Co-producing Knowledge:Building Research Capacity in Social Care with Older People and Practitioners

The Kent Research Partnership aims to improve the quality of social care by identifying research priorities to inform service change, working with staff, users and carers to develop research ideas, sharing knowledge and resources, and co-producing and evaluating practitioner-led research. Central to this work is building sustainable partnerships among social care practitioners, researchers, and people with lived experience. The Partnership is committed to building research capacity by supporting practice-based social care research, investing in the social care workforce, and developing a culture of research and evidence-based practice. <br/>This co-delivered presentation highlights our efforts to engage older people and practitioners in social care research capacity building. Key approaches include: <br/>• Lived experience working group: older people are involved in training, discussions, and research outputs, driving cultural shifts in social care research and practice.<br/>• Communities of Practice: older people and practitioners share experiences, needs and ideas, shaping research projects and practice discussions (Ferhana et al. 2024).<br/>• Collaborative research and bids: connect researchers, practitioners, and older people to co-produce relevant studies.<br/>We also reflect on the evolving context of social care, particularly the shift from specialised teams for older people to locality-based approaches in Kent, and its implications for research and service delivery. By amplifying the voices of older people, we seek to ensure research meaningfully informs care improvements.<br/>