Edinburgh, September 2007 Kate Skinner, SIESWE Changing Lives and the Research & Development Strategy Kate Skinner Institute Lead, Research Development and Application

Edinburgh, September 2007 Kate Skinner, SIESWE Imperatives for the R&D Strategy: From Changing Lives we need to : Use info gathered Learn from mistakes Base decisions on evidence Support innovation Use technology Learn from good practice `Scottish Executive, (2006) Changing Lives

Edinburgh, September 2007 Kate Skinner, SIESWE R&D Strategy: Sits under Practice Governance BUT is a cross-cutting issue: Practice Improvement: Need to research and evaluate in order to know what works Service Development: Standards need to be based on effective practice and accumulated practice wisdom Workforce Development: To be competent, confident and valued staff need to be able to link their practice to theory/research, strategies to develop the workforce need to be based on best practice

Edinburgh, September 2007 Kate Skinner, SIESWE Practice Governance: Safe and effective practice need to be based on evidence derived from research and knowledge creation Leadership and Management: Managers need to be well-informed, research-aware, research- literate and able to instill intellectual curiosity in staff Scottish Executive (2006) Changing Lives Implementation Plan

Edinburgh, September 2007 Kate Skinner, SIESWE In essence, Evidence-based Practice is: Formulating questions based on service users’ needs Searching for relevant literature Critically appraising the literature Taking relevant evidence and adding it to practice wisdom Applying it Evaluating practice

Edinburgh, September 2007 Kate Skinner, SIESWE R&D Strategy is about increasing research: Literacy Capacity/CapabilityBasis for Decisions

Edinburgh, September 2007 Kate Skinner, SIESWE Some excellent examples of good practice, but we need to: Broaden/deepen interest in knowledge as a basis for services Demystify research in order to be more inclusive Get ‘buy-in’ at all organisational levels Increase overall investment Improve research skill levels Build effective infra-structure

Edinburgh, September 2007 Kate Skinner, SIESWE Major issue: Spending on research in social services is at best one eighth of that spent in health Desperate need to increase investment in social services Very little money spent by LAs on research

Edinburgh, September 2007 Kate Skinner, SIESWE Aim for the R&D Strategy is: To increase the quantity and quality of research activity, and its dissemination and integration into practice, in order to improve and develop social services

Edinburgh, September 2007 Kate Skinner, SIESWE So we have: A National Steering Group: Chaired by Bryan Williams with reps (c20) from ADSW, BASW, SSRG, Universities Scotland, SWIA, FE Colleges etc 3 Working Groups: Embedding Research into Social Services Improving the Research Infrastructure Increasing Research Capacity and Capability

Edinburgh, September 2007 Kate Skinner, SIESWE Members of the Working Groups Service users, carers, practitioners, managers, planners, academics, researchers (health, education and social services), vol. orgs, centres of excellence, further education colleges etc – about 50 in all

Edinburgh, September 2007 Kate Skinner, SIESWE Timetable: Papers produced by Working Groups (WG) September First draft written October Out to WG for feedback November Out nationally for consultation Dec/Jan/Feb Re-write March 08 Published April 08

Edinburgh, September 2007 Kate Skinner, SIESWE Developing demonstration projects e.g.: Working with LAs on: - 2 service developments taking a community of practice approach; - a group of practitioners undertaking modest research projects - setting up a journal club, writing for publication - a seminar on services for older people calling on research - evaluating a performance improvement project - developing a research ethics and governance framework Set up an information for practice special interest group Conducted surveys on research in agencies, further education colleges

Edinburgh, September 2007 Kate Skinner, SIESWE Conducted a survey/held consultation event of knowledge used in practice Carrying out a feasibility study on the future design of information systems for social services Evaluating a practitioner research programme in a voluntary organisation supported by the Glasgow School of Social Work Developing the evaluation of the new SW degree Contributing to the evaluation of Leading to Deliver Developing pilot project of practitioner research posts

Edinburgh, September 2007 Kate Skinner, SIESWE Working with the ESRC and SFC on funding issues Commissioning a study of research capacity in Scotland Working with academics on their contribution to leadership in the sector Examining the feasibility of setting up an on-line journal for the sector Making full-text journals available to all registered social services employees via the Learning Exchange

Edinburgh, September 2007 Kate Skinner, SIESWE All these: Will be building receptivity for the Strategy Contributing to the evidence base for social services Developing models for the future Sowing the seeds for future developments