research and evaluation

The four central governments of the UK, with the support of the Economic and Social Research Council, asked SCIE to conduct a UK-wide consultation on how to increase social care research capacity. This consultation provides a picture of the views of people concerned about, or who have a stake in, the infrastructure for social care research and development. The report recommendations identify key issues in the consultation that need to be taken into account in strengthening research capacity and in coordinating developments across the UK.

This report presents the results of an evaluation of the AgeInfo database, which is an information service provided by the Centre for Policy on Ageing (www.cpa.org.uk) and which is made available to the public at not cost through SCIE's own database Social Care Online (www.scie-socialcareonline.org.uk This report is intended for use by SCIE and the Centre for Policy on Ageing, and may also be useful to users of the AgeInfo database, such as researchers conducting systematic reviews.

This report looks at what contribution ESRC research programmes make - and might make - to the knowledge base for social work and social care. The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) is the largest single UK funder of social science research. Its role has been significantly expanded in recent years with a view to reinforcing the contribution made by social science to evidence-based policy and practice. Report published by Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) in December 2004.

This paper outlines interim findings from an action research project called 'Not a one-way street', which is part of the Better Life programme. The project focuses on the various ways in which older people with high support needs take up active roles within different support arrangements based on 'mutuality and reciprocity'. This paper explores alternative approaches to planning, funding and providing long term care for older people with high support needs.

Interim report published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation in October 2011.

This Research Paper summarises a wide range of social statistics. Subjects covered include crime and justice, defence, education, elections, health and population. This edition includes an article on "The CPI – uprating benefits and pensions". The Topical subject page includes information about fuel poverty and seasonal flu statistics.

SCIE has a commitment to producing rigorous, high-quality knowledge products. Central in this process is the systematic research review, which combines different types of research knowledge about a social care related topic, drawing on evidence of effectiveness, the views of users and providers, and organisational issues. This guidance updates and clarifies SCIE’s expectations, updating the original guidance (2006). It also introduces SCIE’s new approach to assessing the economic impact of social care practices.

This report commissioned as part of JRF's Housing Market Taskforce programme, discusses the impact of the recession and change of government on the funding of social housing and sets out how affordable social housing can be delivered in the future.

Tilda Goldberg was a pioneering social work researcher. She was the Director of Research at the National Institute for Social Work and carried out the first Randomised Controlled Trials in British social work in the 1960s and 1970s. The Goldberg Centre was set-up with core funding from Tilda Goldberg’s bequest to address this problem by developing excellent social care research and supporting the use of evidence-based approaches in practice.

The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) has established a new School for Social Care Research. The aim of the school is to increase the evidence-base for adult social care practice. The SSCR will undertake high-quality primary research and provide a focus for applied research in social care within the NIHR.

The Personal Social Services Research Unit’s (PSSRU) mission is to conduct high-quality research on social and health care to inform and influence policy, practice and theory.