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Beyond broadcast: the art (and science) of getting research into practice

Dez HolmesDirectorResearch in Practice

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Knowledge utilisation

Passive dissemination is not effective

Five key mechanisms for successful utilisation:• Dissemination, interaction, social influence,

facilitation, incentives and reinforcement

Nutley et al

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Mission: to build capacity in

evidence-informed practice in services

for children

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Knowledge mobilisation

Academics Broker Practitioners

The broker interprets, analyses and summarises evidence to increase understanding and use

Evidence-informed practice organisations

‘Research-based practitioner’ model

‘Embedded research’ model

‘Organisational Excellence’ model

Social workers should not blindly apply or impose research findings to every individual client, but instead use their own experience as well as the client’s preferences to honor client self-determination (Petr 2009) 

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Barriers and de-motivators

Policy Users Employers Individuals Evidence

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Motivators and enablers

Leadership Culture Communication Support to understand

and use evidence Commitment

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‘push factors’ Clear expectations of professionals Greater scrutiny of decisions (e.g. courts,

inspection, performance assessment, media) Government pressure to tackle enduring

problems (e.g. troubled families, integration of health and care, cost of care)

Integrated working with other disciplines and professions – what knowledge does your organisation ‘bring to the party’?

Evidence-informed commissioning

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‘pull factors’

We’re more likely to achieve the outcomes if we know more about what’s likely to work best

It’s at the heart of continued professional development

It supports transparency in decision-making of the organisation and gives us the opportunity to explain to families/users/carers how decisions are made

It equips us to make cases for investment

websitepublications

change projectslearning events

in-house workshops

360˚ support for EIP

handbooks

research reviews Children experiencing domestic violence

(Stanley 2011) Safeguarding in the 21st century (Barlow

and Scott 2010) One in ten: key messages from policy,

research and practice about young people who are NEET (Tunnard, Barnes and Flood 2008)

Relatively speaking: developments in research and practice in kinship care (Nixon 2008)

Disengagement and re-engagement of young people in learning at Key Stage 3 (Morris and Pullen 2007)

Conduct Disorder in older children and young people (Joughin and Morley 2007)

Parental mental health problems (Tunnard 2004)

frontline briefings

child development chart:0-11years

learning programme range of events:

• Partnership Conferences• Research Messages Workshops• Team Managers’ Workshops• In-house workshops• webinars

certificates provided to contribute to re-registration requirements

website

Change Projects Collaborative learning between researchers and

practitioners to create new knowledge and accessible evidence-informed resources for practitioners

Change Projects include:• Analysis and Critical Thinking in Assessment• Housing and Play • Change Project around the topic of early intervention

commissioning• Parental Capacity to Change / Training Transfer• Voice of CYP (2014)

a ‘third generation approach’Unaided clinical judgement in relation to the assessment of risk of harm, is now widely recognised to be flawedBarlow 2012: 20

Evidence-based actuarial tools

Professional judgement

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Checklist Improve access User engagement Analyse barriers

and enablers Align needs and

knowledge

Support for knowledge use

Credibility Training Co-production

Unilever’s “5 levers of change model”

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Make it PERSONAL

“Evidence is to a practitioner what a rudder is to a boat...Both rudder and sail actually.”

“It’s like the compass and the safety helmet to a climber.”

“It’s the recipe that helps you know what you’re doing and why you’re doing it – and what difference you’ve made.”

“It protects you and it gives you confidence – like wearing shin-pads and stilettos at the same time.”

“It’s the raft you hold onto when everything else in your organisation is adrift.”

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Thank you