When people search for dartington research in practice, they are often looking for information about an organisation that has played an important role in connecting research with social care practice in England. Its story began at Dartington in Devon, where an ambitious idea developed into a long-running network supporting professionals who work with children, young people, families, adults and communities.
Today, the organisation is known simply as Research in Practice. Although its organisational home has changed over the years, its original connection with Dartington remains an important part of its history. The organisation continues to focus on evidence-informed practice, professional learning, research, evaluation and better outcomes for people who use services.
What Is Dartington Research in Practice?
The term dartington research in practice refers to Research in Practice and its origins within the Dartington Hall Trust. The organisation was established in September 1996 as part of the Dartington Hall Trust, with a clear purpose: to help social care professionals make better use of research and evidence in their work.
The founders recognised a problem that still exists in many professional fields. Academic researchers produce valuable studies, but practitioners can struggle to access those studies, understand their practical implications or find enough time to apply them. Research in Practice was created partly to help bridge that gap.
According to its own historical account, the organisation began by building a network of 25 local authority partners during its first year. It also produced resources intended to connect academic research with the realities of professional practice.
Rather than treating research as something separate from day-to-day social care, the organisation developed an approach in which research evidence could work alongside professional experience and the knowledge of people receiving services.
Bio Table
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Name | Research in Practice |
| Former Association | Dartington Hall Trust |
| Founded | 1996 |
| Original Location | Dartington, Devon, England |
| Main Focus | Evidence-informed social care |
| Key Areas | Children, young people, families, adults and carers |
| Approach | Research evidence + professional expertise + lived experience |
| Current Family | National Children’s Bureau |
| Major Development | Research in Practice for Adults established in 2005 |
| Merger | Children’s and adults’ services brought together in 2020 |
| 2026 Milestone | 30 years supporting children and families |
| Type | Social care research and learning organisation |
| Official Website | Research in Practice |
The Dartington Beginning
Understanding the history of dartington research in practice requires looking at Dartington itself. Dartington Hall in Devon has a long association with creative thinking, social research, experimentation and attempts to find practical responses to social problems.
Research in Practice was established within this environment in 1996. Its founding philosophy reflected the belief that research should not simply sit within universities or academic publications. It should have a practical relationship with professionals and communities.
The organisation was designed as a neutral body that could work with professionals and organisations while supporting evidence-informed social care. Its early work concentrated particularly on children and families, with the aim of improving professional practice and outcomes.
Over time, the organisation expanded considerably. Its work eventually covered both children’s and adults’ social care, while also developing links with health, criminal justice and higher education.
How It Has Changed
Research in Practice has not remained exactly the same organisation it was in the 1990s. Its work has evolved alongside changes in social policy, professional expectations and the increasingly complex needs of people using services.
A major development came in 2005, when Research in Practice for Adults was established. The two strands later came together, and in 2020 Research in Practice and Research in Practice for Adults merged under one Research in Practice brand. The organisation explained that this reflected the reality that people’s lives do not fit neatly into separate children’s and adults’ service boundaries.
Another important change occurred in 2024, when Research in Practice joined the National Children’s Bureau family. This created opportunities for greater collaboration across local authorities, NHS organisations, voluntary organisations and academic networks.
The organisation’s Dartington origins therefore form part of its history rather than describing its current organisational structure.
What Does It Mean by Evidence-Informed?
One of the most important ideas behind dartington research in practice is the phrase evidence-informed practice. This is slightly different from simply saying that professional decisions should be “evidence-based.”
Research in Practice describes evidence-informed practice as bringing together research evidence, professional expertise and the experiences of people with lived experience. These sources are considered together when professionals are thinking about policies, services, interventions and individual decisions.
This approach recognises that research findings are extremely valuable, but they do not automatically provide the complete answer to every situation.
For example, a research study might identify approaches that have worked in particular circumstances. A practitioner still needs to consider the individual circumstances of the person or family involved. Their own professional experience matters, and so does the knowledge and perspective of the person receiving support.
This is why Research in Practice does not position research above every other form of knowledge. Instead, it encourages professionals to consider different sources together and judge what is most relevant to the question they are trying to answer.
Research and Evaluation
Research and evaluation are central parts of the organisation’s modern work. Research in Practice provides services that help organisations understand the quality, impact and value of their work.
Evaluation can be particularly useful when an organisation has introduced a new service or programme and needs to understand whether it is achieving the intended results. Rather than relying solely on assumptions, evaluation can provide structured evidence about what is happening.
Its current services include research and evaluation work, system improvement and transformation, learning and development, collaborative projects and other specialist support. The organisation works with individual organisations as well as local and national partnerships.
Its recent work also demonstrates how evidence can be connected to important social care questions. The 2025–26 annual review, for example, describes evaluation work involving issues such as household benefits, financial insecurity and child welfare.
Learning and Professional Development
Another important part of dartington research in practice is professional learning. Social care is constantly changing, and practitioners need opportunities to develop their knowledge and reflect on what current evidence means for their work.
Research in Practice provides learning resources, workshops and development programmes. These can cover different professional roles, from direct practice and management to strategy, commissioning and policy development.
Its resources include publications, videos, podcasts, case law summaries and practical learning materials. It also offers modular learning and development programmes that can be adapted to organisational requirements.
This emphasis on learning is particularly important because evidence-informed practice is not simply about reading research. Professionals need time, confidence and organisational support to discuss evidence and consider how it applies to their work.
Practical Tools
The organisation has developed practical tools to help evidence-informed practice become part of normal organisational life.
One example is its Using Research – Tools to Support Evidence-Informed Practice resource. The tools are designed for practitioners, managers and organisations and include exercises exploring what knowledge means, how evidence-informed a person or organisation is, how leaders can model evidence-informed practice and how professionals can gain organisational support for using evidence.
These tools are useful because they move the discussion away from research as an abstract concept. Instead, they encourage professionals to think about how research is actually used during supervision, professional development, team discussions and organisational decision-making.
Benefits for Professionals
There are several potential benefits to professionals who engage with dartington research in practice resources. One is improved access to relevant evidence. Practitioners can find research and professional learning materials in formats designed specifically for social care environments.
Another benefit is increased confidence. Research in Practice’s 2026 focus groups found that professionals valued resources that were peer-reviewed and evidence-informed. Participants also reported that short, focused learning formats were particularly useful when workloads and caseloads were high.
The organisation’s approach can also encourage reflection. Instead of simply asking whether a particular intervention has been shown to work, professionals can consider what the research says, what their own experience tells them and what the person receiving support thinks.
That can lead to more thoughtful and defensible professional decision-making.
Benefits for Organisations
The benefits extend beyond individual practitioners. Organisations can use evidence-informed approaches to develop a stronger learning culture.
Research in Practice’s recent work found that leadership behaviour and team culture have a strong influence on whether evidence is routinely used. Time pressures were identified as one of the major barriers, while organisations that created expectations around learning and evidence use were better positioned to embed the approach into everyday work.
This suggests that evidence-informed practice cannot depend entirely on individual enthusiasm. Organisational leadership, supervision, team meetings and professional development all have roles to play.
For organisations, research and evaluation can also provide useful information about service quality and impact, supporting decisions about improvement and future development.
Who Can Use the Resources?
Dartington research in practice is particularly relevant to professionals working in children’s social care, adult social care and services supporting families and communities.
Its wider work also reaches professionals and organisations across health, criminal justice and higher education. The organisation describes its services as supporting a broad range of sectors where evidence, professional knowledge and lived experience can contribute to better decision-making.
The network is therefore not limited to one professional role. Practitioners, managers, educators, researchers, commissioners and organisational leaders can all find relevant opportunities and resources.
Is It a Person or Organisation?
An important clarification is that dartington research in practice is not the name of a person. It refers to an organisation and its historical association with Dartington.
For that reason, details sometimes requested for a biography—such as age, height, family, physical appearance, personal net worth or social-media profiles—do not apply in the same way they would to an individual public figure.
Research in Practice is an organisation rather than a celebrity or private individual. Its significance comes from its history, professional work, research resources, partnerships and influence on evidence-informed social care.
Its Importance Today
The continuing relevance of dartington research in practice comes from a problem that has not disappeared: the distance between academic research and real-world professional practice.
Social care professionals often work under significant time pressure while dealing with complicated human situations. They need evidence that is credible, understandable and relevant, but they also need space to use professional judgement.
Research in Practice’s model attempts to bring these elements together. Its current evidence-informed approach deliberately combines research evidence, professional expertise and lived experience rather than treating one source as automatically superior.
This is particularly significant in social care because decisions can affect people’s safety, relationships, independence and quality of life.
Research in Practice in 2026
The year 2026 marks 30 years of Research in Practice supporting people working with children and families, alongside 21 years of work with adults and carers. The organisation has used the anniversary to reflect on its development and the changing social and political environment in which social care operates.
Three decades after its creation, its basic purpose remains recognisable: make evidence more useful, support professional learning and help organisations improve practice.
The organisation has changed considerably since its Dartington beginnings, but the principle of connecting knowledge with practical action remains central.
Final Thoughts
The story of dartington research in practice is ultimately a story about making research useful. Established at Dartington in 1996, Research in Practice grew from a small network into an organisation supporting professionals and organisations across a wide range of social care and related sectors.
Its approach is distinctive because it does not treat academic research as the only source of knowledge. Instead, it brings together research evidence, professional expertise and lived experience to help people make informed decisions.
Today, its work includes research, evaluation, professional learning, practical resources, organisational improvement and collaborative projects. Its history at Dartington explains where the organisation began, while its current work shows how that original ambition has developed over three decades.
For anyone interested in social care, professional development or evidence-informed decision-making, Research in Practice remains an important organisation to understand. Its central message is straightforward but powerful: good practice becomes stronger when research, professional knowledge and the experiences of people are considered together.
Sources: Research in Practice official services and evidence-informed practice pages, its 2026 history article, 2025–26 annual review, and published practice resources.
