The purpose of the research and development strategy is to build research capacity and capability of the social services workforce through embedding research in everyday practice and building a research infrastructure that supports evidence informed service design, delivery and practice. The vision is that social services are guided by research based policy, practice and management with the ultimate aim of improving services and outcomes for users and carers. The strategy aims to embed research in everyday delivery management and practice, to build and infrastructure to support evidence informed policy and practice and to increase research capability and capacity amongst the workforce. The strategy aims to give a direction of travel for a system that will develop research priorities, register research activity and ensuring research is conducted ethically and to an accepted quality standard. The strategy will also address the issue of knowledge transfer and exchange.

A document of evidence 'Towards a Research and Development Strategy' has set out the case for an R&D strategy and the engagement phase of the strategy has begun. The strategy has begun to be applied through Kate Skinner and Rhoda MacRae working with social service practitioners and organisations to embed the use of research in their service design, evaluation, delivery, learning and development and practice. If you would like to work collaboratively on using research in your organisation Kate, Rhoda and the Learning Technology team will be happy to support you. Please contact Rhoda.