How is evidence-based practice understood in social work?

shutterstock_244040275

Sarah Carr considers a Swedish study on understandings of evidence-based practice in social work practitioners, managers and policy makers and wonders how the findings could relate to social work in the UK.

[read the full story...]

Service improvement needs “a more empowering, bottom-up approach” says Nuffield Trust report

Blackboard with chalk writing saying "Our Priorities"

In this blog, Caroline De Brún looks at a report published by the Nuffield Trust, which suggests a list of priorities for the government to act on, around improvement in the NHS.

[read the full story...]

Policy impacts on home care services for older people

shutterstock_270528854

Mike Clark provides a timely commentary on research into the impact of personalisation on home care services for older people and finds inherent tensions between choice, competition and the desire for improving the relational aspects of direct care.

[read the full story...]

‘Beat the cheat’: disability welfare benefits and newspaper reporting

shutterstock_221181010

Gerry Bennison offers food for thought in his blog on research into how disability welfare has been characterised in popular UK tabloid articles.

[read the full story...]

'Knowledge is the power to do good'

shutterstock_253427185

Following the publication of the Knowledge and Skills Statement for Social Workers in Adult Services yesterday, the special blog asks how the Social Care Elf can help social workers with their knowledge, skills and continuing professional development.

[read the full story...]

How do policy makers use research evidence?

shutterstock_229278301

Mike Clark, a man who’s in the business of research and evidence based practice, looks at an Australian study about policy makers’ use of research evidence. He discovers what some of the cultural and practical barriers are and thinks about the UK context.

[read the full story...]

Build upon successful local collaborations for effective communication in community health services, says review

Group of people holding a circle with the word community on it

The aim of this literature review from the Policy Research Unit in Commissioning at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, is to help decision-makers support acute care, by moving some services out of the hospital, and into the community.

[read the full story...]

What does evidence say for Making Safeguarding Personal?

shutterstock_113739760

In her blog, Lindsey Pike of RiPfA examines a literature review on adult safeguarding in Britain and considers the implications for Care Act implementation.

[read the full story...]

Is self-directed support delivering personal budgets?

shutterstock_138807188

In his very first blog for the Social Care Elf, Martin Stevens of King’s College London and chair of the Social Services Research Group, takes a critical look at some of the research and debate around self-directed support and personal budgets in adult social care.

[read the full story...]