Engaging with Involuntary Service Users in Social Work

1. Engaging with Involuntary ServiceUsers in Social Work ESRC/SFC/LARCI Engaging with Scottish Local Authorities Scheme Heather Wilkinson Mark Smith Michael Gallagher

2. Programme • 5 other projects • All engaging with local authorities • Cross Scotland • Joint evaluation and interest

3. Research team – University of Edinburgh • Dr Heather Wilkinson, Centre for Research on Families & Relationships (CRFR) • Dr Mark Smith, Lecturer in Social Work. • Dr Michael Gallagher, Research fellow. Others involved: • Prof Viv Cree, Prof Bill Whyte, Dr Kay Tisdall, Ms Janice McGhee, Ms Susan. Hunter.

4. Participating Scottish Local Authorities • City of Edinburgh Council • East Lothian Council • Midlothian Council • West Lothian Council • Fife Council • Scottish Borders Council

5. Overall aims • Highlight relevant research on user involvement, examples of innovative practice and lessons from unsuccessful approaches. • Increase skills and capacity of participating LA staff to engage in small scale research and inquiry. • Develop networks for effective knowledge exchange within and between partner LAs/ University/ wider social work community around theme of working with involuntary service users.

6. Plan of work – over 12 months. Synthesis of Existing Work – briefing paper Agenda setting seminar Today! KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE Monitoring and Evaluation Across whole programme Impact Generating Activities Shared Events Internal Events Practitioner Research Projects

7. Synthesis • Synthesis of existing research • Focus: involvement of involuntary service users in social work & implications for Scottish local government. • Output: briefing paper and lit review.

8. Impact generating activities • Range of events across and within participating LAs • Sharing knowledge, building capacity.

9. Plan of work – over 12 months. Synthesis of Existing Work – briefing paper Agenda setting seminar Today! KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE Monitoring and Evaluation Across whole programme Impact Generating Activities Shared Events Internal Events Practitioner Research Projects

10. Practitioner Research Projects (PRP) • Up to 3 people from each LA. • Academic mentor. • Undertake small-scale piece of research • Based on identified needs of LA in relation to overall topic. • Framework of knowledge-exchange, capacity-building based on: training + mentoring + support + sharing. • Outputs: research findings - high policy & practice relevance; enhance dialogue & relationships between policy makers and practitioners.

11. What is practitioner research? • Mitchell, Lunt and Shaw (2009) • ‘on the move and on the rise’ (p7) • ‘Little is known about its character, diversity, outcomes, motives or forms’ (p8) • Small scale studies undertaken by practitioners – researchers

12. Ways forward for PR • Improved research quality (details) • Improved and maximised dissemination • More collective, network approach • All on offer!

13. Evaluation of knowledge exchange Impact evaluation will seek to map ways in which the knowledge exchange events have achieved the outputs and benefits outlined in the project aims.

14. Framework for monitoring and evaluation • Impact evaluation: across programme of events and outputs • Mixed method approach: case studies, surveys and event evaluations + semi structured interviews towards end. • Impact assessment findings presented & discussed in final of shared seminars.

15. Contact Dr Michael Gallagher Michael.Gallagher@ed.ac.uk Dr Heather Wilkinson h.wilkinson@ed.ac.uk