Services > Primary & Social Care > Social Care Research Websites
Applied Social Sciences Index and abstracts is a comprehensive source of social science and health information. An ATHENS username and password is required (log in via CSA Illumina).
BASW is the largest association representing social work and social workers in the UK.
This is part of the British Library and provides access to social science material, law, and government documents. They aim to provide a service to students, researchers, professionals and practitioners. Information includes housing, health, crime and educational resources.
Sister organisation to the Cochrane Library focusing on helping people to make well-informed decisions about the effects of social, behavioural and educational interventions. The site includes SPECTR a database of trials, and also of systematic reviews.
A freely accessible collection of research in social care. Also available is a Practice, Guidance and Standards database.
Based at Loughborough University, the Centre aims to maintain and develop programmes of research that will inform, influence and support policy and practice for children and families. The site includes an online research publications section and a bibliography of published articles.
Established by the Great Ormond Street Hospital and Institute for Child Health as a part of a national network of Centres for Evidence-Based Health Care. The site contains teaching and educational resources relevant to child health.
Aims to translate evidence into service and practice. Its main objective is ensuring that decisions taken at all levels in social services are informed by trends from good quality research. A useful site of resource including the ' Be Evidence Based' Database containing critically appraised research. Also included is continuing research, useful links and publications.(Resources now taken over by Research in Practice)
The National Children's Bureau Library and Information Service offers all key databases and a range of full-text publications. It some information is only available through subscription.
Developed by the Tufts University this is a directory that evaluates, describes and provides links to hundreds of sites containing child development research, and practical advice and policy sites.
Their aim is to support cross-government work on child poverty and youth disadvantage. There is a publications section, also included are useful Internet sites and links to useful documents. (Now part of the Children, Young People and Families Directorate of the DfES)
Dedicated to supporting the generation and dissemination of knowledge about children's issues. The site provides links to a comprehensive number of institution, organisation and research websites.
Website for the journal 'Community Care'
Funding agency for research and training in social care. Contains details of funding opportunities and the ESRC Social Sciences repository - a database containing journal articles, papers, reports and books.
The Economic and Social Research Council have brought the evidence network together, and 8 research centres to make up the network. This site provides a good starting point for accessing social science research publications, including systematic reviews, the what work series and also includes a useful area on literature searching skills.
This website contains information on the latest policy developments relating to children and young people in each of the four nations and across the UK. By facilitating greater access to policy information and consultation with policy-makers, the network hopes to empower its users to contribute to and influence policy decisions affecting the lives of children, their families and those who work with them.
IP is a new, free, resource for social service professionals that is updated daily. The focus is on: professionally relevant stories in the world’s news outlets; new articles in scholarly journals; and new resources appearing in the grey literature (e.g., scientific and technical reports primarily from governments and organizations). The goal of this service is to provide social service professionals with easier access to high quality information that can be used to improve their practice.
Identifying and conducting original research into child care needs and services, offering training and consultation on undertaking and applying child care research. The website contains a list of all research publications and reports completed by the Institute.
This website is produced jointly with the Great Ormond Street Hospital and has a useful research section.
This is one of the largest multi-disciplinary centres for social science research in the UK and is based at the University of York. The institute consists of a number of other units; Centre for Health Economics, Centre for Housing Policy, Social Policy Research Unit, Social Work Research and Development Unit and York Health Economics Consortium.
Based at the University of Essex the Unit specialises in the production and analysis of longitudinal data and studies. The site includes details of current research, publications of department papers, reports and news summaries.
The Institute undertakes research related to the development, functioning, and well being of children and families and to addressing any pressing social issues.
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation is one of the largest independent social policy research and development charities in the UK. It supports research and development projects in housing, social care and social policy. Executive summaries of completed research projects can be found on this site.
Leading independent charity working in health and social care. The King's Fund also has a comprehensive library and information service.
The MRC is a National Collaboration Research dissemination initiative working with local authorities and the NHS to develop research-informed evidence based practice. The MRC and RIP are currently producing a series of briefings.
is an online child protection resource that aims to collect, share and disseminate information on child abuse and neglect in the UK. A large number of publications and reports are available.
Established at the University of Kent with branches at the London School of Economics (LSE) and Political Sciences, and at the University of Manchester. It conducts research and policy analysis aimed at improving equity and efficiency of community based health and social care services.
This register provides information on research findings emerging from NHS funded research. Each entry includes findings, conclusions and implications for further research.
This is a network consisting of the University of Sheffield, Dartington Hall Trust, the Association of Directors of Social Services and 70 authorities and child care organisations. Provides the framework for the development of evidence-based practice with the aim to improve the knowledge base for children and families. The website includes the Evidencebank database which provides reviews of research and summaries. It also contain research briefings, and useful websites. There is also included the REAL action pack looking at how teams can become more research minded.
This is a virtual training resource that helps people to understand what being research minded actually means and provides a range of resources to improve research skills. (No longer updated as of September 2005)
An electronic journal of the Social Services Research Group
A website of research activity in Scotland. The site has links to CARE Data, Scottish Executive research interest findings and the Research into Practice Newsletter.
The website contains a useful section on reports and guidelines.
The website contains a useful section on reports, guidelines and factsheets.
The website contains a useful resources section with reports.
Its aim is to improve the quality and consistency of social care practice, through creation and dissemination of best practice guidelines and knowledge reviews. SCIE is an independent organisation, that gathers and publicises knowledge about how to make social care services better.
The social care section of the Department of Health website, contains the Children NSF, social care publications and a list of useful Internet sites - A-Z of DH social care websites.
This is the product of Social Care Institute for Excellence and provides resources to access research, information on the skills of appraising research, and the tools to ensure evidence is practice based. Full text documents are also available.
A free publication produced by the Department of Sociology at the University of Surrey. This quarterly journal looks at the latest developments in social research.
The network is for research information planning and evaluation in social care and health services.
Social Work Abstracts review over 400 US and international journals and publishes approximately 450 abstracts in each issue. Access requires payment by subscription.
This is a large gateway of resources covering all aspects of social science. (Now called Intute: Social Sciences)
Sure start aims to promote physical, intellectual and social development of babies and young children. Includes a research and publications section.
TOPSS are responsible for promoting high quality education and training in social care. (Now called Skills for Care)
This is a really useful website and comprises areas on research methods, literature searching techniques and critical appraisal resources.
This is the British Library's table of contents service. You can set up a ZETOC alert, in order to receive a regular table of contents for a chosen journal title. This service does not provide full-text articles.
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