Apply knowledge to practice

I manage our knowledge mobilisation team. We support practitioners, teams, and organisations to access and consider research and evidence to support their decisions, development and work. 

We bring people together through our communities and partner work to help use, apply and generate research and evidence in practice. Our communities are spaces for people to share their knowledge and ideas and to learn from others, creating relationships across different sectors and across Wales. 

Before joining Social Care Wales, I was a social worker 23 for years and specialised in substance use. I worked within a multi-agency treatment team for adults, and as a consultant social worker in the Integrated Family Support Service. This role supported an intensive family approach to addressing parental substance use. I also have experience of successfully securing National Institute for Health and care Research (NIHR) funding with a colleague to work towards embedding research into adult services within a local authority.

I work as part of the knowledge mobilisation team, finding ways to support people working across social care to use, apply and generate research in practice, planning, and policymaking. 

We’re doing this through building relationships, communities and working with partners who generate research evidence to support its application into practice.

I have a working background in a range of statutory and third sector organisations. This has included campaigning work, rights-based practice, policy, and service development/ delivery. Whilst working with older people I became interested in research and studied part time at Cardiff University to graduate with a master’s degree in research methods. I have been actively involved in a research project spanning Wales and Scotland with a focus on strengths-based social work practice and development. 

When not working, I enjoy being part of a book group and exploring beautiful Wales and beyond. Yoga and pottery are my go-to for relaxation.

I'm the knowledge mobilisation lead at Social Care Wales and sit within the knowledge mobilisation team. My role is all about finding ways to support people to get evidence into practice, and to link the worlds of practice and research so we can make sense of evidence together.

Before joining Social Care Wales, I worked for Carmarthenshire local authority in the learning and development team. Working with newly qualified social workers and running a Research in Practice group were my favourite parts of that role.

As senior partnership lead for research within the knowledge mobilisation team my main aim is to seek out, build and maintain relationships and activities that support the use of research in practice and policy in social care. I work closely with researchers, research organisations and practitioners across Wales to help support the implementation of recent research. 

I help ensure practice can be enriched by research and evidence, and that research is responsive to the needs of those using social care. I identify areas for collaboration between organisations, to deliver research skills-building opportunities for practitioners to be able to carry out their own research in practice.