief Social Worker identified as a priority area the need to promote investment in research, as Lyn Romeo sets out in our video below.
All 14 authorities in the West Midlands are behind this regional initiative, which reflects a wider appetite for change across the country.
Activity highlights
Thanks to funding from NIHR, and investment of our own resources, WM ADASS has been able to undertake a range of activities during 2021-24 to support our ultimate aim of embedding research activity at the heart of social care improvement. These activities included:
- Seconding three research champions to support the programme, including undertaking the research study Barriers to engagement in research in Adult Social Care in partnership with colleagues at the University of Birmingham.
- Encouraging and supporting fellow practitioners to become more engaged in research activity and to undertake career development in research
- Providing access to the British Journal of Social Work for all practitioners and other staff working in adult social care in our region
- Developing research and evidence informed practice e.g a WM resource for frontline staff ‘How can NICE guidance support evidence informed SW practice’ (in conjunction with NICE implementation field team)
- Taking the first steps towards establishing Communities of Practice to support sharing of best practice, knowledge, learning and identification of research priorities
- Delivering a programme of events for our 14 local authorities; supporting them to develop research engagement plans and establish research circles and forums
- Supporting principal social workers to lead research activity in their local authority
- Engaging with the West Midlands Social Work Teaching Partnership to ensure effective models of research dissemination and learning from research seminars
- Running an events programme for 2023/24 including our local authority engagement events programme
We are now (Autumn 2024) embarking on a second phase to build on what we have learned and achieved so far. Initially we will be:
- Recruiting for a Research Engagement Lead(s) (1 year post) working within WM ADASS to continue to raise awareness of research, develop communities of practice, and encourage and support practitioners and people with lived experience to engage in and undertake research.
- Recruiting with the University of Birmingham for an Embedded Research Fellow to work across the university and within WM ADASS.
- Engaging with the process for the next round of ARCs (seven-year funding from April 2026) as well as other research opportunities to continue the programme