The PLACES Implementation Study - Qualitative Senior Research Assistant

Working as part of multi-disciplinary team, you will support the delivery of qualitative work on the NIHR HSDR funded PLACES research project by undertaking research activity, writing up research work for publication and collaborating with project partners. The qualitative work will involve interviews, focus groups, workshops, and observation with front line, technical, managerial and research staff and parents, carers, and children over multiple sites across England.  Some of the fieldwork will be conducted in person, so at times there will be travel to different parts of England, some will also be conducted remotely.

The PLACES study seeks to understand whether evidence-based early language interventions be tailored to fit local needs and strengths to widen access to services and reduce inequalities in children’s language development.  This is a mixed-methods study in three case study local authorities. 

Initially, the PLACES team will work with parents and early years professionals from local authority, health, and voluntary services in three local authority areas to tailor interventions to meet the needs of their area.  These interventions will then be rolled out and formally evaluated in relation to clinical outcomes, cost-effectiveness, and process. The qualitative work will explore the development, introduction, embedding and sustaining of the tailored interventions.

Further information is available in the job description .

This role is fixed-term for 27 months.

This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 therefore the successful candidate will be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service check.

About the team 

You will be embedded in the Implementation and Innovation Research Group (IIR) - a small friendly cross departmental group between Nursing, Midwifery and Health and Social Work, Education and Community Wellbeing at Northumbria University. IIRs work ranges from initiation, scoping, and development of novel ideas for service, therapeutic and care innovations, to feasibility studies, pilot, and full trials with embedded process evaluations, as well as the scaling up and scaling out of evidence-based interventions. IIR works with key health and social care stakeholders to develop innovative, individualised, community-based, and organisational solutions to problems of implementation and knowledge mobilisation through applied research. Through high quality research, we develop theories, tools, and methodologies as well as interventions to support implementation and knowledge mobilisation in practice.

You will be formally based in the Department of Social Work, Education and Community Wellbeing within the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences at Northumbria University, Coach Lane campus, one of five departments within the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences.

About you

To be successful in the role you will have:

Good practical, analytic and conceptual skills in ethnographic qualitative research. You will hold a PhD, have submitted your PhD or be about to submit your PhD in the next three months, or have equivalent experience, in a health and/or social science related discipline.

Knowledge of contemporary debates in implementation in health and/or social care is desirable, as is knowledge of debates and challenges relating to speech, language, and communication needs. Ability to travel for purpose of data collection to various locations in the UK is essential.

Further information is available in the person specification .

If you would like an informal discussion about the role, please contact Professor Tim Rapley - [email protected]

https://work4.northumbria.ac.uk/#en/sites/CX_1001/job/2319/ ?