Promoting Social Inclusion in Housing with Care and Support for Older People in England and Wales, 2019-2021

This collection consists of the following mixed-methods data: 1) survey data generated from a survey of older people living in housing with care and support (collected 2019-20); 2) qualitative interview transcripts from interviews with 72 older people living in housing with care and support (cross-sectional and longitudinal interviews) (collected 2019-21); and 3) qualitative interview transcripts from interviews with staff supporting older people in housing schemes (this includes managers, support staff and carers) (collected 2020-21).

This research is about the social inclusion of older people from socially diverse backgrounds in housing with care and support (HCS) schemes in England and Wales. By socially diverse, we mean older people (60+ years of age) who identify with social characteristics that are sometimes marginalised or sources of discrimination, such as physical and learning disabilities, LGB sexual identities and trans identities, black and ethnic minority people, and people who identify with minority religions. We want to develop a better understanding of the ways in which housing providers seek to promote residents' human rights and social participation within their schemes and to identify good practices for making residents feel included that we can share with other housing providers, both nationally and internationally. We know that the number of housing with care and support models, such as extra-care, sheltered housing and supported living, are increasing in the UK and are seen as a viable way of supporting older people's independent living with additional support. However, we do not know how these living environments support older residents from social minority backgrounds or seek to ensure that all residents feel equally valued and included. We want to address this knowledge gap through research and develop some helpful learning resources for better informing service delivery in HCS schemes alongside recommendations for improving social policy in this area. These are the questions we want to explore and address through our research: 1. To what extent do residents currently perceive themselves as included and valued in their home environments? 2. What current approaches and practices support and sustain the social inclusion of residents from social minority or marginalised social backgrounds in HCS schemes? 3. How effective are social inclusion practices and approaches in HCS schemes in recognising and valuing residents' social identities and diverse life-histories? 4. How do residents from diverse social backgrounds experience the relocation and transition into HCS schemes over time? We intend to address these questions through several different methods which include: 1) a questionnaire for residents across participating schemes in England and Wales; 2) interviews with staff, managers and residents in selected schemes; 3) interviews with stakeholders involved in local commissioning and advocating for the rights of older people in HCS schemes; and 4) longitudinal interviews (three interviews with one person over an 18 month period) with a small sample of 15 older adults (60+) from socially diverse backgrounds who have recently relocated into HCS schemes. Information gathered from across these different sources will provide a good, in-depth and widescale understanding of how older people experience inclusion practices in HCS schemes and the ways in which scheme staff, managers and stakeholders seek to promote social inclusion within these schemes. We anticipate the research will identify good practices that can be shared with other providers in the UK and will be of equal interest to international audiences involved in housing provision for older people. Identifying good practices and identifying ways in which not-so-good practice can be improved will benefit the social wellbeing of older adults in HCS schemes, bolster against feelings of exclusion, social isolation and marginalisation, and promote social cohesion more broadly across these schemes. Based on key findings and important messages from the research we will create a number of resources to inform and improve social inclusion practices in HCS schemes. This includes an online learning resource and accompanying practice guidance that will complement existing learning modules for care and support staff and managers employed within schemes.

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