Social Care

Helping people remain independent, retain their dignity and achieve a better quality of life

Social Care Research Capacity Building Priorities

NIHR ARC Northwest London, in collaboration with Brunel University, is leading a Social Care Research Capacity Building project. Over a two-year period, it aims to strengthen capacity-building initiatives in social care research.

Why is it important?

Social care research is a priority for the NIHR, reflecting the urgent issues about the availability, access and use of social care across the UK. The project is about closing the gaps between the research that is needed for enriching social care, the research that happens, and how research is used in practice.

What do we hope to achieve?

The overall aim is to enrich and strengthen the knowledge base for social care. Under the umbrella of social care is the care provided by individuals, carers and communities, the role played by local governments who have key public duties for social care, private care providers and the voluntary sector.

The project will work across the areas of adult social care, children’s social care, community-based and family care supports, covering all age groups across the life course.

Reflecting the characteristics of North West London, the project has a particular focus on working with diverse communities. The work we do will be informed by public participation and engagement.

How will it benefit people in Northwest London?

The project will work to increase how people engaged with social care can better use the findings from research, as well as support research developments that are relevant to the provision of social care.