Internal Only - Research Associate, CASCADE

Advert

This post is currently open to employees of Cardiff University only.  Please do not apply if you do not have a current contract of employment with the University.

Internal Only - Research Associate, CASCADE (Part-Time)

Cardiff University School of Social Sciences is looking to recruit Research Associate to work within the Children's Social Care Research and Development Centre (CASCADE) that is located within the School.

As a Research Associate you will work on the research project  “Evaluation of family group conferencing for children and families: Context, implementation, and effectiveness” which is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). You will conduct research within children’s social care, leading to high-quality publications, and contribute to the overall research performance of the School and University. To pursue excellence in research and to inspire others to do the same. 

Family group conferences (FGCs) in child welfare bring immediate and wider family members together to decide on the best way to meet a child’s needs. Unlike in professionally-led traditional case conferences, decision-making is shared with family members. 

Qualitative and mixed-method research with FGC participants tends to show positive experiences: most participants feel their voices are heard; FGCs facilitate family-driven solutions and closer relationships - within families and with social workers. Although there is an existing literature on FGCs, there is a paucity of robust comparative UK evaluations. Comparative studies internationally have focused on a fairly narrow range of outcomes, not recognised the importance of context on FGC effects, and paid little attention to quality of delivery. Some qualitative studies have considered process and context but there is scant measurement of these. 

The aim of this study is to establish how FGCs improve outcomes for families and what factors vary their quality. Given the importance of process and context, an evaluation informed by realist and complex systems approaches is needed. 

This post is part time, 14 hours per week, fixed term from the 1st September 2021 to 31st August 2025.

Salary: £33,797 - £40,322 per annum, pro rata for hours worked (Grade 6)

Responsible to Professor Jonathan Scourfield. Principal Investigator

For further details contact Professor Scourfield [email protected] Telephone 029 2087 5402

Closing date: Thursday, 29 July 2021

External applications are currently not being considered for this post.  If the decision is made to open the post to external candidates, the strapline at the top will be removed and you will be given ample time to apply – please check back periodically for details.

Please be aware that Cardiff University reserves the right to close this vacancy early should sufficient applications be received.

Cardiff University is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity and to creating an inclusive working environment. We believe this can be achieved through attracting, developing, and retaining a diverse range of staff from many different backgrounds who have the ambition to create a University which seeks to fulfil our social, cultural and economic obligation to Cardiff, Wales, and the world.  In supporting our employees to achieve a balance between their work and their personal lives, we will also consider proposals for flexible working or job share arrangements.

“Cardiff University is a signatory to the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), which means that in hiring and promotion decisions we will evaluate applicants on the quality of their research, not publication metrics or the identity of the journal in which the research is published. More information is available at: https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/research/our-research-environment/integrity-and-ethics/responsible-research-assessment”

Job Description

Research

• To conduct research within children’s social care and contribute to the overall research performance of the School and University by the production of measurable outputs including bidding for funding, publishing in national academic journals, and the recruitment and supervision of postgraduate research students.  
• To develop research objectives and proposals for own or joint research including research funding proposals. 
• To attend and or present at conferences/seminars at a local and national level as required. 
• To undertake administrative tasks associated with the research project, including the planning and organisation of the project and the implementation of procedures required to ensure accurate and timely reporting.
• To prepare research ethics and research governance applications as appropriate.
• To review and synthesise existing research literature within the field.
• To participate in School research activities. 
• To build and create networks both internally and externally to the university, to influence decisions, explore future research requirements, and share research ideas for the benefit of research projects.

Other

• To engage effectively with public and voluntary sector organisations, professional institutions, other academic institutions etc., regionally and nationally to raise awareness of the School’s profile, to cultivate strategically valuable alliances, and to pursue opportunities for collaboration across a range of activities. These activities are expected to contribute to the School and the enhancement of its regional and national profile.
• To undergo personal and professional development that is appropriate to and which will enhance performance.
• To participate in School administration and activities to promote the School and its work to the wider University and the outside world.
• Any other duties not included above, but consistent with the role.

Person Specification

Essential Criteria

Postgraduate degree at PhD level (or nearing completion) or equivalent research experience.

An established expertise and proven portfolio of research and/or relevant practice in the children’s social care field, and/or expertise through experience of using child and family services.

Knowledge of current status of research in children’s social care.

Good familiarity with both qualitative and quantitative research and ability to use the methods specified for the current funded project.

Proven ability to publish in national or international journals and conferences and other research outputs.

Knowledge and understanding of competitive research funding to be able to develop applications to funding bodies. 

Proven ability in effective and persuasive communication.

 Ability to supervise the work of others to focus team efforts and motivate individuals.

 Proven ability to demonstrate creativity, innovation and team-working within work.

 Proven ability to work without close supervision.

Desirable Criteria

• Evidence of collaborations with families and professionals in the children’s social care field.
• Understanding of realist and complex systems approaches to evaluation.
• Evidence of ability to participate in and develop both internal and external networks and utilise them to enhance the research activities of the School. 

NOTE

The Person Specification is split into 2 sections: essential and desirable.  Please demonstrate clearly how you meet all of the essential criteria.  Where possible you should give examples of how, when and where you have used your experience, knowledge, specific skills and abilities to match those required for this particular job role.

Please ensure that you communicate this fully by creating a supporting statement document, listing all of the criteria and commenting against each one as to how you meet them.  This will need to be completed before you begin making your application on line as you will be required to upload it.  

When attaching the supporting statement to your application profile, please ensure that you put your name and the  vacancy reference number, e.g. Supporting Statement for NAME XXXXBR.’

The desirable section contains a list of skills, qualifications and experience that it would be beneficial for the jobholder to have.

All short-listing decisions will be based initially on essential criteria, with desirable being used to further select or deselect candidates as appropriate.  

We interview those candidates who are the closest match to the identified criteria.

Additional Information

Children’s Social Care Research and Development Centre (CASCADE)

CASCADE is concerned with all aspects of community-based responses to social need in children and families, including family support services, children in need services, child protection, looked after children and adoption. It aims first and foremost to improve the well-being and safety of children and their families by:

• Generating primary research evidence of an internationally recognised high quality.
• Making the results of this research, and research produced elsewhere, available in an accessible form for children and families who receive social care services, professionals and policy-makers.
• Developing social care research capacity in Wales by providing opportunities for researchers from undergraduate through to senior career stages.
• Engaging a range of collaborators in research, including children and young people, parents and carers, practitioners, policy-makers and social care providers from the public, private and third sectors. 

http://sites.cardiff.ac.uk/cascade/

Research project

'Evaluation of family group conferencing for children and families: Context, implementation, and effectiveness'

Family group conferences (FGCs) in child welfare bring immediate and wider family members together to decide on the best way to meet a child’s needs. Unlike in professionally-led traditional case conferences, decision-making is shared with family members. 

Qualitative and mixed-method research with FGC participants tends to show positive experiences: most participants feel their voices are heard; FGCs facilitate family-driven solutions and closer relationships - within families and with social workers. Although there is an existing literature on FGCs, there is a paucity of robust comparative UK evaluations. Comparative studies internationally have focused on a fairly narrow range of outcomes, not recognised the importance of context on FGC effects, and paid little attention to quality of delivery. Some qualitative studies have considered process and context but there is scant measurement of these. 

The aim of this study is to establish how FGCs improve outcomes for families and what factors vary their quality. Given the importance of process and context, an evaluation informed by realist and complex systems approaches is needed. 

The research questions are:

• What is the extent and nature of FGC provision for child welfare in the UK?
• How do families and practitioners see FGCs as impacting on families and what do they think might support or hinder their effectiveness?
• How does variation in the quality and implementation of FGCs impact on outcomes and acceptability?
• What are the longer terms outcomes of FGCs in terms of service use, e.g., child protection involvement and health care? How do these compare with similar families who have not taken part in FGCs and what are the economic consequences of FGCs?

This is a multi-method evaluation, including the following elements:

• Identification and modelling of FGCs in the UK; modelling programme theory and development of evaluation design.
• A survey of FGC projects in all UK local authorities to map service provision.
• Co-production of programme theory and evaluation measures with family members who have experienced an FGC and practitioners in each of two sites, working with peer researchers.
• Prospective single-arm study of FGC variability and outcomes after 12 months.
• Comparison of service use in FGC participants and a comparison group after 2 years using a natural experiment, based on anonymised routine administrative data.

The evaluation questionnaire will be available for use in routine FGC practice beyond the life of the project. Findings about FGC process, context and outcomes should be relevant to improving practice. There will be dissemination in accessible formats for practitioners and families, including video, as well as via academic conferences and journals

Job Category

Academic - Research