Academia and Regulation Working in Partnership, Making a Difference

This session will describe the origins of a partnership working between the Northern Ireland Social Care Council, as the workforce regulator for social work and social care, and Dr. Paula McFadden’s research on health and social care workforce wellbeing.  It will include regulatory practical support for research and co-production of research priorities, including the shared development of key questions and providing an advisory role on research projects. 

Ms. Marian O’Rourke, Director of Regulation and Standards at Northern Ireland Social Care Council, will present on the origins of this partnership and its contribution to the Council’s model of regulation, as well as describe the scope, impact, and evidence-based deliverables emanating from extensive research on workforce issues led by Dr. McFadden. 

Dr. McFadden will present a case example, with comparisons on participation rates across countries and professions during the COVID-19 HSC Workforce Wellbeing and Coping Study (2020-2023, n=13,000+). This example demonstrates the value of regulatory engagement in research.  Dr. McFadden’s engagement with the Social Care Council provides an example of successful regulator-academic partnership, and Dr. McFadden will compare optimum and lower regulatory engagement, showing how regulatory partnerships impact on participation levels across disciplines and the four countries of the UK.

Presenters:
Marian O’Rourke, Director of Regulation and Standards, Northern Ireland Social Care Council

Paula McFadden, Senior Lecturer in Social Work, Ulster University

Originally presented: November 29th 2023