NetWork 14
spring 2003
Welcome to NetWork 14 which is circulated as an email attachment and as a website posting as well as on paper.We hope this three-pronged approach helps you to spread the latest news about your work with and on behalf of the
research in practicenetwork more easily - and more widely.
This briefing provides an update on developments in the research in practice network,a creative partnership between the Association of Directors of Social services,the Dartington Hall Trust, the University of Sheffield and over 70 participating local authorities,voluntary childcare organisations and their local partners.Our mission is to support these agencies and the wider childcare community in their determination to become more research-minded as they strive to improve the lives of vulnerable children and their families.
new
research in practice/ SCIE partnership
We are delighted to announce that SCIE (Social Care Institute for Excellence):(new window) have formed a partnership with research in practice enabling us to provide universal access to our website by removing our password system.This exciting development will deliver huge benefits to Partner and Member agencies' staff, local partnerships and service users as well as freeing up more resources for us to devote to developing and increasing the range of services provided to Partner and Member agencies. Partner and Member agency staff will be able to make better and more informed use of the research in practice website as a direct result of their engagement with the whole raft of research in practice activities.They will also gain improved and focused access to the most relevant sections of the eLSC (electronic Library for Social Care) directly from the research in practice website. The partnership with SCIE will be announced by SCIE 's chief executive, Bill Kilgallon at the SSRG (Social Services Research Group) Conference in Leicester on Tuesday 8 April.
'This is a great development for us - a strong endorsement of quality from SCIE, raised profile for RiP generally, and much better access for all those in the RiP network.' Celia Atherton, Director
research in practice
'One of SCIE 's main objectives is to develop the electronic library for social care as the gateway to knowledge in social care. This partnership with research in practice is a first step in our work to build up the eLSC and make sure that knowledge is as widely available as possible.' Bill Kilgallon
headlined in this issue:
- what 's happened in the last three months?
- what 's coming up in the next three months?
- symposium:After Victoria
- research briefings for local authority councillors
- six new Members
during the last three months
This Pack was launched in December 2002. Many of our Partner agencies are now involved in piloting the Pack and five regional cluster support groups have been set up. Our related Dig Deeper pages on the website offer an opportunity to access further information on particular topics identified in the Action Pack, creating a valuable 'further reading ' resource for all those participating in the pilot. Usually we offer links to full texts, negotiated with the publishers. Otherwise we give full references for obtaining the text elsewhere. Addresses of other useful websites can also be found here. We will add to and regularly update these pages. Many agencies have requested extra copies of the Action Packs, hoping to get more staff members involved in the process. We are not always able to send out more copies but you can download the Pack from the website and you can complete the audit or feedback on-screen.
Quality Protects Research Briefings - QPRB 7
on Leaving Care and authored by Jim Wade (University of York)and QPRB 8 on Understanding and Challenging Youth Offending by Ann Hagell (Policy Research Bureau) were published in January and March and are being delivered in bulk to Service Heads by the Department of Health.
two new research officers appointed
We are pleased to have recently appointed two new research officers, Lisa Keay and Margaret Casey, to key posts in our Dartington and Sheffield offices.
Women and Children First:
Practice based research - the next step.
This conference, organised jointly with SWELL (Centre for the Safety and Well-being of Women and Children ) at the University of Warwick,was a very successful and stimulating event, as reflected in comments from the 170 evaluation forms.
'thought-provoking day, helped me think about how research can improve and develop our service ' '.really stimulating - lots of good ideas, lots of networking, a real buzz in the air ' '.felt like a real partnership between researchers and people working on the front line'.
during the coming three months :
Raising educational achievement for vulnerable children - Symposium - 12 June 2003
What approaches do most to increase achievement? How do we work with other agencies to improve the access of vulnerable children to educational opportunity? How do we integrate research findings on educational disadvantage into practice and policy making, and what role can organisations like the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) play in raising the quality of practice and educational provision? The symposium addresses these questions alongside workshops presented by Partner agencies to demonstrate examples of practice informed by research messages. Cath Shaw (Social Exclusion Unit) and Felicity Fletcher Campbell (National Foundation for Educational Research) will be speaking alongside Amanda Edwards (SCIE). For more information please contact Colleen Eccles, Development Manager: 0114 222 6484 or c.eccles@sheffield.ac.uk
Support Officer briefing pack
helping Support Officers do a good job following the positive reception for the the recently published Link Officer Briefing Pack (for Partner agencies) we are developing another to help Support Officers in Member agencies to carry out their role effectively. As before, it includes a variety of useful and practical information that should assist Support Officers' efforts to promote the use of evaluated research and the integration of evidence informed practice into their organisation. The new Pack will be launched at the Support Officers ' Annual Meeting in May.
leadership and evidence based practice -
A summary report of a study conducted for research in practice by Rhiannon Hodson - Leading the drive for evidence based practice in services for children and families will be posted to the website in April. The study seeks to gauge the ability and confidence of child care agencies to lead the drive for evidence based practice and to identify ways in which research in practice could best support its network of agencies in delivering or developing the necessary leadership competencies. We will welcome any comments on the report with a view to possible research in practice activity in this area.
Victoria Climbié symposium: learning from experience and research
This symposium follows hot on the heels of the Laming Report published in February. Many lessons will be drawn from the circumstances surrounding the death of Victoria Climbié and from the conclusions of the government Inquiry. More than 200 participants will be able to reflect on contributions from policy makers and research and consider how, in the light of the Inquiry findings, necessary safeguards for vulnerable children can be improved. What are the implications for multi-agency working? How should current training and professional development be shaped to support practitioners in the field? What questions need to be addressed to develop culturally appropriate practice? We have brought together a wide range of people from social care, the voluntary sector and health for this event and keynote speakers and practice workshops will consider these questions and demonstrate examples of service development drawn from research messages.
new series of research briefings
We are embarking on a unique series of research briefings for local authority Councillors, funded by the Nuffield Foundation. The first will be launched at our Councillors' and Trustees' Seminar in July. Mary Ryan, an experienced solicitor and social care consultant, will be the author and the first topic will be 'Recruitment and Retention '. It is designed to link with and support the work Councillors will be doing in relation to the Choice Protects initiative. All briefings will be peer reviewed and posted on our website with full references. We hope they will be distributed by the Local Government Association (LGA).
six new Members
we are very pleased that six new agencies have recently joined the research in practice network. They are:
- CAFCASS (Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Services),
- Brighton and Hove -Children, Families and Schools,
- London Borough of Camden -Social Services,
- London Borough of Sutton - Community Services,
- Nottinghamshire Social Services Children and Families, and
Poole Social Services who have re-joined our network.
If you would like information about becoming a Member please contact Sal Lodge,
Development Officer sal@rip.org.uk or 01803 867692
what is
research in practice?
research in practiceis the largest UK research utilisation network specialising in the children and families field. We help service agencies develop cultures, strategies and practices that allow our Partner and Member agencies to make best use of research in the planning and delivery of services to vulnerable children and their families. research in practice acts as a catalyst, working in partnership with social care statutory and voluntary agencies and their local partners, and as a developmental network, connecting research and practice. We offer support for this task through:
- our Learning Events Programme
- the networking and developmental opportunities that we co-ordinate and
- the publications and resources that we send to Partners, Members and Associates on a regular basis.
spring diary
| date |
venue |
|
open to |
| Tuesday April 1 |
Sheffield |
Module - Evidence Based Practice in Teams (1)Day 2 |
Partner agencies |
| Wednesday April 9 |
Birmingham |
Symposium - After Victoria:Learning from experience and research |
Partner agencies |
| Tuesday April 29 |
London |
Workshop - Preventing Accommodation Away from Home:Support
services for adolescents |
Partner agencies |
| Friday May 2 |
Birmingham |
Workshop - Developing your Role as a Change Agent |
Partner agencies |
| Wednesday May 7 |
Wheathampstead
Herts |
Workshop -What's on the Web? |
Partner agencies |
Wednesday 14
& Thursday 15 May |
Losehill
Derbyshire |
Support Officers'Annual Meeting |
Member agencies |
| Friday May 16 |
Birmingham |
Module - Organisational Support for Evidence Based Practice -Day 3 |
Partner agencies |
| Friday June 6 |
London |
Module - Evidence Based Practice in Teams (2)Day 2 |
Partner agencies |
| Thursday June 12 |
Birmingham |
Symposium - Raising Educational Attainment for Vulnerable Children |
Partner agencies |
| Thursday 19 & Friday 20 June |
Warwick |
Directors'Policy Forum |
Partner & Member agencies |
For more information please contact:
Celia Atherton
research in practice
Blacklers, Park Road
Dartington Hall
Totnes
Devon
TQ9 6EQ
Tel:01803 867692
Email: celia@rip.org.uk
or
Colleen Eccles
research in practice
Children and Families Research Group
Elmfield Building
University of Sheffield
Sheffield
S10 2TU
Tel:0114 222 6484
Email: c.eccles@sheffield.ac.uk
For Membership enquiries please
contact sal@rip.org.uk
Tel:01803 867692
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