Fay Benskin and Dan Williamson discuss some of the key recent impact events which the Centre for Care have hosted and/or been involved in.

They reflect on policy breakfasts at the House of Commons which focussed on Carer's Allowance reform and the evidence in support of Paid Carers Leave, our presence at Party conferences, taking our board game on tour and look to what 2026 has in store for the Centre's impact work.

Click here to read about the Mind the Gap board game.

Click here to learn more about the Policy Breakfast events.

Click here to learn more about our experiences at Party conference in 2025.

Click here to read the Centre for Care's impact report, launched on 11th February 2026

Click here to explore the Unpaid Care Dashboard.

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Learn more about our research on the Centre for Care website here: https://centreforcare.ac.uk/

The CARE MATTERS Podcast is produced by Dan Williamson at the Centre for Care and CIRCLE.

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They reflect on their previous research with the Local Government Information Unit on Scotland’s proposed National Care Service, we get an overview on what a Care Ecosystem is, and we hear about future plans for the research theme as they continue to "watch the ripples" with our other teams.

The images discussed in this episode of a 'Flourishing Care Ecosystem' can be found on the 'Care as a Complex, Adaptive Ecosystem' research theme page here: https://centreforcare.ac.uk/topics/care-as-a-complex-adaptive-ecosystem/

Read about Catherine and Emily's work with the Local Government Information Unit here: https://centreforcare.ac.uk/commentary/2025/01/developing-a-national-care-service/

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Learn more about our research on the Centre for Care website here: https://centreforcare.ac.uk/

The CARE MATTERS Podcast is produced by Dan Williamson at the Centre for Care and CIRCLE.

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• How can we practically be truly inclusive when researching populations with multiple languages?
• Why it is important to not only consider other languages, but also other individual levels of literacy within those languages?
• What practical steps can researchers take when carting out studies in communities that speak different languages?

This episode critically examines the role of language in qualitative research, particularly when working with older, ethnic minority, and refugee populations in the UK, moving beyond standard translation to explore power dynamics, identity, and challenges methodological assumptions. 

Jay and Rashida take a comprehensive look at their full research process, providing hints, considerations and practical steps for linguistically Inclusive co-production along the way- an episode not to be missed for researchers working with communities that speak different languages, and for communities that work with researchers!

Rashida is a researcher interested in people's everyday experiences. She has a PhD from the University of Manchester where she has looked at experiences of race, religion and gender for Muslim women.

Rashida is interested in people's stories of their daily lives, how they connect to others, the places they live and work in and the way they experience feelings of belonging across time and place. 

Click here to learn about the 'Ethnicity and Unequal Ageing' project, in which participants share their stories for more inclusive ageing in Rotherham and Sheffield.

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Learn more about our research on the Centre for Care website here: https://centreforcare.ac.uk/

The CARE MATTERS Podcast is produced by Dan Williamson at the Centre for Care.

---Intro/outro music: Music: https://www.purple-planet.com is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

In March 2024, the UK government amended the Health and Care Worker visa route, removing the right for new applicants to bring dependants. However, many migrants who arrived before the policy change — particularly under the 2022 and 2023 schemes — were initially granted this right. Despite this, Patricia says hundreds of these parents remain separated from their children, often facing complex, prolonged, and inconsistent visa processes.

Action for Southern Africa: All Families Matter report: https://actsa.org/new-report-all-families-matter-uncovering-injustice-and-discrimination-in-the-uk-visa-and-immigration-system/

CIRCLE and the Centre for Care have been contributing to the conversation on the challenges faced by migrant careworkers coming to the UK, in particular the policy changes this video explores. In two previous commentaries, Majella Kilkey and Jaynathi Lingham discuss the policy before (“Taking back control of our borders”. It’s the dependants stupid!– 2023) and after it’s implementation (Closing off social care jobs to migrant workers will only harm a sector that’s already in crisis– 2025). 

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Learn more about our research on the Centre for Care website here: https://centreforcare.ac.uk/

The CARE MATTERS Podcast is produced by Dan Williamson at the Centre for Care.

---Intro/outro music: Music: https://www.purple-planet.com is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

In this episode of How Language Matters, Professor Majella Kilkey (Centre for Care, University of Sheffield) speaks with Bryony Shannon, author of the popular ‘Rewriting social care’ blog and book ‘Rewriting social care: challenging and changing language and practice for a better, brighter future’. Bryony has almost 20 years experience in adult social care information, communications and practice development.

Drawing on Bryony's wealth of experience in communicating social care, they discuss:

• How changing the way we speak about social care can help to shift attitudes and reform system structures,
• How current ways of communicating social care, often using dehumanising, othering and distancing language and imagery, can be detrimental to those experiencing the social care system,
• How coproduction can improve the way we speak about social care.

Also in this episode- find out what a 'Coproduction sandwich' is!

The conversation is a crucial listen for anyone in and around the social care sector.

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Learn more about our research on the Centre for Care website here: https://centreforcare.ac.uk/

The CARE MATTERS Podcast is produced by Dan Williamson at the Centre for Care.

---Intro/outro music: Music: https://www.purple-planet.com is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

In this episode of the Care Matters podcast mini-series How Language Matters, Dr Jayanthi Lingham (Centre for Care, University of Sheffield) speaks with Professor Loretta Baldassar (Edith Cowan University, Australia) about the critical—but often overlooked—role of language in shaping care experiences among ageing migrant populations.

Drawing on comparative insights from Australia and the UK, the episode delves into:

• The demographic reality of ageing migrant populations and their unique care needs.
• Language as a barrier to accessing timely and adequate care services.
• The complex dynamics between migrant care recipients and migrant care workers—often both using English as a second language.
• How language intersects with digital literacy, class, and race in access to care.

The conversation is a vital listen for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers working at the intersection of migration, ageing, and care.

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Learn more about our research on the Centre for Care website here: https://centreforcare.ac.uk/

The CARE MATTERS Podcast is produced by Dan Williamson at the Centre for Care.

---Intro/outro music: Music: https://www.purple-planet.com is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

In this introductory episode of the Care Matters podcast mini-series, How Language Matters, researchers Professor Majella Kilkey and Jayanthi Lingham explore the powerful role of language in care research, communication, and practice. Drawing from their work on the Borders in Care project, they reflect on how terms like “unpaid carer” or “informal care” may reflect—or obscure—people’s lived experiences.

They look at the key questions and themes which will frame the mini-series, such as:

• Is focusing on language a distraction from addressing systemic issues like underfunding and inequality?
• How language can draw attention to invisible forms of labour and care.
• The impact of words like “dependency” in framing people as passive rather than interdependent.
• How complex or shifting language within the care system can act as a barrier to services.

The episode, shaped through collaboration with the Centre for Care Voice Forum, sets the stage for further conversations in the series that challenge how we talk about care—and why that matters.

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Learn more about our research on the Centre for Care website here: https://centreforcare.ac.uk/

The CARE MATTERS Podcast is produced by Dan Williamson at the Centre for Care.

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Host: Laura Griffith, Deputy Head of National Embedding, IMPACT

Guests:

• Paul Rooney- Professional Adviser, Northern Ireland Social Care Council
• Alison Upton- Learning and Development Manager at Scottish Social Services Council
• Andrew Bell- Programme Manager, WeCare Wales, Social Care Wales
• Jon Kerr- Head of Workforce Capacity, Skills for Care

This episode continues on the topic of ‘values-based recruitment’ in adult social care. 

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Learn more about our research on the Centre for Care website here: https://centreforcare.ac.uk/

The CARE MATTERS Podcast is produced by Dan Williamson at the Centre for Care.

---Intro/outro music: Music: https://www.purple-planet.com is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

Guests:

• Paul Rooney- Professional Adviser, Northern Ireland Social Care Council
• Alison Upton- Learning and Development Manager at Scottish Social Services Council
• Andrew Bell- Programme Manager, WeCare Wales, Social Care Wales
• Jon Kerr- Head of Workforce Capacity, Skills for Care

This episode focuses on the topic of ‘values-based recruitment’ in adult social care. In the context of adult social care, values-based recruitment is a relatively new term. It’s been used in retail and the health sector for some time, and essentially means working with people who align with the organisation’s or employer’s values, rather than focusing purely on skills, qualification or prior experience. At the centre of values-based recruitment is the idea that while skills can be learned, values cannot be easily taught but are essential to providing good care and support.

We are delighted to release the recording of our live podcast event, held at the University of Sheffield as part of the Economic and Social Research Council's Festival of Social Sciences. The event is a collaboration between the Centre for Care and the University of Sheffield Digital Society Network, Digital Inclusion and Ethics Hub.

Hosted by Dr Kate Hamblin (Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Care, IMPACT), this episode looks specifically at care and technology. Our guests discuss the kinds of devices used in care arrangements and relationships, but also the increasingly ‘online’ digital provision of care services. Our panellists also share their expertise on the reality of technology and care now and where they think it might go in the near future.

Kate was thrilled to be joined by;

• • Caroline Waugh, member of Think Local Act Personal’s National Co-production Advisory Group and co-creator of Cycling 4 All in Sheffield,
  • Madeleine Starr, Carers UK,
  • Laura Sbaffi, Information School, The University of Sheffield, and,
  • Katie Heard, Good Things Foundation

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Learn more about our research on the Centre for Care website here: https://centreforcare.ac.uk/

This episode of the CARE MATTERS Podcast was produced by Kitty Turner and the event was coordinated by Rachael Black, Kate Hamblin and Dan Williamson at the Centre for Care.

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In part one of this episode Dr Kate Hamblin speaks with care sector employers about how they recruit, focussing on how values-based recruitment can lead to better retention and positive, person-centred care.

We are pleased to welcome special guests Anne Pridmore (CEO, Being the Boss), Dave Beesley (Talent Director, Cohesion Recruitment) and Jo Parsons (Co-production Manager, Drive) to discuss their experiences of recruiting employees in social care settings.

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Learn more about our research on the Centre for Care website here: https://centreforcare.ac.uk/

The CARE MATTERS Podcast is produced by Dan Williamson at the Centre for Care.

---Intro/outro music: Music: https://www.purple-planet.com is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

Suliyat O'Balogun qualified as a Social Worker in 2014. Between then and 2019, she worked in a Hospital Discharge Team based at the Luton and Dunstable Hospital. 

In 2019, Suliyat moved to a Local Authority based in the South East of England, where she worked with adults over 18 years old, with physical, learning disabilities/difficulties and mental health issues. During this period, she managed a social work team, where she was responsible for overseeing the team’s operational needs, practice quality, KPIs and managing financial budgets. Suliyat was also involved in the recruitment process, including interviewing possible candidates, organising induction plans and subsequently, reviewing performance of team members regularly. 

In 2023, Suliyat opened up a domiciliary care agency called This is Homecare.

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Learn more about our research on the Centre for Care website here: https://centreforcare.ac.uk/

The CARE MATTERS Podcast is produced by Dan Williamson at the Centre for Care.

---Intro/outro music: Music: https://www.purple-planet.com is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

Richard's book, ‘Ending the Social Care Crisis: A New Road to Reform’, was published in Autumn 2022 and can be purchased on Amazon and from Bristol University Policy Press. In the book, Richard considers the route to meaningful and enduring positive change for adult social care in England and what we can learn from history and other contexts in this regard.

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Learn more about our research on the Centre for Care website here: https://centreforcare.ac.uk/

The CARE MATTERS Podcast is produced by Dan Williamson at the Centre for Care.

---Intro/outro music: Music: https://www.purple-planet.com is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

We are delighted to welcome three esteemed guests to Care Matters; Professor Nancy Folbre, Dr Naomi Lightman and Professor Shereen Hussein. In this episode, hosted by Dr Duncan Fisher, our guests discuss the devaluation and underpayment of care work.

Drawing on experiences from the USA, Canada and the UK, they consider the challenges of assigning value to care, emphasising social, cultural and intergenerational dimensions.

Nancy Folbre's 'Care Talk' blog on the Revaluing Care website: https://www.revaluingcare.org/category/care-talk/

“Working More and Making Less: Post-Retirement Aged Immigrant Women Care Workers in Canada” Journal of Aging and Social Policy. Naomi Lightman and Hamid Akbary.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08959420.2022.2139984

Lightman, Naomi., Evehe B., M. and Baay, C. “More than ‘Just a Health-Care Aide’: Immigrant Women Speak About the COVID-19 Crisis in Long-Term Care.” Edmonton: Parkland Institute.
https://www.parklandinstitute.ca/more_than_just_a_health_care_aide

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Learn more about our research on the Centre for Care website here: https://centreforcare.ac.uk/

The CARE MATTERS Podcast is produced by Dan Williamson at the Centre for Care.

---Intro/outro music: Music: https://www.purple-planet.com is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

Catherine and Patrick identify five care crises, including demographic changes, family roles, state involvement, market challenges, and community support. We discuss how policymakers in the four nations employ various mechanisms aim to achieve common goals in an effort to solve these current issues.

The episode provides valuable insights into the challenges and goals of social care reform in the UK's four nations, emphasising the need for a comprehensive and sustainable approach.

"Social Care in the UK's Four Nations: Between Two Paradigms" is available to buy here: https://policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/care-in-the-uks-four-nations

Chapters 4, 'The mechanisms of social care reform', and 7, 'The limits of social care reform', are available to read Open Access on Bristol University Press Digital.

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Learn more about our research on the Centre for Care website here: https://centreforcare.ac.uk/

The CARE MATTERS Podcast is produced by Dan Williamson at the Centre for Care.

---Intro/outro music: Music: https://www.purple-planet.com is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

The House of Lords Adult Social Care Committee has been looking into what needs to change to create a fair, resilient and sustainable care system that better enables everyone to ‘live an ordinary life’, and in so doing, to have greater choice and control over their lives.  

This episode is a reflection, in Baroness Andrews' own words, on the recent report published by the Committee, 'A “gloriously ordinary life’’: spotlight on adult social care’. The report included evidence submitted by colleagues at the Centre for Care, including Kate Hamblin, who hosts this episode.

The Baroness gives a first hand account on the workings behind the report, how crucial research helped shape it, and how those with lived experience were central to its creation and successful reception. 

About Baroness Andrews 

Baroness Andrews is Chair of the House of Lords Adult Social Care Committee. Baroness Andrews was a Government Whip and Spokesperson in the House of Lords for Health, Work and Pensions, and Education and Skills from 2003 to 2005, before becoming Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Communities and Local Government from 2005 to 2009. From 2009 to 2013, she was the Chair of English Heritage. 

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Read the report ‘A “gloriously ordinary life’’: spotlight on adult social care’

Read Kate Hamblin's commentary on the report here: https://centreforcare.ac.uk/commentary/2022/12/reflections-a-gloriously-ordinary-life/

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Learn more about our research on the Centre for Care website here: https://centreforcare.ac.uk/

The CARE MATTERS Podcast is produced by Dan Williamson at the Centre for Care.

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--- Baroness Andrews' profile picture is provided by the https://members.parliament.uk/ website and licensed under a Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) Image has been cropped.

In this episode of the podcast we’re discussing the new EU Care Strategy, which was formally adopted by the European Commission in December 2022. Becky Driscoll, one of our Research Associates, is joined by guests Stecy Yghemonos and Zoe Hughes. 

Stecy shares his insights as the Executive Director of Eurocarers, a pan-European organisation which was closely involved in advocating for what the Strategy should include in order to improve the wellbeing of unpaid carers and properly value caregiving.

Zoe is Senior Policy and Research Officer at Care Alliance Ireland, and shares her perspective from one of the EU member states which will now turn its attention to implementing the recommendations in the Strategy. 

We discuss why it matters to have an EU-wide strategy - what value will it add to the piles of strategy papers produced in different countries? Where is it most likely to have an influence, and could this extend to non-member states such as the UK? What are some of the core values and commitments that are most exciting to see included? Finally, we examine some of the issues which would benefit from re-framing and our hopes for the first stage of implementation.

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Learn more about our research on the Centre for Care website here: https://centreforcare.ac.uk/

The CARE MATTERS Podcast is produced by Dan Williamson at the Centre for Care.

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To coincide with the publication of the House of Lords report, To coincide with the House of Lords report published today- A “gloriously ordinary life’’: spotlight on adult social care- we are pleased to release a new podcast episode, looking at some of the invisibilities of social care from the perspective of unpaid carers.

The Centre for Care Impact Specialist, Dr Rachael Black, met with unpaid carers Liz Naylor and Chris Sterry to discuss the 'invisibilities' of Social Care. Drawing on their experiences, they explore the misunderstandings and stigma attached to Social Care and share their thoughts on how Social Care could be changed to improve wellbeing amongst those giving or receiving care.

Liz Naylor is a full-time unpaid carer and sits on the equality objectives panel and the expert panel of Sheffield Carers Centre.

Chris Sterry is an unpaid carer and trustee of Sheffield Mencap and Gateway Chris also sits on the expert panel of Sheffield Carers Centre.

Learn more about our research on the Centre for Care website here: https://centreforcare.ac.uk/

The CARE MATTERS Podcast is produced by Dan Williamson at the Centre for Care.

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Visit the website for the Centre of Excellence in Research on Ageing and Care (CoE AgeCare)

Other useful links mentioned in this episode

Article written by Teppo with colleagues Jiby Mathew Puthenparambil and Lina Van Aerschot about care poverty

Article written by Teppo about links between care and disability studies

The CARE MATTERS Podcast is produced by Dan Williamson at the Centre for Care.

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"We believe that good care isn’t about services, but about having a life – and that evidence can play a key part in achieving this vision."

The University of Sheffield is a partner in IMPACT. IMPACT draws on knowledge gained from different types of research, the lived experience of people using services and carers, and the practice knowledge of social care staff.  

Part 2

Jon Glasby (Host)

Jon is a qualified social worker by background, and works as Professor of Health and Social Care at the University of Birmingham.  He is Director of IMPACT. Click here to learn more at Jon's profile page at the University of Birmingham.

Clenton Farquharson MBE

Clenton is a disabled person with lived experience who draws upon health and social care. Clenton employs his own Personal Assistance, and he looks after his mum's personal budget which his mum uses for her own personal assistance.

He is Chair of the Think Local Act Personal (click here to learn more) programme board, and member of the Coalition for Personalised Care. He is also a member of the Social Care Sector COVID-19 Stakeholder Group which will ensure that concerted and determined action continues to be taken to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19 in the sector, both for those who rely on care and support and the social care workforce.

Clenton was named in Disability News Services’ list of influential disabled people and listed in the top 50 of HSJ’s most influential Black, Asian and minority ethnic people in health. He was also voted top social care leader in the recent Social Care Top 30 awards hosted by Care Talk magazine.

Karen Hedge

As National Director for Scottish Care (click here to learn more), Karen is working to shape the future of social care but is frustrated by the failure of traditional research to move beyond the ‘proof of concept’ stage. She believes IMPACT offers an exciting opportunity to reconsider our approach to evidence implementation by recognising the value and capability of the social care sector. Creating the conditions for real collaboration, critically including those who work in and access care and support, will allow us to move not only to research implementation but embedding. She brings over 20 years sector experience from frontline to Board level, and a passion for evidencing impact in outcomes for people.

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The CARE MATTERS Podcast is produced by Dan Williamson at the Centre for Care.

CIRCLE website: http://circle.group.shef.ac.uk/

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"We believe that good care isn’t about services, but about having a life – and that evidence can play a key part in achieving this vision."

The University of Sheffield is a partner in IMPACT. IMPACT draws on knowledge gained from different types of research, the lived experience of people using services and carers, and the practice knowledge of social care staff.  

Part one

Jon Glasby (Host)

Jon is a qualified social worker by background, and works as Professor of Health and Social Care at the University of Birmingham.  He is Director of IMPACT. Click here to learn more at Jon's profile page at the University of Birmingham.

Karen McCormick 

Karen is parent to you a young adult with an intellectual disability who draws on social care. Karen contributed to the work of the Northern Ireland IMPACT assembly in the design phase through her lived experience contributions to the temporary co-production advisory panel and is now Lived Experience Engagement Lead for IMPACT. 

Karen's LinkedIn Profile: www.linkedin.com/in/karenmccormickincharge

Twitter: @InCharge_HQ & @killaney

Terry Davies 

Terry is an IMPACT Assembly member for Wales and is a person of lived experience, employed by West Wales Action for Mental Health (click here to visit their website).

Obert Tawodzera 

Obert is a Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham and IMPACT’s Project Officer. He completed his PhD at Sheffield University and was part of the Sustainable Care programme led by Professor Sue Yeandle.

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CIRCLE website: http://circle.group.shef.ac.uk/

The CARE MATTERS Podcast is produced by Dan Williamson at the Centre for Care.

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About Maria Cheshire-Allen

Maria is a qualitative researcher working at the Centre for Ageing and Dementia Research (CADR)- click here to go to the CADR website- at Swansea University, Wales UK.  Her research interests include ageing, care, care ethics, and social care policy.  Her research is informed by a previous career working in several policy and campaigning roles for NGOs in Wales, as well as working as a paid carer for older people with dementia.  She has published in the areas of theory, policy and empirical research addressing questions concerning the wellbeing of family carers.

Her latest research article ‘No-one was clapping for us’: care, social justice and family carer wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic in Wales  is published in the International Journal of Care and Caring and available to access here: (click here)

Useful links from this episode

The Dementia Hwb is part of Dementia Friendly Swansea, click here to go to their website or click here for their Facebook page
The Dementia Hwb is also on Twitter (click here) and Instagram (click here)

Swansea Carers Centre website: https://www.swanseacarerscentre.org.uk/
Swansea Carers Centre Twitter (click here), Facebook (click here) and Instagram (click here)

The CARE MATTERS Podcast is produced by Dan Williamson at the Centre for Care.

CIRCLE website: http://circle.group.shef.ac.uk/

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The policy has been in effect for 3 months, today's episode explores the impact so far, and what some of the wider implications might be.

Read Tom's paper, 'Under-paid and under-valued: assessing mandatory vaccination for care home workers' here: http://circle.group.shef.ac.uk/2021/10/27/scpaper-mandatory-vaccinations/ 

GMB website: https://www.gmb.org.uk/
CIRCLE website: http://circle.group.shef.ac.uk/

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In this final episode of the Sustainable Care and TSA Digital Care Futures podcast, Kate Hamblin (University of Sheffield) and Tim Mulrey (TSA) spoke to guests from two local authorities that had explored how to promote digital connectivity and inclusion, and the implications for the ways they were using technology in adult social care.

our guests:

Ann Williams,
Commissioner and Contract Manager, Liverpool City Council

Geoff Connell,
Director of IMT & Chief Digital Officer,  Norfolk County Council

Sarah Rank,
Head of Business and Technology for Adult Social Services, Norfolk County Council

James Bullion,
Executive Director of Adult Social Services, Norfolk County Council

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This episode is hosted by Professor Shereen Hussein from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and features special guests Professor Sara Charlesworth from RMIT University, Dr Ricardo Rodrigues from the European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research and Dr Agnes Turnpenny from Oxford Brookes University.

Shereen and Agnes worked together on the Sustainable Care programme, studying Migrant care workers in the UK: an analysis of care at home, a work package led by Shereen. In this episode they discuss their findings and how the significant contribution made by migrants to the care sector in the UK has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Dr Ricardo Rodrigues gives background and context on the impact of COVID-19 in Austria, where there has been a reliance on migrant care workers since the late 1990s. Read more research from Ricardo on his profile page here.

Professor Sara Charlesworth gives insight from Australia where geography plays it's part and temporary visas for low skilled workers have created a void in the care workforce since Australia closed its borders due to the pandemic.

Learn more about Sustainable Care on our website: http://circle.group.shef.ac.uk/

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Technology is fundamental to our everyday lives and is becoming increasingly ‘smart’ through the use of sensors, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data collection and processing. There has been an explosion of new developments in the care and technology marketplace, with new devices, software and service models, focused on different consumers within the care ecosystem. 

Our Sustainable Care programme research found this marketplace is confusing and hard to navigate for commissioners of adult social care, care providers who are increasingly expected to include technology as part of their ‘offer’, and people who need support and their carers. With growing numbers of start-ups in the sector, there were concerns from purchasers – commissioners, care providers and people who use services – about sustainability and whether these ‘new players’ would be able to provide the same level of customer support as they grow their businesses. 

At the same time, our research found start-ups experienced challenges in making their way into the marketplace, with some commissioners of services felt to be risk-averse and allied with large, ‘dependable’ and established – but perhaps less innovative – organisations. Some commissioners were happy to pilot new approaches, but more cautious about investing at scale.

In Episode 2 of the Sustainable Care and TSA 'Digital Care Futures' podcast, Kate Hamblin (University of Sheffield) and Eve Solomon (TSA) spoke to guests from three very different start-ups, all using technologies to facilitate and support care, to explore some of the challenges and opportunities they had encountered. 

Neil Eastwood, founder and CEO of Care Friends, an employee referral app for social care. “a start-up like this is like a massive freight train in the station with a mini-engine and you’re screaming the mini-engine as much as you can to get some movement and eventually you start to get movement. Once you get momentum, life gets a lot easier because you can’t be stopped. But trying to get going, that’s the thing”

Hector Alexander, co-founder of Yokeru, which provides AI-driven automated voice call systems to care providers, including Local Authorities. “It's much easier if you know from the start this is a long-term game. It doesn’t take a few months- it takes years or more”

Darren Crombie, CEO and founder of Bridgit Care. Bridgit care provides a range of products and support aimed at assisting unpaid carers. “We say to our caring community ‘you’re not alone’ and I think as start-ups we need to remember- ‘you’re not alone- we’re part of a collective of people trying to innovate and make a difference”.

Learn more about Sustainable Care on our website: http://circle.group.shef.ac.uk/

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Traditionally most telecare, and now ‘technology enabled care services’ (TECS), focused on managing the risks associated with living in the community when people were older or requiring support. TECS helped people to ‘age in place’ at home when discharged from hospital or when living alone following a bereavement. These devices and services were often reactive, creating an alert in emergency situations, either relying on the person triggering an alarm or the system automatically detecting changes in the home environment. There is now a distinct shift in approach in the UK from reactive to proactive and preventative services. Technologies are becoming ‘smarter’ and better able to relay information captured through a wider array of sensors and ‘Internet of Things’ devices. The design of services around the technology is also developing, using data gathered in more predictive and preventative ways as well as shifting towards ‘proactive’, in-bound calling systems. There is also a growing interest in mainstream devices and the role they can play in supporting people to live well in their communities and homes. 

Findings from the Sustainable Care programme research from the University of Sheffield and from the TSA’s experience of engaging with the sector highlighted examples of local authorities and councils exploring and investing in TECS for prevention, taking a proactive approach as well as being focused on the wellbeing of those receiving support. The TSA has also observed in the past 12 months a rapidly growing appetite for more proactive services, both from adult social care commissioners and also people receiving support and their carers. However, this has been met with varying levels of technical service maturity and challenges, including issues related to interoperability, workforce pressures and limited capacity for analysis of the vast amounts of data generated and evidence-based decision making.

In this first episode of the Sustainable Care and TSA 'Digital Care Futures' podcast, Kate Hamblin (University of Sheffield) and Nathan Downing (TSA) spoke to guests from two examples of services which take a proactive and preventative approach.

Our guests: 

Rupert Lawrence, former head of amica24, now Operations Director for the TSA

Carla Dix, TEC Prevention Strategy Manager, Delta Wellbeing Ltd.

Learn more about Sustainable Care at our website: http://circle.group.shef.ac.uk/

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Dr Diane Burns introduces this episode in which Sustainable Care researchers, Dr Cate Goodlad and Dr Kate Hamblin, are joined by Tommy Henderson-Reay from the National Care Forum. They discuss emerging models of homecare delivery in the UK, the various ways homecare providers deployed technologies during the pandemic and the challenges they faced.

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Dr Diane Burns is a Senior Lecture at the Management School at the University of Sheffield and she Led the research project, 'Delivering care at home: emerging models and their implications for sustainability and wellbeing' as part of the Sustainable Care Programme. Dr Cate Goodlad also worked on this project with Diane.

Dr Kate Hamblin is a Research Fellow at the Centre for International Research on Care, Labour and Equalities (CIRCLE) and led the research project 'Achieving sustainability in care systems: the potential of technology'.

Tommy Henderson-Reay is Digital Transformation Lead at the National Care Forum, he is part of the Digital Social Care project and is also a registered social worker.

Useful links mentioned in/relating to this episode:

• Tommy Henderson-Reay's profile page at the National Care Forum
• Dr Cate Goodlad's profile page at CIRCLE
• Dr Kate Hamblin's profile page at CIRCLE
• Dr Diane Burns' profile page at the University of Sheffield
• The Hubble Project: Digital Innovation Hubs
• Digital Social Care website  

  Learn more about Sustainable Care on our website: http://circle.group.shef.ac.uk/

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In this episode, Kate explores how the pandemic has been a catalyst for change for the Technology Enabled Care sector. Mark Allen gives great insight on how Hampshire County Council used technology during a time of unprecedented change and demand, reflecting on what the sector might learn from the crisis. Alyson Scurfield provides an industry-wide perspective on the pandemic’s impact for TSA members, TEC’s support to vulnerable communities and how the TSA supported the TEC sector with an intense outreach programme and obtaining key worker status for its workforce.

Links mentioned in/relating to this episode

1. The joint ADASS-TSA Commission Findings and Recommendations – “How Can Technology Be Truly Integrated into Adult Social Care - https://www.tsa-voice.org.uk/adass-tsa-comm/
2. The TSA Sector Insight Report - https://www.tsa-voice.org.uk/campaigns/download-the-tsa-sector-insight-report-2020/
3. The TSA Leadership Report – strategic priorities for the TEC sector to 2025 - https://www.tsa-voice.org.uk/campaigns/leadership-report/

Learn more about Sustainable Care on our website: http://circle.group.shef.ac.uk/

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Useful links mentioned in this episode:

• Baldassar & Krzyzowski (2020). Blog: ‘Physical, not social distancing: what we can learn from migrants; https://livinglab.com.au/4548-2/
• Special issue on Transnational care: families confronting borders:https://ubp.uni-bamberg.de/jfr/index.php/jfr/issue/view/47
• Fine and Tronto on care being made visible by the COVID-19 pandemic: https://www.ingentaconnect.com/contentone/tpp/ijcc/2020/00000004/00000003/art00002
• The care circulation book edited by Loretta and Laura: https://www.routledge.com/Transnational-Families-Migration-and-the-Circulation-of-Care-Understanding/Baldassar-Merla/p/book/9781138952935

Learn more about Sustainable Care on our website: http://circle.group.shef.ac.uk/

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Learn more about Think Local Act Personal here: https://www.thinklocalactpersonal.org.uk/About-us/

Learn more about Think Local Act Personal's Making it Real framework here: https://www.thinklocalactpersonal.org.uk/makingitreal/

Tim Parkin's profile page: https://www.thinklocalactpersonal.org.uk/About-us/Team-members/

David James' profile page: http://circle.group.shef.ac.uk/about/david-james/

Kate Sibthorp's blog page: https://www.thinklocalactpersonal.org.uk/Blog/author/Kate-Sibthorp/

Learn more about Sustainable Care on our website: http://circle.group.shef.ac.uk/

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Tim is Head of Community Resilience for the two Hertfordshire Clinical Commissioning Groups, and NHS England’s Social Prescribing Regional Facilitator for the East of England. Tim is also a member of the Sustainable Care programme’s Advisory Board.

Learn more about Sustainable Care on our website: http://circle.group.shef.ac.uk/

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Learn more about Sustainable Care on our website: http://circle.group.shef.ac.uk/

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Rob explains the characteristics of Long-term Care Services, how they feature in EU policies and programmes, Eurofound's contribution to research on these services and what issues there are for further research & service development in this area.

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To learn more about our research visit the CIRCLE website

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To learn more about our research visit the CIRCLE website

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Members of the Sustainable Care programme Early Career Researcher network discuss similarities between their subject areas.

To learn more about our research visit the CIRCLE website

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Intro/outro music: Ambient Cool by Sunsearcher is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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Intro/outro music: Ambient Cool by Sunsearcher is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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Intro/outro music: Ambient Cool by Sunsearcher is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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Visit our website for more information: http://circle.group.shef.ac.uk/

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