IMPACT

IMPACT Demonstrators focus on a large, strategic issue in a host organisation or local system, helping to get evidence of what works used in practice to make a difference to services and to people’s lives. They involve using change management, organisational development and leadership skills to bring about evidence-informed change, in partnership with people who draw on care and support, families, social care services and policy makers.

Each Demonstrator is typically supported by two ‘Senior Strategic Improvement Coaches’. In each pair of coaches, one appointee will often have a background in strategy / improvement and have experience of applied research, organisational development or behavioural science. The other may well have experience of drawing on care, being a carer or working in front-line roles.

Each Coach works at 50% FTE for 12 months and is based primarily in the Demonstrator site/host organisation. They work with local people who draw on care and support, carers, practitioners and managers to plan, facilitate and support a large evidence-informed change project, and to help the host organisation plan how it will take forward and sustain the changes that are introduced.

Recent examples include:

• Co-producing new ways of managing waiting lists in adult social care (across the East Midlands of England)
• Implementing managed budgets in Northern Ireland (based within the Department of Health and working across all five Trusts)
• Creating integrated neighbourhood teams (in Gwynedd, East Ayrshire and Leeds)
• Developing assets-based approaches to services for older people in Antrim

Facilitators

IMPACT Facilitators work in a specific local organisation or system to help get evidence of what works used in practice to make a difference to services and to people’s lives. To do this, they co-design an evidence-informed change project, work with diverse stakeholders to implement the project in practice and share learning with others. Facilitator projects tend to be smaller, more bounded and more bottom-up than Demonstrators.

A single Facilitator works at 50% FTE for 12 months and is based primarily in the Facilitator site/host organisation. They work with local people who draw on care and support, carers, practitioners and managers to plan, facilitate and support a smaller, more local evidence-informed change project, and to help the host organisation plan how it will take forward and sustain the changes that are introduced.

Recent examples include:

• Recruiting more men into care work (with Paradise Independent Living in London)
• Tackling isolation in rural areas (with Shared Lives Plus in Moray)
• Helping older people stay happy and well at home for longer (with the Southern Health and Social Care Trust)
• Supporting carers of people with dementia at end of life (with Hospice of the Valleys in Ebbw Vale)

Networks

IMPACT Networks are local groups, in each of the four nations of the UK, who meet and work together over a 6-month period to take action in response to an evidence-based discussion document (‘stimulus material’). They use this material to review how they’re doing and to plan/implement actions in response. After each meeting, they feed back what they’ve done, how they’ve responded to any barriers and what they plan to do next. IMPACT collates this from each group, and shares it back out with the full Network before the next meeting – so that practical/direct action is taken in the local area, and learning begins to scale across the UK.

Each local group is chaired/facilitated by a local co-ordinator and is made up of eight to ten people (including people who draw on care and support, carers, practitioners, managers and other partners). Some continue working together after the initial Network, becoming more of a standing group/resource on behalf of the local area. This way of working was developed by a national carers’ charity in Sweden, Nka, and initially known as ‘blended learning networks’. IMPACT Networks work best for complex but everyday practice issues, and where there is emerging evidence that something may be promising/something needs doing – but not yet a full answer.

Recent examples include:

• Technology for prevention and independence
• Involving people in strategic decision-making
• Strengthening inclusion and anti-racist practice
• Carers, transitions and co-production
• Recovery-based approaches to mental health
• Commissioning differently

To access this support, you will need to cost IMPACT’s involvement into your SSCR bid.

Indicative costs are outlined below but research teams are encouraged to contact IMPACT as early as possible in the bid development process to discuss your specific requirements.

What commitment is expected from each of the parties?

Commitment provided by the University/other partner (the ‘co-funder’):

• Early liaison with IMPACT around building in one of the IMPACT delivery models
• Inclusion of relevant text and costings in bid (templates can be provided)
• Clear indication of timelines (e.g. when an outcome of the bid may be known, when the research might start and when there may be findings capable of being implemented) and any reporting requirements
• Early access to emerging findings/evidence that is likely to be implementable
• Opportunity to be involved in recruitment of relevant IMPACT staff

Commitment provided by IMPACT:

• Provision of advice and draft text/costings for relevant bids
• Recruitment and management of delivery staff and/or Network members
• Identification of host organisations (in conjunction with co-funder)
• Broader support (e.g. communications, evaluation, co-production, embedding)

Can we have a delivery project of shorter duration?

We are open to negotiation, but our experience to date is that having a fixed period (one year for Demonstrators/Facilitators, 6 months for Networks) helps to provide structure, focus and momentum, and strikes a good balance between being ambitious and being realistic.

Can I have a Demonstrator with one coach instead of two?

This is sometimes possible, depending on the project. However, our experience is that it works best when a pair of coaches work together, often bringing complementary skills and coming from different backgrounds. This also helps to ensure that there is appropriate peer support and cover, and that there is an appropriate mix of expertise in terms of research, lived experience and practice knowledge.

How do I take this forward?

Please contact the IMPACT Head of Operations (Sheena Robertson, impactcentre@contacts.bham.ac.uk), who can work with you to provide standard text and costings for inclusion in relevant bids.

When can we start?

If you notify us of likely timescales, we can negotiate these with you. However, our experience is that it works best when we have a small number of start dates and associated staff recruitment per year (for example, in February, May and September).  This will allow focused preparatory planning, aid recruitment and enable a structured/group induction for new staff.

Networks – there will be up to three start dates per year, in February, June and September depending on demand.