Social, Therapeutic and Community Care (STACC)

Our philosophy is rooted in the concept of empowering individuals and communities to promote wellbeing and to participate in all aspects of society. At the centre of this is the belief in the principles of a person-centred approach to provide care or support that offers individuals opportunities for:

• Choice & control – that is, the ability to take meaningful decisions and for people to have control over their lives.
• Empowerment – that is, any intervention whereby deficits of power, influence, control and resources that individuals and groups may experience are enhanced. 
   

Our research is guided by the challenges of sustainability within the political, economic, socio-cultural and technological drivers of society and the impact of these on the aspirations of individuals, their occupations and their wider environment.
 
The Social, Therapeutic and Community Care ARG undertakes a wide range of applied research activities, consultancy, education and training that offers bespoke solutions to meet needs in the transfer of knowledge, skills and expertise.

Objectives

• Increase the staff’s applied research activities and to expand the number of researchers working within the ARG
• Maintain and build postgraduate research degree activity in order to retain ESRC recognition for postgraduate research degrees
• Establish a portfolio of funded research projects recognised locally, nationally and internationally in thematic areas consistent with the work of the ARG
• Develop a strategy to support the progression of research from undergraduate through to postgraduate and beyond
• Develop a wide dissemination strategy internally and externally that includes a seminar programme, conference presentations, active online academic community presence and publishing in academic journals

Applied research areas

• Rolling out personal budgets for older people
• Safeguarding and personal budgets
• Carers and personal budgets – expectations of relatives 
• Reablement
• Meaningfulness of choice- can people be supported? 
• Assistive technology
• Inequalities and social justice
• Critical and social pedagogy
• Service development and evaluation in assistive technology through consultancy and training activities for example utilising partnerships developed with students undertaking related M-level/PhD studies within the Faculty and links with AT companies
• CPD and training: enhancing links with existing collaborator organisations (see below). Activities will include designing and delivering bespoke CPD including workshops, short courses, accreditation activities and maximising opportunities for knowledge transfer