Wheres the Evidence A Research

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• Wheres the Evidence? A Research Development
  Strategy
• for Social Services in Scotland
• Fiona Hodgkiss
• Scottish Executive Education Dept.
• Bryan Williams, Scottish Institute for Excellence
  in Social Work Education

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Research. this?
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Or this.?
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there is a need for a national research
development strategy for social work services,
which not only develops new evidence but presents
existing evidence in a way which informs practice
and develops the expertise in the workforce to
use it and evaluate its impact

• Changing Lives (2006), p55

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The Context Changing Lives

• High quality care based on sound evidence
• Improving the evidence base
• Confident, competent staff
• More transparent accountability in professional
  judgements
• Better risk management and clearer professional
  leadership

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Why an RD strategy?

• Some progress, but
• Lack of coordination of research
• Low impact of research
• Quality of research
• Absence of practice concerns
• Capacity, capability, sustainability

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Conclusions from SCIE

• A whole systems approach for enhancing research
  required
• A research and development agenda needs to be
  pursued to ensure initiatives to promote research
  use are based on sound evidence

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What will an RD strategy do? 1

• Everybodys business
• Mechanisms for identifying national and local
  priorities for research
• Investment in RD
• Research agenda reflects practice concerns
• Improved quality of research

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What will an RD strategy do? 2

• Improved ways of sharing and using research
• Increased research skills
• Service user and carer involvement
• Career pathways for researchers in social
  services
• Improved social care research governance
  mechanisms

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Next steps

• Consultation soundings - employers, Universities,
  funders, practitioners
• Steering Group
• Review of capacity
• Link to UK developments

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Getting Involved

• SSRG
• Individually
• Practice forums
• Email fiona.hodgkiss_at_scotland.gsi.gov.uk tel
  0131 244 0093

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Question

• How will we know if weve succeeded?