Our approach to developing communities of practice to foster research capacities for the adult social care workforce.

Background: Efforts to build and foster adult social care research in England have historically encountered more challenges to its growth and expansion compared with health research, with a sector facing significant barriers in facilitating research activity due to a lack of resourcing, poor valuation or understanding of the profile of social care research. The landscape for supporting the social care workforce to use, engage in and undertake research in adult social care has been rather bleak, but in recent years there has been recognition of the need to foster a social care workforce research community. The National Institute for Health and Care Research in England have committed to investing in social care research capacity by funding six adult social care partnerships, with one based in Southeast England.