New research resource and training for care homes

Members of the care home community in Wales have collaborated to develop a brand-new resource and training workshop for front-line care workers across Wales. This initiative aims to enhance their understanding of research and inspire them to integrate research into their roles. 

ENRICH Cymru led the co-production of the resource and training workshop, "SPARK-ing interest in research”, in partnership with the Pobl Group and Social Care Wales. ENRICH Cymru, funded by Health and Care Research Wales, is a network which connects researchers with care homes by supporting the delivery and facilitation of high-quality research tackling current issues in the care home sector. 

The resource consists of an easy read, information sheet explaining what research is, why is it important to care homes and how care workers can get involved. This is accompanied by a training workshop which aims to raise awareness of research amongst care home staff by highlighting how research can impact care, whilst helping staff to identify research priorities that matter to them. 

Stephanie Green, Research Development Coordinator at ENRICH Cymru, who collaborated on this project, said: “The ethos of ENRICH Cymru is to involve care homes in research, ensuring the care home community has a voice in life-changing research. Together with Social Care Wales and Pobl, we identified a widespread lack of understanding of what research is, why it matters to social care practitioners, and how to get involved. 

“With that in mind, we co-produced a resource and training module that provides a simple overview of research and breaks down barriers including the use of language, in preventing care homes and individuals from engaging with research.” 

Lynne Whistance, Inclusion and Assistive Technology Officer at Pobl said: “Working with ENRICH Cymru and Social Care Wales to develop these research resources guaranteed that we were producing something relevant to our staff that would be used in day-to-day practice. The co-production process boosted the team's confidence and inspired them to get more involved in research in our care home” 

 Kate Howson, Senior Partnerships Lead at Social Care Wales, said: "Together with Enrich Cymru and Pobl, we identified a need for research skills training tailored to social care practitioners. I feel the workshops really did spark curiosity among practitioners, encouraging them to explore different scenarios in which research might play a role in their care setting.  Setting them up to explore ideas further and engage with research skills opportunities in the future " 

Stephanie concluded, 

This process has been a brilliant way for organisations with the same goals to come together and support care homes across the country. We’re really looking forward to sharing this resource far and wide and going on to develop advanced research training skills in the future.”

For more information about ENRICH Cymru or to join the network, visit the ENRICH Cymru website.