Promoting Social Inclusion in Housing with Care and Support for Older People in England & Wales.

This research is about the social inclusion of older people from socially diverse backgrounds in housing with care and support (HCS) schemes in England and Wales. By socially diverse, we mean older people (60+ years of age) who identify with social characteristics that are sometimes marginalised or sources of discrimination, such as physical and learning disabilities, LGB sexual identities and trans identities, black and ethnic minority people, and people who identify with minority religions. We want to develop a better understanding of the ways in which housing providers seek to promote residents' human rights and social participation within their schemes and to identify good practices for making residents feel included that we can share with other housing providers, both nationally and internationally. We know that the number of housing with care and support models, such as extra-care, sheltered housing and supported living, are increasing in the UK and are seen as a viable way of supporting older people's independent living with additional support. However, we do not know how these living environments support older residents from social minority backgrounds or seek to ensure that all residents feel equally valued and included. We want to address this knowledge gap through research and develop some helpful learning resources for better informing service delivery in HCS schemes alongside recommendations for improving social policy in this area.

These are the questions we want to explore and address through our research: 1. To what extent do residents currently perceive themselves as included and valued in their home environments? 2. What current approaches and practices support and sustain the social inclusion of residents from social minority or marginalised social backgrounds in HCS schemes? 3. How effective are social inclusion practices and approaches in HCS schemes in recognising and valuing residents' social identities and diverse life-histories? 4. How do residents from diverse social backgrounds experience the relocation and transition into HCS schemes over time?

We intend to address these questions through several different methods which include: 1) a questionnaire for residents across participating schemes in England and Wales; 2) interviews with staff, managers and residents in selected schemes; 3) interviews with stakeholders involved in local commissioning and advocating for the rights of older people in HCS schemes; and 4) longitudinal interviews (three interviews with one person over an 18 month period) with a small sample of 15 older adults (60+) from socially diverse backgrounds who have recently relocated into HCS schemes. Information gathered from across these different sources will provide a good, in-depth and widescale understanding of how older people experience inclusion practices in HCS schemes and the ways in which scheme staff, managers and stakeholders seek to promote social inclusion within these schemes. We anticipate the research will identify good practices that can be shared with other providers in the UK and will be of equal interest to international audiences involved in housing provision for older people. Identifying good practices and identifying ways in which not-so-good practice can be improved will benefit the social wellbeing of older adults in HCS schemes, bolster against feelings of exclusion, social isolation and marginalisation, and promote social cohesion more broadly across these schemes. Based on key findings and important messages from the research we will create a number of resources to inform and improve social inclusion practices in HCS schemes. This includes an online learning resource and accompanying practice guidance that will complement existing learning modules for care and support staff and managers employed within schemes.

The following groups will benefit from the research in the following ways:
Direct beneficiaries. 1. HCS schemes participating in the research and the staff and residents within those schemes: The insights from interviews with staff, manager and resident will identify areas where HCS staff and management may need to re-evaluate and reform their own organisational practices. This in turn will benefit the social wellbeing of residents, particularly residents from social minority backgrounds who may have concerns about inclusion and equal treatment or perceive themselves as marginalised within schemes. 2. Collaborating providers and HCS schemes across these providers: Qualitative findings will highlight examples of good practice on social inclusion alongside areas for further development. This will help providers of HCS identify how to improve their services, develop more inclusive programmes, and enhance the wellbeing of their residents. 3. Members of our impact advisory group: The delivery of this study will be overseen by an impact advisory group. Group membership will consist of representatives from collaborating providers, Housing LIN, and invited stakeholders from organisations advocating for the rights of older people, including Age UK and Age Cymru. This means that emerging lessons on social inclusion will directly reach many parties working in this area who, as group members, will be more likely to share this information with other stakeholders.

Indirect beneficiaries. 1. Other HCS schemes and housing providers in the UK: Quantitative and qualitative findings will be a useful evidence base for informing the development of care and service provision in HCS schemes across other providers. This in turn can benefit residents within these schemes by driving up standards on equality and social inclusion and increasing avenues for social participation within schemes. Providers can incorporate material from our online learning resource into existing training modules. This information will also be useful for business developers interested in expansion into this market (and thereby improving the supply of this housing). 2. Commissioning groups funding places in HCS schemes in England and Wales: The findings can bring assurances that services commissioned by public bodies are providing equitable, personalised support to residents in accordance with legal requirements while identifying areas for improvement across the sector. 3. Workforce development and information provision agencies: For UK agencies working to improve standards of housing and social care provision (for example, Social Care Institute for Excellent, Skills for Care, Chartered Institute for Housing), the findings and online learning resource will provide a rich information base for integrating into the provision of learning materials and research summaries for care and support staff and managers. 4. Regulatory bodies such as the Care Quality Commission and Care and Social Services Inspectorate for Wales: The findings will provide a valuable evidence base for identifying the extent to and ways in which HCS schemes more broadly are complying with equality standards and what areas need further attention across the sector. The findings can also inform frameworks for carrying out inspections of HCS schemes that are subject to registration requirements. 5. Policy makers: The survey results will contribute to an important gap in existing evidence by providing a snapshot of the characteristics of HCS residents, who are often not included in other large national surveys. This evidence can inform the development of future policy tackling the housing and support needs of an ageing population. 6. Academic audiences: the findings will capture the interest of social researchers in ageing, housing, policy studies and social care and social work with adults. Key findings and recommendations will inform future research directions in ageing, housing and care provision.