Linked data research and social care: What we learned at the ADR UK Conference 2023
Categories: Blogs, ADR Wales, YDG Cymru, Health & wellbeing
10 January 2024
In this blog, Lynsey Cross, Social Care Research Officer at ADR Wales, reflects on the team’s experience of hosting a workshop on adult social care at the ADR UK Conference 2023. The conference took place in Birmingham in November.
As part of the ADR UK Conference 2023, the ADR Wales social care team, along with the Scottish Centre for Administrative Data Research and the Office for National Statistics, hosted a workshop discussing linked data research in adult social care across the UK.
The workshop enabled discussion and knowledge sharing on experiences, challenges and opportunities around the theme of linked data research on adult social care across the UK. It gave us an open and inclusive platform to think about ways to advance linked data research in this area across all four UK nations, as well as identify possible opportunities for collaboration and learning between UK partners. Over 30 people attended, including researchers, data owners, members of the public and policymakers. Their enthusiasm and experience helped us build shared understanding and gather a lot of great insights.
We’ve created this series of blogs to share the thoughts and reflections of the people who participated. These focus on participants’ views of these important, underpinning questions:
- What is social care research?
- What data is currently available that can be used for social care research? And what data would ideally be available?
- What are priority research areas for linked adult social care research?
At ADR Wales, we have joined forces with Social Care Wales to lead on our social care programme of work. We align and inform our work based on Health and Care Research Wales’s definition of ‘social care research’ – that it should focus on at least one important area of care broadly covering:
- Relationships
- Advice and assistance
- Protection
- Social need
- Systems and settings
- Policies
- Community cohesion
In the workshop, we asked people to reflect on this definition and think about what it means in their own context. We asked them to answer the question, “what is social care research?” Conversations were animated and passionate - with sticky notes flying everywhere, and we had lots of suggestions. Although the ideas were very broad, everyone agreed that the research should help organisations, service providers, policymakers, and people accessing care make informed, evidence-based decisions.
It’s clear that social care research means different things to different people. It’s also evident that good social care research, carried out by passionate and supportive researchers and policymakers, has the power to help and support so many. We are pleased that our workshop created a space for those operating within the social care research community across the UK to discuss approaches. Together, we’re striving to develop further understanding and create an ambitious multi-disciplinary, multi-organisational, UK-wide approach to addressing social care needs.
This blog is the first in a series by ADR Wales on social care data. Find out more about the ADR Wales social care research theme.
Are you interested in adult social care?
Join us for an event highlighting the value of linked data research in adult social care in Wales.
‘Unlocking the power of adult social care data’ in Wales will be held online on 6 February.
The event will bring together stakeholders interested in collecting, sharing or using adult social care data to benefit the public and improve social care policies and practice. Among those attending will be researchers and policymakers, along with representatives from local authorities, independent social care providers, the third sector and the public.
Read more from the ADR UK Conference 2023
- Explore the poster presentations and some photos from the event
- Read some reflections on the conference theme
- Discover the other winners of the ADR UK Conference 2023 awards and read about one of the award winner’s experiences
- Hear from the delegation led by Consorcio IDI, a Chilean consortium of universities.
