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The Centre for Mental Health and Society at Â鶹AV has been awarded a Social Care Studentship for three years to start in October 2023

Title: In Wales, are contemporary models of front-line social care for people with recurrent mental ill health fit for purpose? : a mixed methods study.

Project Summary:

Welsh Government policy recognises that providing social support in the community is complex. They are putting forward plans to create services that join up better, in order to meet the needs of the people who use them. Services will be expected to help people to be independent and to achieve outcomes that improve their well-being. A separate set of Welsh Government objectives, called Fair Work, aim to improve the working conditions of frontline social care staff. These will enable staff to work in an effective and supportive way, in order to help people to achieve goals that they set for themselves. 

This PhD study concerns people who experience repeated episodes of mental ill-health. Little is known about how well different ways of providing support work for people. In particular, we know little about their effectiveness in achieving goals that matter to service users themselves. We do not know how well their needs are met, nor what aspects of support are most valued. We do not know what are the best arrangements to support social care staff in their work. 

 The study will address these questions using interviews and surveys with staff and service-users. People with lived experience of mental illness are research team members. They have been involved in planning the project from the start. As members of the supervisory team, they will be fully involved in presenting and promoting our results. The PhD student will study several services in different settings in North Wales. They will be based at the Centre for Mental Health and Society, Â鶹AV, located in Wrexham. The main supervisor is Professor Huxley, a social worker with decades of experience of practice and research in Mental Health. He will lead a supervisory team that will meet regularly with the student.  

Criteria

Essential

• Undergraduate degree in social science or a related discipline
• Research interest in social work, social care or social policy
• English Language requirements: If applicable – IELTS 6.5 overall (with at least 6.5 in each individual component)

Desirable

• Masters level degree
• Previous experience in social work, social care or health care
• Entry-level skills in data collection and data analysis
• Some experience with relevant proprietary software such as Excel, SPSS etc
• Ability to work both independently and cooperatively as part of a team
• Previous experience in writing reports, project reports or jointly authored papers 

Funding

The studentship consists of an annual stipend of at least £17,668, plus a waiver of fees to cover home tuition fees, for a maximum of 36 months. Additional research expenses will also be available.

Application Instructions

Informal inquiries to p.huxley@bangor.ac.uk

Applications MUST be submitted via the on-line application system at

The deadline for applications is the 9^th September 5pm, 2023

The interviews will take place (in person or remotely) on the 13^th/14^th of September 2023

An application for study needs to be made as soon as the candidate is notified of a positive outcome is notified. The successful candidate needs to formally accept as a PGR student and the position will start (subject to negotiation) in October 2023.