2012 has been a very busy year for the Connecting People Study team. We completed the ethnographic research and developed the Connecting People Intervention (CPI) model via focus groups and a Delphi Consultation. We recruited 18 agencies to pilot the intervention and have undertaken training in 15 so far. We are now in the midst of recruiting the participants for the evaluation of this pilot and undertaking baseline interviews. This process will continue throughout 2013.

In addition to undertaking the study in 2013, we will be involved in a series of events throughout the year to introduce the Connecting People Intervention to a wider constituency of practitioners, managers, commissioners and users of health and social care services. Although we don’t yet have data on its effectiveness, we would like to engage potential stakeholders in discussions about its implementation to help refine the intervention and broaden its impact.  These will include workshops, seminars and conference papers. The first three have already been scheduled.

In early February I am hosting a visit from some researchers from Rosklide University in Denmark. Making Research Count at York have organised a half-day seminar to allow interested people to hear more about their research. I will be talking about the Connecting People study and David Morris will be talking about the Connected Communities project led by the Royal Society for the Arts. The seminar, Community in Focus: Social Work Making Connections, will be held at King’s Manor in York from 9.30 am to 2.00 pm on Friday 8th February 2013. It is free to Making Research Count members, mental health social workers and Approved Mental Health Professionals in the Yorkshire and Humberside regions. Otherwise, places cost £75 each. Please click here to see the flyer for additional information and booking details.

A week later, the Connecting People Study team are hosting a workshop for practitioners and managers interested in implementing the Connecting People Intervention in their agencies on Friday 15th February from 10.00am to 1.00pm at The Strand campus of King’s College London. The Connecting People Intervention Study Fast Track Workshop will feature a presentation about the intervention model and some interactive training exercises we use in the intervention training. As we are inviting all the participating agencies to attend, there will be an opportunity to discuss the on-going piloting of the intervention with people who are using it in their practice. We are also providing a networking lunch to encourage participants to informally discuss their practice in the context of the intervention model. More information about how to book onto this free workshop is available on this website.

Later that day, I will be presenting a paper on the study in a Royal Holloway University of London Department of Social Work Research Seminar. This is likely to have a more academic focus than the other events as it will explore the more technical aspects of the study, including the construction of the intervention model and the methodology of the pilot study. However, limited free places are available for the seminar which will be held from 4.00pm to 6.00pm at Bedford Square in London on Friday 15th February. Please click here for more information.

I will also be giving presentations at conferences in Finland, Los Angeles and London on the Connecting People Study during 2013, in addition to many other local workshops and seminars. If you would like me or one of the study team to talk at your event about the intervention or the study (or both), please do not hesitate to get in touch with us.

In the meantime, on behalf of the Connecting People Study team I would like to thank all those involved in the study and the piloting of the intervention for their hard work during 2012. We look forward to continuing our work with you in 2013.

Martin