The School for Social Care Research, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), formally began work in May 2009 and was extended in 2014. The School was refreshed in 2018 and an extension for a further five-year period was confirmed in 2019.
Phase I (2009–2014) involved the London School of Economics and Political Science, King’s College London and the Universities of Kent, Manchester and York.
Phase II (2014–2019) involved the London School of Economics and Political Science and the Universities of Bristol, Kent, Manchester and York.
Led by Professor Martin Knapp with a budget of £15 million over five years, the NIHR SSCR is a partnership between seven leading universities in adult social care research in England:
London School of Economics and Political Science: Led by Professor Martin Knapp, the LSE hub comprises research teams within the Care Policy and Evaluation Centre.
King’s College London: Led by Professor Jill Manthorpe, the KCL hub comprises research teams within the NIHR Health & Social Care Workforce Research Unit.
University of Birmingham: Led by Professor Catherine Needham, the Birmingham hub comprises research teams within the Health Services Management Centre and the Department for Social Work and Social Care.
University of Bristol: Led by Professor David Abbott, the Bristol hub comprises research teams within the School for Policy Studies.
University of Kent: Led by Dr Karen Jones, the Kent hub comprises research teams within the Personal Social Services Research Unit and the Tizard Centre.
University of Manchester: Led by Professor Catherine Robinson, the Manchester hub comprises research teams within the Personal Social Services Research Unit.
University of York: Led by Professor Yvonne Birks, the York hub comprises research teams within the Social Policy Research Unit.
The School’s mission in Phase III continues to be to develop the evidence base to inform and improve adult social care practice in England by commissioning and conducting internationally leading research. In pursuit of this mission, we will build on progress made in our first ten years.
We will pursue this mission through a number of activities: