Impact case study – Impact Accelerator Awards

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Background

SPHR Impact Accelerator Awards (IAAs) are small grants of up to £25K that support the development and realisation of impact from SPHR research. The awards are designed to maximise the impact of projects and help them reach their full potential.

We became aware that our researchers were missing opportunities to increase the impact of their research. This happened when potential opportunities were unexpected, so researchers had not requested funding to support them at the beginning of the project. As the funding for a project is set at the beginning when many of the outcomes and results are not known, opportunities were being missed, particularly dissemination to the people who could use the research. Having access to IAAs has allowed researchers to take advantage of these opportunities and provide more useful, timely and evidence-informed resources to meet the needs of knowledge users.

IAAs have been proven to be very popular and to date, 20 applications have been received and 14 have been funded.

We are able to consider IAAs outside of set funding calls, allowing them to be flexible and responsive to the needs of our researchers and research users.

Outputs from IAAs

This innovative approach to funding has allowed researchers and their collaborators to implement creative approaches and solutions to real world problems to address the needs of a wide range of audiences such as policy/practice colleagues and children, young people, and teachers.

Some examples of how researchers have used these awards include:

Work with their collaborators to produce exciting useful outputs such as a ‘how to’ guide on how local authorities can reduce the spread of hot food takeaways on the high street
Produce an animation and on the Digital Health Contact, an intervention to support schools to deliver health promotion, perform screening and create population health intelligence
Create an illustration, an infographic, a resource pack for schools and a video on mental health and wellbeing in schools

Real world impact

Below are some more detailed examples about the impact so far from select IAAs.

As a result of a SPHR review of the peer education project, a range of resources have been produced to support young people’s mental health. Between 25^th January to 1^st February 2024, 1,737 people visited the webpages, including 265 views of the lessons, 38 views of the staff training videos and 138 downloads of different sections of the material. There have been positive quotes on social media about those who have used the resources, such as:

“What a super resource. If we help create and develop culture where we are inclusive, mental health aware and can reduce stigma and discrimination through approaches like this, perhaps we will see more young people thrive and flourish”

The Wakefield Housing Support Evaluation project used an IAA to produce an infographic and video which has been widely disseminated. We are aware that, using this infographic, the project findings and have been discussed by both NHS and housing practitioners in meetings and that several of the recommendations being taken forward by the service. We are also aware that this dissemination resulted in strong interest from NHS England staff, along with the Adult Social Care Team within DHSC.

SPHR research from a project and PhD research explored the experiences of children and young people who experience parental substance use. It was found that many parents and caregivers find it difficult to talk to children about substance use and the impact upon them. Meanwhile, it was found that children and young people value the importance of confiding in a trusted adult. Both pieces of research identified a clear need for a situation where these conversations could be had in a safe way. For their IAA, a children’s storybook was identified and prioritised as a creative and original intervention to help address this need and support children’s emotional and social wellbeing. The book was co-created and developed with children, families and a children’s author and illustrator.

The book ‘Twinkle, Twinkle Arti’ has been sent to 115 different health, social and education services across England. To date, 400 copies of the book have been printed and a video of the story being read has been viewed over 8,000 times. The book has been shared widely across local, national and international organisations, for example, Props, Adfam, and Alcohol Action Ireland. The book has also been presented at various conferences and meetings, for example: the International Young Carers Conference, the AFINet International conference in Rotterdam and the Adfam National Forum.