Skills for Care – Qualitative Appreciative Research on the impact of support by Skills for Care
Situation
Skills for Care commissioned Alder Advice to carry out qualitative research across four local areas where workforce transformation initiatives had been supported.
There were two aims. The first was to understand how Skills for Care contributed to each initiative. The second was to generate clear, credible evidence of the impact of that support
Response
Between December 2025 and March 2026, Alder Advice conducted an in-depth qualitative study grounded in the lived experiences of four collaborative workforce transformation initiatives. Using an appreciative inquiry approach, the research focused on what worked well and why. It explored:
- The distinct approaches taken across the four initiatives
- The unique contribution of Skills for Care such as facilitation skills and sector knowledge
- The impact of Skills for Care’s involvement – both realised and potential
- Cross-cutting themes, including: o How change was enabled o Key enablers and barriers to transformation o Wider systemic and contextual influences on outcomes
A key feature of the project was its collaborative nature. Alder Advice worked closely with Skills for Care staff throughout to deliver the research and to build internal capability. This included:
- Actively involving and upskilling members of the Research and Impact team
- Sharing tools, techniques, and methods for qualitative research and Appreciative Inquiry
- Creating space for reflection and learning, alongside providing hands-on guidance on how to apply these approaches in future work
Results
The research delivered rich, qualitative evidence highlighting:
- The critical factors behind successful workforce transformation initiatives
- Common barriers to progress—and practical ways to overcome them
- The significant and distinctive impact of Skills for Care’s support across all four areas
Beyond the research itself, Alder Advice strengthened Skills for Care’s internal capacity by:
- Designing and delivering an Introduction to Appreciative Inquiry training day (14 April 2026)
- Drafting practical guidance on how to apply Appreciative Inquiry in future evaluation work
Davina Figgett, Senior Research & Impact Manager, Research and Impact team at Skills for Care commented:
“Alder Advice embraced the opportunity to share learning and insight about appreciative inquiry research techniques with my team. We shadowed interviews and had an in-person training session with them to gain a better understanding of the approach, methods and how we could apply this to our future work. The team thoroughly enjoyed this opportunity and are actively looking at ways to apply it in the coming year.”