Research impact activities
Work with Research in Practice to maximise the reach and impact of your research. See case studies of previous partnership working with research teams and Research in Practice led Change Projects.
We are passionate about maximising the positive impact that research can have, and we are proud to be able to support researchers to maximise the reach and impact of research.
We do this not just through offering dissemination opportunities with our networks of practice organisations but through partnering on research projects from inception and idea generation, brokering access to research sites, and a range of intensive implementation activities.
University partners interested in collaborating on research impact activities can contact us.
Driving and embedding impact
We have extensive experience in supporting the impact of research outputs, partnering research teams to sample, access, recruit and support practice organisations as research sites, and maximising knowledge exchange networks and activities. We welcome discussions about working in partnership on research funding bids and projects from the outset and collaborating on applications for Impact Acceleration funding to share learning from projects.
The case studies below illustrate activities to support impact that may be costed into research funding bids. From dissemination in a variety of formats to our member network of local, national and voluntary sector organisations across England, to close partnership working through the life of a research project, enabling targeted knowledge mobilisation opportunities with our partners in social care.
The most intensive impact partnerships are generated when we work together at the funding application stage and Research in Practice joins the project as partner in areas such as sector advisory, fieldwork activity and dissemination and implementation. We are experienced in convening focus groups, facilitating communities of practice and practice reference groups, joining advisory/steering panels and developing and delivering project outputs in a range of formats.
We have a strong record in post-research development work to support changes in policy and practice using Impact Acceleration grants.
The case studies below outline some recent examples of how this may work in practice:
Case Study one
Research in Practice is a partner in the four-year, pan-UK Innovate Project led by University of Sussex and funded by the Economic and Social Research Council. Our role has included strategic advisory on the funding application and on one of the three project strands throughout the project. As project outputs are published, we are working as dissemination and implementation partner, hosting online events to disseminate findings and scale up the impact of this research.
Resources summarising project findings and implications for social care, and innovative and reflective practice guidance are planned, as well as a strategic briefing, and a series of blogs outlining project aims and preliminary findings. These resources and learning opportunities will be circulated to our network of professionals across the child and families and adult social care sector and available as open access web resources online.
Case study two
Research in Practice is the named dissemination and implementation partner on a project funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) with the University of Bristol Norah Fry Centre for Disability Studies, entitled ‘How do Adult and Learning Disability social workers engage with parents with learning disabilities?’
Our collaboration focuses on widening the impact of findings from this project through the development of a briefing as well as two webinars which will be disseminated to the Research in Practice network of professionals and will be freely available on the Research in Practice website.
Maximising impact and instigating change across the sector
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Research in Practice Change Projects bring together experts from both practice and academic backgrounds to explore research, practice and lived experience, developing new solutions, approaches and resources to lead to better practice outcomes.
Recent Change Projects have explored topics as varied as domestic abuse in child protection, legal literacy and working with recurrent care-experienced birth mothers. These have culminated in the production of new approaches, tools and a wide range of resources to support change in policy and practice in these areas.
The Nuffield Foundation funded Rethinking domestic abuse in child protection (RDAC): responding differently brings together lead researchers on domestic abuse from the Universities of Huddersfield, Sheffield and Kingston, with Research in Practice, SafeLives and FutureMen to work to better understand and improve responses to domestic abuse and child protection. The project builds on the learning gained during the Research in Practice 2021-22 Domestic Abuse and Child Protection Change Project, which involved over 30 local authorities from across England and identified key areas for development.
In 2023 RDAC is working in case study sites in England and Scotland. The research involves families, policy makers, practitioners, and practice leaders. Using advanced mixed methods it aims to produce nuanced understandings to support practice responses that are attuned to the life circumstances of some of the most vulnerable families in the UK and which will seek to improve outcomes and promote sustainable change for children and their families.
Research in Practice’s role is as lead partner on the involvement of practice stakeholders in an RDAC Community of Practice and co-leading the impact strategy. Project outputs and learning opportunities - including an end of project conference in 2024 - will be shared via dedicated, open access pages on the Research in Practice website and circulated widely across the sector via social media channels.