Research Seminar Series - Checking in on the Frontlines

Join us virtually for the King's Research Seminar Series:

Checking in on the Frontlines: A Mixed Methods Study of the Needs of Workers at the Frontlines of Human Services

Wednesday, February 12
Zoom or DL 112
12:30 - 1:30 p.m.

Speakers:

Jane Sanders, Associate Professor, School of Social Work
Paige Logan, MSW student and Research Coordinator, KCSC

Direct service providers and organizational leaders within the health and homelessness sector work in constrained, complex systems daily, supporting low-resourced communities while receiving limited support or attention potentially leading to moral injury. Checking in on the Frontlines: A Mixed Methods Study of the Needs of Workers at the Frontlines of Human Services aims to understand the needs and experiences of service providers supporting individuals and communities along the spectrum of homelessness. With a focus on community engagement and knowledge-user collaboration, this study employs an integrated knowledge translation (IKT) approach and participatory action research (PAR; Jull et al., 2017) engaging professional students/researchers who are inside the frontlines of the health and homelessness crisis at every stage of this study.

This study employs an exploratory convergent multistage mixed methods design in two stages. The first stage uses reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2021) to analyze qualitative data from focus groups that informed the development of an online survey. In stage two, quantitative data was gathered through an online survey distributed across Canada.

This research will attempt to address a significant gap in attention to the needs of this growing workforce. The knowledge shared will inform the greater research community, including the King’s Community Support Centre’s (KCSC) Workforce Development, whose purpose is to provide practicum education to social work students while supporting frontline community workers and organizational leaders in human services.
Using this research as a foundation, we will engage in a discussion of student-faculty collaborations in field research, the impact of research on student learning and development, and research training and mentorship within a professional program.

Braun, V. & Clarke, V. (2021). Thematic analysis: A practical guide. Sage Publications Ltd.

Jull, J., Giles, A., & Graham, I. D. (2017). Community-based participatory research and integrated knowledge translation: Advancing the co-creation of knowledge. Implementation Science, 12(1), 150. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13012-017-0696-3

This Research Seminar is free and will not be recorded. Registration is required to receive the Zoom link.