Writing the Perfect Bid Professor David Shemmings PhD Deputy Head SSPSSR

Basic Principles Bids are not very well written Give ME money Referees don’t make the decision Mistake to write a full literature review Systematic structuring of an application For each RQ (about 4) clarify fully WNTK - We Need To Know (HOW?) TWTU - This Will Tell Us Testing an application Don’t give it to your mates!

Why do funders give grants? Realistic promise of an answer Investigators  Ability  Opportunity Resources  Sufficient  Necessary  i.e.VFM Important question How is importance defined?  Directed mode  Responsive mode

How do funders make decisions? Who? – Panel Expertise How? – Panel Meeting Role of Referees Role of Designated Members

What are the key components of a research proposal? The question Break the question down into answerable components (about 4) Why it is important? How you will answer the question? Break the research down into components that answer each component of the question What you will do with the knowledge?

What are the essential attributes of a grant application? Quick to read Especially to speed read And to read in snatches Easy to understand Convincing

phraseology …situates micro-processes of social well-being within global social development. The socially and culturally contructed nature of … mean that macro strategies and community level intervention has limited impact … … this research has wide-ranging relevance to the study of …

How do you make a grant application convincing? Use the literature to make your case NOT to write a literature review Prime with relevant information Say how resources will be used in description of research project – prepares for justification of resources We Need To Know (WNTK) Explain how and why WE NEED TO KNOW the answer to each part of the research question This Will Tell Us (TWTU) As you describe the research project explain what THIS WILL TELL US.  If it's not something that WE NEED TO KNOW, go back to the previous step and write another WNTK.

Structure State the problem then break down into a ‘3/4/5 item list' of things we need to know (WKTK) this is easier to grasp and is convincing it also forces you to be clear about the direction and detail State the research approach then break the research activity into a 'four item list' of things you will do to get your answers. State what each of these four activities will tell us (TWTU) State how you will disseminate the research

How do you get started? Start with what you will do and why. – Write a piece of the research project, including the TWTU. – Write the corresponding bit of background and the WNTK. – Repeat the above until you have described the whole project and its background. Add the dissemination Take bits for the summary Add the reason for importance

Planned ESRC proposal Title The visibility and ‘invisibility’ of men in the lives of children where there are safeguarding concerns (Part of) background and (beginning) of Main RQ Media reports of the death of (Baby) Peter Connelly made frequent mention of two men who managed to stay ‘invisible’ during the 60 visits by social workers, police officers and various health professionals. Along with the mother, these men were subsequently found to have been responsible for his death. The proposed research uses a mixed methods design to understand how social workers assess the presence, involvement and influence of men in the lives of children where there are allegations of maltreatment

RQs 1. How do social workers describe their response to referrals and their approach to assessment? 2. How do social workers engage with the family when men are known to be involved? 3. How do social workers analyse their practice when men are thought not to be involved? 4. How do social workers analyse their practice when the possibility of a child being abused by ‘unknown’ male/s is thought likely?

1.How do social workers describe their response to referrals and their approach to the assessment? WNTK How social workers analyse the background details of a referral How they determine who is involved in the child’s life Whether and how social workers actively consider the possibility of male involvement in the care of a child or their regular proximity to the child (How?) File study with content analysis, narrative interviews, Q-Methodology

1.How do social workers describe their response to referrals and their approach to the assessment? TWTU Whether and how social workers consider the presence of men in the mind of a child Whether and how they assess the male contribution (i.e. as benign, malevolent or positive) to the child’s care and protection Types of reasoning and logics used in assessments Amount and quality of multi-agency information gathering

2.How do social workers work with the family when men are known to be involved? WNTK Delineation of methods for engaging family members Extent of use of theory and research when assessing, interviewing and drawing up protection plans (How?) File search and content analysis, interviews

2.How do they work with the family when men are known to be involved? TWTU Clarity, specificity and articulation of concerns How they assess positive male influence (e.g. ‘social fathers’) Level of openness and honesty Underlying implicit value base

3.How do social workers analyse their practice when men are thought not to be involved? WNTK How social workers determine the non-presence of men Whether and how they update their assessments (How?) Interviews around practice, scenario- and vignette-based case discussion

TWTU Extent of use of techniques aimed at observing and analysing the child’s behaviour and representations as an indicator of the presence and proximity of men Knowledge of such techniques (independent of usage) Use of the Public Law Outline to increase ‘leverage’ 3.How do social workers analyse their practice when men are thought not to be involved?

4.How do social workers analyse their practice if the possibility of a child being abused by ‘unknown’ male/s is thought likely? WNTK How social workers evaluate risk from the presence and influence of ‘invisible’ men (How?) Interviews around practice, scenario- and vignette-based case discussion

4.How do social workers analyse their practice if the possibility of a child being abused by ‘unknown’ male/s is thought likely? TWTU Social workers’ ability to ‘hold’ situations together to protect a child when the presence of men is being denied (but thought likely) How social workers protect civil liberties and human rights Whether and how managerial consultation and legal advice are sought (don’t add ‘and how effective they are’ if you aren’t going to!)