Career Development Awardee
rachel@homecarewg.org
My experiences as a domiciliary care worker prompted me to study Sociology and Social Policy as a mature student at the University of Nottingham, graduating in 2024. Alongside these studies and ongoing care work, I founded Homecare Voices, a peer support network and advocacy body run by and for domiciliary care workers throughout the UK.
Rachel’s research interests include:
- Overall provision of community-based formal adult social care services
- Community-driven approaches to care and support
- Domiciliary care workforce
Read more about Rachel’s Career Development Award plans
Facilitating a hybrid career trajectory for a direct care worker within adult social care research
This Career Development Award will strengthen my skills and experience in social care research. Alongside my ongoing work as a domiciliary care worker, I founded Homecare Voices, a not-for-profit network of more than 600 homecare workers across the UK. Our aim is to improve the quality and availability of adult social care in England by ensuring direct care workers are well-represented in research and policy spaces.
During the award, I will complete specialist training in research methods, systematic reviews, and participatory action research. I will also gain practical experience by shadowing and contributing to a study led by the University of York, particularly in the literature review and research dissemination stages. In addition, I will visit research centres at King’s College London, the University of Leeds, and the University of Sheffield, to learn from experts working at the forefront of adult social care research.
A central part of my award will be building stronger links between researchers, practitioners, and the public. I will use my role at Homecare Voices to encourage more homecare workers to get involved in research, while also developing connections with unpaid carers, people who draw on care, and other practitioner networks.
This award will support my longer-term goal of progressing to a Pre-Doctoral Fellowship and eventually a PhD. My ambition is to build a career that combines practice, research, and community organising, ensuring that the voices of those most affected by adult social care are heard, and that research leads to real-world impact.
