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.
You can see the full recording of our learning event on 16 October 2024 in our video showcase.
Activity update February 2025
Recruiting for people to deliver phase two of the programme is complete:
- Patrick Hall has been jointly appointed by WM ADASS and the University of Birmingham / West Midlands Applied Research Collaboration as an Embedded Research Fellow.
- Three Research Champions have also been recruited, with additional funding from IMPACT (Improving Adult Social Care Together Centre). Alicia Ridout and Jane Clark will start in March 2025 to focus on Occupational Therapy in partnership with the regional OT Leads Network to develop an IMPACT Demonstrator strategic project. Surrinder Bains has begun to work with Black and Minority communities in partnership with Birmingham Voluntary Services Council.
- Andrew Errington, Principal Social Worker, Coventry City Council is continuing in his part-time role as a Research Associate working across the region.
- Sandra Simpson, Social Worker at Coventry City Council, and previously one of the Research Champions, has been seconded as a Research Engagement Lead working across the region 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
Kathryn Hudson, a WM ADASS Associate, is leading work to engage with the next round of ARCs (seven-year funding from April 2026) to develop further research opportunities in the region.
A Research Development Group has been established to develop and implement a research development plan for West Midlands Adult Social Care. The group first met in early February 2025.
Programme focus 2025-2026
The Embedded Research Fellow will be engaging with directors and the research development group to identify research priorities for the region. The programme team will be:
- developing and implementing a research governance framework for the region to adopt.
- developing a research culture, capacity & infrastructure development plan for 2025-2026 for the region to agree
- developing two research studies for submission for additional research funding: one addressing commissioning and a second focused on practice, engaging with academics, practitioners, commissioners and coproduction advisory network to develop this work.