Background to the resource

Where this resource comes from 

Local Authorities asked Research in Practice to support them to tackle the challenges arising from inequity – different people having different experiences of and outcomes from adult social care – and to support anti-oppressive practice that addresses the individual, cultural and structural barriers adults and carers face.

In response, Research in Practice undertook a Change Project that explored how the practice of intersectionality advances equity. For more information about what change projects are and previous examples, see Change Projects. 

The facilitators, who authored this resource, brought expertise and lived experience, and facilitated workshops with practitioners and managers in adult social care where theory, practice and evidence were brought together. Through these series of workshops, Research in Practice identified information, tools and examples that would support people in adult social care to embed intersectionality to increase equity. These were piloted with people working in adult social care. This resource incorporates the learning from the change project.  

The evidence behind the resource 

Research in Practice promotes evidence-informed practice in adult social care. Evidence-informed practice brings together people with lived experience, research evidence and practice expertise: each providing a valid and vital source of knowledge. By drawing on all these sources, the impact of useful evidence is increased (Holmes, 2023). 

This resource is based on a theory – intersectionality – that comes from lived experience. The authors drew on lived experience, theory and research to develop the content. They brought practice expertise, and this was enhanced by the learning from practice that was shared by participants in the change project. 

This resource is written in a broadly presentational style, rather than a conventionally academic or heavily referenced one. This is a conscious choice. It reflects the knowledge and experience of the authors and the Change Group participants, and we wanted to maintain in our written resource the feeling of active learning that we experienced when talking about intersectionality and equity in our group sessions. At the end of each section, we signpost any referenced resources along with other potential sources of further insight and learning.