Relationship-based practice with disabled adults in England
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An examination of relationship-based practice with people with disabilities in adult social work in England
IRAS ID
357998
Contact name
Liam Toner
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The University of Sheffield
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
N/A, N/A
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 6 months, 31 days
Research summary
This research aims to explore relationship-based practice (RBP) in adult social work with people with disabilities. RBP is an approach to social work practice which emphasises the importance of developing effective relationships between social workers and the people they are supporting (Hingley-Jones & Ruch, 2016). This study will focus on how RBP is understood by social workers employed in adult social care, what characterises those relationships between disabled people and social workers and how organisational factors enable and constrain it. I have selected a qualitative approach to answer my research questions and will adopt ethnography (ethnography is a research approach that focuses on emersion in a particular group to gain deep understandings of that groups dynamics and practices) as a methodology. I will work across three local authorities observing social work interventions in the homes of disabled people. This will be followed by semi-structured interviews and group discussion guided by vignettes (short descriptive accounts of fictional scenarios developed from the data, used to facilitate further discussion and draw out insights from participants) developed from the research.
REC name
London - Camberwell St Giles Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/PR/0832
Date of REC Opinion
25 Sep 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion