More than 65 people working in social care have been helped to build research skills through an NIHR-backed programme running across England.
The Social Care Community ran from April 2024 for two years and linked frontline staff with academic partners to plan and carry out applied research.
Funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and led by the Applied Research Collaboration Kent, Surrey and Sussex (ARC KSS), the community created space for collaboration and peer learning across regional programmes to support applied social care researcher in England.
The community supported practitioners, practitioner-researchers and early to mid-career researchers across all 15 NIHR Applied Research Collaborations in England.
Organisers said the community aimed to strengthen links between social care practice and academia, and to build research knowledge, skills and confidence across the workforce.
They shared that the programme helped some participants take their first steps into applied research, including building confidence to use evidence in practice and to shape or deliver studies with academic partners. They also added that post-doctoral researchers gained a clearer understanding of frontline practice and how to work with social care organisations to deliver impactful research.
Networking was a key part of the programme. One participant said:
“I really liked being part of the national cohort. It felt important to know that this wasn’t just happening in my local authority, but all around the country. There are people who immediately understand what you mean when you say you’re doing an ARC fellowship. That sense of being part of something bigger, a national effort to bring research and social care closer together, really mattered to me.”
Dr Rachel Harrison, from NIHR ARC Wessex, added that the programme:
“… highlighted the importance of creating opportunities for social care practitioners and researchers to learn together and from one another. Together our collaborative initiatives are strengthening research skills, capacity and confidence across the social care workforce, supporting more evidence-informed practice.”
Last month (March 2026), members of the community met in York to mark the programme’s work. Organisers said around 50 people attended, with sessions including a workshop led by the NIHR Research Support Service Social Care Specialist Centre and a closing discussion on ‘Next Steps in Research’.
Dr Caroline Leah, from NIHR ARC Greater Manchester, said the event showed:
“This celebration event showed just how powerful it is when people come together with curiosity, courage and creativity. Our Research Champions and Pre-doctoral fellow demonstrated that social care research doesn’t just generate knowledge — it builds connection, confidence and the capacity for real change.”
Dr Sarah Jasim, from ARC North Thames, added:
“It was great to celebrate the collective achievements from all the social care capacity-building awardees – especially to see the diversity across projects and regions, with great takeaways of how we can improve and enhance capacity-building for social care research in the future.”
Dr Stacey Rand, ARC KSS Social Care Capacity Building lead and moderator of the community said:
“It has been a privilege to showcase the work and successes of this programme. I look forward to seeing how it continues through individual research journeys, and the relationships and networks developed through the programme.”
To find out more about the community click here.
