Kent Research Partnership: Building research capacity in adult social care

The Kent Research Partnership is one of six capacity building, social care partnerships funded by the NIHR Health Services and Delivery (HS&DR) programme in England. The four-year programme of work is developing sustainable Kent-based partnerships to support the delivery of high quality social care research on the topics that matter most in the Kent region.

This partnership will improve care quality by investing in and valuing the social care workforce, and developing a culture of research and evidence-based practice and innovation.

The Kent Research Partnership aims to improve the quality of social care by:
• identifying research priorities to inform service change from the ground up;
• working with staff, users and carers to develop research ideas;
• sharing knowledge and resources, through accessible training and workshops;
• co-producing and evaluating three high quality projects led by social care colleagues.

The partnership will meet its objectives through four interlinked streams of work:
1. Communities of Practice
2. Researchers in Residence
3. Research and Training Fellowships
4. Knowledge Sharing and Impact

The partnership is led by Ann-Marie Towers, University of Kent, supported by collaborators in the Social Care Sector, including Kent Integrated Care Alliance, the National Care Forum and the United Kingdom Homecare Association.