Research Proposal - Safeguarding

Module Learning Outcomes

Research Proposal - Safeguarding: 3,000-words (+ / - 10%). This assignment has been designed to provide you with an opportunity to demonstrate your achievement of the following module learning outcomes: LO: Critically evaluate evidence-based practice within current professional contexts and specialist areas of practice. LO 2: Demonstrate a creative approach to problem solving and practice-based developments in areas of good practice. LO 3: Illustrate an understanding of how ethical research and collaborative learning can be used to develop more client centred responses to need within practice settings. LO 4: Demonstrate an understanding and the potential application of research tools to encourage working and learning in organisations, teams and specific groups. Task requirements Formative assessment task – 5th April 2022 Proposed research tool: • Students will devise 10 questions around a clear research theme and plan their research proposal. Summative assessment – 18th May 2022 CW1: Research Proposal and Practice Impact Report: 3,000-words (+ / - 10%). The written proposal will include a small-scale research, involving a primary study and an evaluation of the potential for developing this kind of research to improve a specific area of practice and foster collaborative learning. Indicative structure for the research proposal: 1. Introduction (300 words) • Summary of research proposal, outline of aims of the study and a justification for why the research is being considered and summarise how it could encourage aspects of good practice. 2. Literature review (1000 words) • Explores existing research in or around your main research theme, supporting your understanding of the topic and how this reading has influenced your research development. 3. Methodology (1,200 words) • Describe your methodological approach and justify why you developed your specific research tools – how do these fit the subject and how will they generate the right kind of data to help you explore your theme or understand it more clearly? • Describe how and why you developed your tool(s). Who will be involved? How will these be targeted and recruited? Which gatekeepers need to provide consent for the research to take place? What resources might be needed? How long might it take to complete? How will you manage consent and confidentiality? • Ethical implications – what kind of ethical issues might be encountered by developing your research and how can these be overcome or reduced? How will you ensure the protection of potential participants? What might the response be from colleagues and management? Are there any issues that relate to power or your own position within the organisation? In this section you will need to explain the limits of confidentiality, too. • What might be the limitations of the methodology? 4. Research implementation and timeline: • This can be a Gannt chart, timeline or a sequenced list in a table. 5. The potential impact of research methods in safeguarding (500 words) • Discuss how your project encourages the application of research skills to both develop areas of good practice, encourage collaborative and team learning for positive outcomes for the main client group. • Discuss how learning from developing your research skills and evidence-based practice could be useful in future practice. Additional notes: • The assessment revolves around the key activity of the student developing an appropriate methodology for a research proposal that could be used to explore an issue they experience at work or one that is known to be of contemporary relevance to practice from wider reading. • One of the clear module themes relates to developing research tools to encourage collaborative learning and team work. Any research proposal needs to reflect this aspect of group learning and problem solving and demonstrate clear links to improvement in client-centred practices.  The research proposal needs to be time bound and realistic. It is not intended to be overly ambitious. It needs to have a practical purpose and can also relate more specifically to developing group/team/agency/partnership knowledge around a key issue in practice or to improve aspects of service delivery.  Areas to explore can include the development of resources to use with client groups, attitudinal surveys, interviews, case studies, peer learning across partnerships, practitioner and service-user evaluations of services, engaging clients more effectively, developing an educational resource, running themed focus groups to explore work related and client issues, promoting communities of practice through action learning, addressing critical incidents. The proposals can be developed using qualitative tools, quantitative measures or a mix of both.  Please note: You will need to supply a full reference list at the end. You must also include any examples of the tools that would be used. For example; questionnaires, surveys, interview questions, focus group plan) as an appendix.