‘ It takes a leap of faith’

1. Care and Connect: the way forward for social work research in Ireland Presenters: Dr Janet Carter Anand, Queen’s University Belfast, NII and Sarah Donnelly, Trinity College Dublin , ROI Acknowledgments: Dr Des O’Neill, Mr David Willow, Ms Brenda Mehigan from Adelaide and Meath Hospital, Tallaght; Erna O'Connor and Professor Robbie Gilligan from Trinity College Dublin ‘It takes a leap of faith’

2. ‘Many other disciplines and allied health professionals see evidence-based research as the norm, whereas for us it’s very much outside the box and it shouldn’t be’

3. Research, Education and Practice‘high quality research that is practice credible that has validity both in the research world and the practice world’ • The Challenge? • Gap between university based research and practitioner research (JUC SWEC 2006) • The Need? • Research by practitioners for practitioners (Epstein, 2008) • The Alternative? • Practitioner research paradigm (Fook, 2002)

4. ModelsWe were doing it off the tops of out heads, didn't really ask the question, has this been done by someone else. Here is model you can plug into. Centres of Excellence-Translating Research into Evidence Informed Practice Social Work Academic-Practice Partnerships Research Networks Mentoring Programmes Professional Journals-Practitioner Research Individual Practitioner Researcher Posts

5. Care and Connect 2006-recognition of need for a strategic approach for the promotion of research capacity and activity amongst practitioners (AMNCH/TCD) Aims and Objectives • promote best practices in person-centered care planning for older people through a process of investigation, trial and consultation • Promote partnership in decision making between older people, families and health care professionals and to gain a deeper understanding of this process • Develop strong practice/research partnership for hospital based social work

6. Overview Tallaght Hospital Trinity College SWD SSWSP ARHC Position PhD

7. Critical Evaluation: Care & Connect‘the heart of ...practice is to think counter intuitively ‘ • Methodology • Action learning (Gardiner, 2006) • Critical Reflection on project • Semi-structured interviews with key players (hospital manager, geriatrician, social work manager, lecturer, professor, practitioner researcher )

8. Analysis of the Findings • Themes • Organisational Change • Critical Development Stages • Different Agenda • Processes • Capturing Practice Wisdom ( illustrated by quotes) • Action Learning: Sustainability and organisational change

9. Organisational Roles and Change‘ ‘I couldn’t say I had a game plan, it was a matter of push each step as it came’ • Organisational culture • Universities and hospitals both ‘human service organisations’ but with unique mandates, structures, cultures, boundaries • Process of organisational change • Balance between planning and leaps of faith • Organisational change agent roles (adapted from Ottoway, 1983) • Change Generators: Visionaries & Patrons • Change Implementers: Technocrats & Strategists • Change Adopters: Prototypes for change • Interpersonal relationships;like-mindedness,trust and tensions

10. Critical stages‘If I was saying it to anyone I would say, I would not underestimate the amount of time needed’ • Extended initial negotiation phase • Finding a precedence • Funding intersects with resources • Fusion of visions /matching expectations • Inception • Role development and definition/The focus • PhD • Evaluation and were to from here?

11. Different Agendas • Political • Care of elderly, empowerment of clients • Organisational • positions and funding • Partnerships/ collaboration • Professional • strengthening social work research base • standards of practice in family meetings • need for evidence-based practice • interdisciplinary links • Personal • motivation to be involved in research • commitment to social gerontology

12. PROCESSES- ‘the right degree of reflectiveness and executive action’

13. SUSTAINABILITY AND ORGANISATIONAL CHANGE ‘We can get people to do it but getting people to own it in a deep and meaningful way is a much more subtle process and challenge’ • Translation into practice; better model for working with families and older people • Action Research • Social science research embedded into the social work department in a longer term way

14. SUCCESS ON DIFFERENT LEVELS • Training manual and education and training programme implemented • Changes to practice; social work and care of the elderly in hospital setting • Completion of PhD and publications • Continuation of hospital/university partnership and further collaborative enquiry ‘Success would be coming back in 2 or 3 years and seeing change genuinely embedded in the system ‘

15. SOCIAL WORK AND RESEARCH • Practice research network • Models that you can plug into • Global strategies

16. References Gardner, F. (2006) Working in Human Service Organisations, South Melbourne, Oxford University Press. Ottoway, R. N. (1983) The change agent: A taxonomy relation to the change process. Human Relations,36 (4), 361-392. Fook, J. ( 2002) Critical Theory and Practice, London, Sage Publications. Joint Universities Council of Social Work Education Committee (2006) A social work research strategy in higher education 2006-2020. London, Social Care Workforce Research Unit, International Policy Institute, Kings College London. Epstein, I. (2008) Presentation, Trinity College, Dublin