Funding of £2.7 million invested in adult social care research

New research will develop the evidence base for key areas in adult social care, including social care for older male prisoners, the role of councillors in running social care services and the experiences of those who transition from self-funding to council care.

Funded by NIHR SSCR over recent months, these projects will be delivered by the School’s Core Member Universities. Projects run from early 2022 through to the end of 2023.

Professor Martin Knapp CBE, Director of the NIHR SSCR, said:

These research projects will increase our understanding of several key and pressing topics in adult social care. The variety of research funded demonstrates the NIHR School for Social Care Research’s broad and inclusive view of adult social care, and our firm commitment to building an extensive evidence base to improve practice in England.

The full list of recently funded projects is as follows:

The role of adult social care for parents with learning disabilities when a child is no longer in their care
Dr Mary Baginsky, King’s College London, 22 months

What are the costs and consequences of implementing NICE adult social care guidelines from a local systems perspective?
Annette Bauer, London School of Economics and Political Science, 22 months

Care and place (CAPE)
Nicola Brimblecombe, London School of Economics and Political Science, 25 months

Developing a Social Care Strengths and Vulnerability Index (SC-SVI) for older people: a proof-of-concept study in local authorities
Dr Paul Clarkson, University of Manchester, 24 months

Community resources impacting quality of residential care for older people: Scoping study
Dr Jacqueline Damant, London School of Economics and Political Science, 6 months

The impact of an improvised music-making programme on care home staff and family carer wellbeing: a process evaluation
Professor John Keady, University of Manchester, 18 months

“When the money runs out”: capital depletion and transition out of self-funded care
Dr Philip Kinghorn, University of Birmingham, 22 months

Catalogues of social care measures
Professor Martin Knapp, London School of Economics and Political Science, 12 months 

Personas for innovating in adult social care: Scoping study
Dr Juliette Malley, London School of Economics and Political Science, 8 months 

Councillors and care: understanding and enhancing the role of councillors in shaping adult social care practice
Professors Catherine Needham and Catherine Mangan, University of Birmingham, 24 months

Exploring the significance of home-delivered meals among clients of the Meals on Wheels service: Scoping study
Dr Angeliki Papadaki, University of Bristol, 4 months

The role of social network analysis in identifying unmet support needs for families supporting an adult with a learning disability within family homes
Dr Jillian Powell, University of Bristol, 18 months

Understanding social care assessments of older LGBTQ+ people
Dr Jason Schaub, University of Bristol, 24 months

Lower-level social care needs in prison: Constructing a theory of change
Dr Andrew Shepherd, University of Manchester, 12 months

How do adult and learning disability social workers and social care workers engage with parents with learning disabilities?
Beth Tarleton, University of Bristol, 18 months

The role of paid companions in remote consultations for people with learning disabilities
Dr Joseph Webb, University of Bristol, 18 months

Further details for these projects will be available shortly at https://www.sscr.nihr.ac.uk/projects/.