School of Education and Social Work

Research

The Departments of Education and Social Work & Social Care have strong commitments to research, producing influential, world-leading reports which shape professional policy and practice nationally and internationally.

ESW Researchers

Click on the accordion tabs below to see how research is supported within the School. Much more information, including how-to guides and useful links, can be found on the SocSci Research Canvas page: Faculty of Social Sciences Research 

Please contact fosocsci_research@sussex.ac.uk if you have any issue accessing the Canvas site, or any links below.

Research with Impact, Sussex Priorities & the ESW Strategic Plan 2019-25

The University of Sussex’s 2025 Research with Impact Strategy has provided a structure for our School’s Strategic Framework for Research with Impact [PDF 162.91KB] which outlines the aims, objectives and mechanisms underpinning our vision for research and knowledge exchange.

As we move into a period of refreshed university strategy and Faculty structure, the School’s strategy will be similarly updated.

Our Research Centres

The School of Education and Social Work provides a robust and nurturing research community with internationally recognised research centres delivering strong externally-facing identities and a ‘research culture without borders’. All research-active staff, including ECRs (research staff) and postgraduate researchers, are actively involved with at least one interdisciplinary research centre. These Centres are the key mechanism through which the School's research agenda is developed and implemented through links, networks and knowledge hubs with local, national and international research partners and stakeholders. The Centres also promote the synergies between research, scholarship and teaching.

We are proud that two of our Research Centres been awarded flagship 'Centres of Excellence' status.

The Centre for Innovation and Research in Childhood and Youth (CIRCY)* is sits across both the Department of Education and the Department of Social Work & Social Care, as well as the School of Law, Politics and Sociology.

Department of Education

 

Department of Social Work & Social Care

Elements

Elements is the University's platform for supporting the management of research activities by providing one single point of organisation, presentation and reporting for all scholarly and research activities, including research outputs and impact. It also hosts the University staff profile pages.

Full training and support is available for its use.

Elements is an invaluable tool to capture, collect and showcase research and its impact. It is important that researchers maintain an accurate record, including up to date publications, both to comply with Open Access and as your outward facing profile. Elements is also used to track and review potential outputs for the REF submission.

If you have any queries or issues using Elements, the Library's Elements team will be more than happy to help. Please email at elements@sussex.ac.uk.

The Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2029

Central Support: rqi@sussex.ac.uk

The REF is the UK’s national assessment of research in higher education institutions (HEIs). Its results help decide research funding worth about £2 billion in public money to UK HEIs.

The Research Quality and Impact (RQI) team coordinates Research Excellence Framework (REF) preparations for the university. You can find out more information on REF at Sussex on the RQI webpages.

In the School of Education and Social Work the Unit of Assessment (UoA) leads are:

Louise Gazeley (Unit of Assessment: C-23 Education)

Michelle Lefevre (Unit of Assessment: C-20 Social Work and Social Policy)

Knowledge Exchange & Impact

Research carried out in the School of Education and Social Work makes a positive impact locally and globally. Strong partnerships with practitioners and policy-makers have enabled research on educating refugees, young people’s sexual health, adults in higher education, and children in conflict-affected areas to bring about measurable change in national and international policy. Our research on safeguarding adults, supporting individuals with learning disabilities, and evaluating interventions with parents, children, and families continually shapes the innovative practices of educators and social care professionals both nationally and internationally.

Planning for research impact is integral to the way in which we support academics and postgraduate researchers to develop and carry out their research; discussing pathways, planning and measuring impact is at the heart of our research culture. More information on how impact and knowledge exchange is supported in can be found on the SocSci Research Canvas site.

Sussex Social Change Hub is a collective of academic experts dedicated to strengthening relationships with organisations, governments, schools and charities through consultancy, training and tailored services. Contact socialchangehub@sussex.ac.uk to find out more.

Research Ethics & Integrity

Ethics are an essential part of conducting research and need to be reflected on with considerable care and attention. You should start this process early, to ensure that no harm is done to you, your participants, or to the University in pursuit of your research goals. It is also essential to assess the level of risk involved, as well as how you will mitigate it, e.g. how you will protect vulnerable individuals in your research sample, what strategies you will employ to avoid restimulating distress or trauma or what information you will provide for your participants with.

Ethics Review
Details on ethics review can be found on the Research Governance and Integrity webpages, including useful information on research integrity, how to apply, university ethics processes and policies and procedures. There is also a useful section on exploring whether you need ethics review. 

Useful Contacts

 

Further Information & Resources
See the SocSci Research Canvas page on Ethics in the Social Sciences for up to date information. 

If you are conducting social care research see the University’s Guidelines on social care research and guidance from the NHS.

Researchers planning to work with children in schools should consult the ‘SOP for obtaining consent for research with child participants in schools'.

All University policies relating to research are to be found on the Research Policies page, including the Code of Conduct for Research.

Research Mentoring

The aim of research mentoring is to encourage Faculty to thrive at all career stages as part of a vibrant research culture.

You will be paired with a mentor based on career stage. Mentoring matches will always be open for review, with the expectation that changes take place after 2-3 years. Any requests for changing mentors need to be made in advance of workload planning, so during the autumn academic semester. The focus of the work with your mentor is your own professional progress/goals in research and scholarship, with the agenda led by you as the mentee in negotiation with your mentor.

If you choose, you can share your Individual Research Plan (IRP) with your mentor but this is not a requirement. Research mentoring is not related to performance management or your Achievement and Development Review.

The ESW model of mentoring is consistent with the approach supported across the University, including central training and resources. You can find out more on the Organisational Development webpages on mentoring. Additional training and support events are held within the School to support mentoring.

Specialist support for research activity (including support and peer review for bidding and publications) should be sought in the first instance through your Research Centre.

If you have any questions or concerns about mentoring, including if you do not have a mentor, please contact the School Lead for Research and Innovation.

Individual Research Plans (IRPs)

The purpose of the Individual Research Plan (IRP) is to provide a framework which you can use to reflect and plan your aims, objectives, priorities and support for your research profile and development.

The completed IRPs of all research staff are used to get a collective sense of research achievements and support needs for colleagues individually and collectively. It does not form part of your ADR (Achievement and Development Review) or research mentoring. However, if you choose to, you can use it for both.

Although the IRP is primarily for your personal benefit you can also use it to think about your potential contribution to your UoA's collective REF submission. It is intended to be a planning document that you can return to, build on and adapt each year as we move through to the end of this REF cycle (2029). You don’t need to start your IRP afresh each year, but should instead edit, adapt, revise the existing document year on year. 

The online link to the IRP is circulated annually in order to support planning and support for next academic year. Contact fosocsci_research@sussex.ac.uk for support with the online form. For questions about the purpose and use of the IRP contact the School Lead for Research and Innovation.

Research Study Leave

Research Study Leave is usually available to staff on Teaching and Research contracts, normally one term every three years, subject to submission and approval of a research and impact plan evaluated against set criteria and within set timelines. Relevant faculty may also apply for shorter periods of 'exceptional study leave' for bidding, writing and impact activity within a tight timeframe.

The Research Study Leave Guidelines are consistent with University Guidance on Study Leave for Research and meets the particular needs of the School. They combine a rights-based approach to ‘standard research study leave’ and a needs-based approach to ‘exceptional research leave’ to maximise short-term flexibilities when required. It intends to ensure equity and transparency of the decision-making process, and the spirit of collegiality in which research study leave is resourced and undertaken.

Research Data Management

A systematic and rigorous approach to research data management is fundamental to good research practice. Refer to the relevant University policies and guidance below.

 

See the library webpages on data management for more information, including data management policies and further information about Figshare and Sussex Research Data Repository. They can be contacted on research-data@sussex.ac.uk.

See also the Division of General Counsel, Governance and Compliance (GCGC) Information Management Team pages for more general information about records management.

They can be contacted on GDPR@sussex.ac.uk.

Research Funding

There is lots of useful information in the ‘Grant Capture’ section of the Social Science Research Canvas site, including ‘how to’ guides, funding opportunities in the Social Sciences, useful links and contacts.

First Steps
For an initial conversation, no matter how big or small your idea, contact fosocsci_research@sussex.ac.uk and/or the relevant Research Delivery Manager to discuss possible funding options, which might be to pursue external research funding such as a grant or a fellowship, or it might be that you need some internal funding to boost a pilot project.

Funding Opportunities
Funding opportunities for the Social Sciences can be found in the ‘Grant Capture’ section of the Social Science Research Canvas site.

Applying for External Funding
Applications for external research funding are supported by the Research Development team. A dedicated Research Delivery Manager supports proposals and is in charge of making sure that applications adhere to funder and institutional regulations. In order to give Faculty applications the best chance of being successful, you should notify and involve Research Development 12-6 weeks before the external deadline, so that dedicated advice and support can be provided alongside any Faculty-based support and peer review process. The Research Development team will not accept any bids with less than 10 working days’ notice to deadline, in line with current procedures.

Once you have decided on a scheme, you will need to create your project on Worktribe. If you are new to Worktribe, you will need to complete the mandatory training in LearnUpon. You will be given access the Monday after. There is a Worktribe User Guide for academics with screenshots to help you navigate the system. Your Research Delivery Manager will help if needed and there is also lots of support within the Help topics of Worktribe, including a ‘checklist to create a project’.

Peer Review
All externally funded projects led by the University of Sussex must have a peer review. This is an excellent way of strengthening bids and learning from peers. In ESW, your Research Centre can provide support through either informal peer review processes or helping you to find a formal peer reviewer. Further information on this, including a flowchart, can be found in the ‘Grant Capture’ section of the Social Science Research Canvas site.

Questions?
Contact fosocsci_research@sussex.ac.uk and we will be able to signpost you to the right support.