The Online Needs Assessment in Social Care study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Developing and evaluating an online needs assessment process: using a participatory action research approach to develop a theory of change to improve digital offerings within adult social care (the Online Needs Assessment in Social Care study).
IRAS ID
356949
Contact name
Rowan E Jasper
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of York
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
Background
An increasing number of people are making requests through their local authority for adult social care support. To access support, people must complete a needs assessment and a financial means test, as social care is not provided free for everyone. However, nearly a quarter of a million people are waiting for an assessment of their needs in England.
The impact of waiting can lead to unmet needs, both for the person themselves and also their informal carers, causing increasing burdens and pressures on people and services. The COVID-19 pandemic had a huge impact on adult social care practice, with staff having to find new ways to work, within limited budgets. One of these ways is to carry out assessments of need online but there is limited research on this topic.
Aims
This study will design and evaluate an online needs assessments process in North Yorkshire Council in England. I will work with adult social care staff to understand online services and make recommendations to change them for the better.
What I will do:
(1) I will review what is already known about needs assessment processes in adult social care and develop working relationships with practice staff. Together we will establish working practices and define research questions.
(2) An evaluation will be undertaken by using data collected from the online assessment process to identify trends and emerging issues. I will also interview local authority staff and people who have used the online needs assessment to assess support, to understand their views and experience.
(3) I will work collaboratively with staff to develop recommendations for practice. Reflections from staff will be collected about their experience of working on this study. This learning will then determine the possibility of doing a larger study to test online needs assessments in more local authorities.
REC name
London - Camberwell St Giles Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/LO/0492
Date of REC Opinion
24 Jul 2025
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion