New tool supports implementation research in social care
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25 March 2025
New tool supports implementation research in social care
Social care and implementation researchers at ARC South London have produced a new guide to designing and conducting implementation research within social care.
The SC-ImpRes (Social Care Implementation Research) guide provides step-by-step guidance on designing and conducting implementation research across social care settings — for example, research relating to a new programme, innovation or a new way of working.
Dr Antonina Semkina, research associate at King’s College London, who is based in the NIHR Policy Research Unit in Health and Social Care Workforce and ARC South London, co-led the development of the guide.
“People in social care are always looking for ways to improve services and care. Implementation research can help because it facilitates the adoption of effective practices. The guide aims to improve quality and efficiency of services and care.”
Dr Antonina Semkina — Research associate, King’s College London
The guide was developed with input from a group of 13 specialists in social care and implementation science. It draws on the original Implementation Science Research Development (ImpRes) tool and guide (Hull et al., 2019).
The guide includes questions and statements designed to support those designing implementation research within social care to think critically when developing and conducting their own implementation research.
“Structured across eight sections, the guide introduces key terms and concepts relevant to implementation research in social care, including the importance of engaging stakeholders, different implementation theories, frameworks and strategies, and implementation outcomes.”
Dr Louise Hull — ARC South London Implementation Research theme lead & SC-ImpRes co-lead
The SC-ImpRes guide aims to:
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Support social care researchers and practitioners in designing and conducting implementation research, rather than doing implementation itself
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Define commonly used implementation science terms to build a shared vocabulary across social care and research settings
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Provide an overview of implementation science practices and concepts structured across eight accessible sections
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Direct research teams to relevant literature and resources to support further learning and application
The guide is intended for social care researchers and practitioners with varying levels of expertise in implementation science who are working on implementation research projects.
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Download the SC-ImpRes guide
Step-by-step guidance on designing and conducting implementation research across social care settings
Watch the video
Find out more about the ImpRes resources
ImpRes tool & guide
Implementation Science Research Development tool and guide from Hull et al., 2019.
ImpResPAC tool
Implementation Research Proposal Assessment Criteria tool (Sweetnam et al., 2022).
Implementation Science Research Glossary
A new resource to help researchers navigate implementation terms and concepts.
Original source: arc-sl.nihr.ac.uk — NIHR ARC South London legacy content archived May 2026.