Making Research Count

Lead university staff
Professor Marian Barnes
Professor of Social Policy and Director of the Health and Social Policy Research Centre
marian.barnes@brighton.ac.uk

Coordinator: Naomi Smith
nms4@brighton.ac.uk

Members
Brighton and Hove City Council, East Sussex County Council, West Sussex County Council, South East Research Development Support Unit (SERDSU).

Regional approach
The style and ethos of MRC Brighton has been developed to complement the work already underway within qualifying and post qualifying social work training and, in particular, to fit with the multi-agency, inter-professional style of the university. The programme is aimed at practitioners and managers at various levels within their agencies including those in practice, trainers, researchers and those involved in the development of policy.

Agencies joining as partners are encouraged to support the opportunities for learning and reflective time for their staff that the programme offers and to commit time within their agencies for following up the work started as part of the programme. A strong emphasis of the programme is on providing opportunities for professional development in which researchers, practitioners and users all have a stake and a contribution to make.

The main programme looks to work within three key areas;
• Providing opportunities and support for practitioners to develop research skills and understanding.
• Providing interactive seminars covering substantive and current social work and social care and health issues.
• Working with an awareness of the interagency nature of service development and delivery within the social work, social care and health sector.

Making Research Count Brighton joined the national network in early 2004 and completed the first full programme at the end of July 2005. Making Research Count Brighton is managed within the University of Brighton and is developed through an Advisory Group of partners.

The university department in which the regional programme has been developed:
Making Research Count Brighton is located within the Health and Social Policy Research Centre, part of the School of Applied Social Science. Principal areas of research activity within the centre include health and social care, community development, neighbourhood renewal and crime and community safety.

Website
Information about the work of Making Research Count Brighton is available at:
http://www.brighton.ac.uk/sass/research/mrc/