The NIHR's School for Social Care (SSCR), which includes the University of Birmingham has successfully secured a fourth phase of funding.
The National Institute for Health and Care (NIHR) Research’s School for Social Care (SSCR), which includes the University of Birmingham has successfully secured a fourth phase of funding.
The NIHR SSCR supports internationally leading adult social care research and capacity building for researchers working to improve social care practice.
This next round of funding will further support the School’s core vision to provide better evidence for what works in adult social care and how this can be applied across the whole country. This will support, mobilise and deliver impact for the benefit of the public as service users, carers and the workforce.
There is an urgent need for evidence-based policy innovation in social care, and the scale of investment that the NIHR is making provides scope to make a major contribution to future policy and practice
The six NIHR SSCR member institutions are:
Professor Catherine Needham from the University of Birmingham, who will be Associate Director for the School, said: “We are delighted to be part of the School for Social Care Research and to be recognised for our leading social care research. There is an urgent need for evidence-based policy innovation in social care, and the scale of investment that the NIHR is making provides scope to make a major contribution to future policy and practice.”
The investment will fund the next five years of the School (2024-2029) and this marks the fourth phase for the NIHR SSCR. The £31 million is made up of £25 million for research and up to £6 million to build social care research capacity. The School will continue to complement existing NIHR funding streams for social care research.
Professor Yvonne Birks, based at the University of York has been appointed as the SSCR Director to lead the School in its fourth phase. She said: “I am honoured and delighted to have the opportunity to lead NIHR SSCR through the next five years. In my 10 years of involvement to date, I have been privileged to see the huge strides in visibility and quality in relation to social care research.
“As a discipline, social care research has come such a distance with unprecedented investment from NIHR and we no longer have to justify the need for investment. Our efforts need to address building capacity for our community of excellent early career researchers and demonstrate real impact. That is our focus.”
Professor Lucy Chappell, NIHR Chief Executive, said: “The School for Social Care Research has been key in driving forwards social care research within the NIHR since it was established 15 years ago. In this time, the School has delivered a breadth of research which has informed national policy and practice, developed the careers of social care researchers and offered opportunities for everyone wanting to get involved in social care research. This next phase of the School will continue to build on this progress and strengthen the evidence base for adult social care, for the benefit of people who draw on care and support, carers and the workforce.”
Professor of Public Policy and Public Management
School of Social Policy
Staff profile for Catherine Needham, Senior Lecturer, Public Policy and Public Management, School of Social Policy and Society at the University of Birmingham.
