Invitation for Applicants to Position of Research Assistant- Housing for 2019-2020

Post Status

Minimum 12 months, fixed-term, full-time.

Closing Date and Time: 5pm Tuesday, 25 November 2019

Location

The successful candidate will receive a contract of employment from Middlequarter Ltd, one of the HAPAI partners, but will work alongside staff in the Research Services and Policy Unit of the Department of Health, based at Block 1, Miesian Plaza, 50-58 Lower Baggot Street, Dublin 2, D02 XW14.

Hours

37 hours a week

Reports to Dr Sarah Gibney, Research Service and Policy Unit, Department of Health.

Salary

Appointment will be made on point 7 of the IUA Pay scale: €26,096.

Essential criteria

Master’s level qualification in a relevant social policy, health or social care discipline. Experience conducting mixed methods research. Strong communication skills. Ability to manage complex research projects and work effectively as part of a team.

Desirable criteria

Prior experience in applied social care research settings involving interaction with policy-makers, representative bodies and interest groups.

Application Procedure

Please email your Curriculum Vitae and a cover letter outlining your suitability for the post to: ResearchServicesUnit@health.gov.ie or by post: HaPAI C/O Research Services and Policy Unit, Department of Health, Block 1, Miesian Plaza, 50-58 Lower Baggot Street, Dublin, D02 XW14

Interviews are scheduled for the week commencing 2 December 2019.

Note: Applicants must be legally entitled to work in Ireland.

Project Background - towards a policy for housing for older people

Ireland’s population is living longer than ever before, and this represents the achievements of society in general and specifically how as a health and social care system we are succeeding in adding years to life. Our goal is to provide care and support at the lowest level of complexity, as close to home as possible supporting people to live independently in their own community for as long as possible. Consideration of adding life to those years gained means that we need to focus on systematically introducing effective early interventions and supports.

Long-term residential care may be the most appropriate care option where an older person’s needs are very complex. The care model, however, for the older population is disproportionately geared towards residential care as opposed to supporting older people to remain living independently at home for longer.

A 2015 review of the financial support scheme for nursing home care in Ireland, the Nursing Homes Support Scheme (NHSS), recommended exploring the potential of a collaborative approach between the Department of Health and the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government to provide appropriately supported sheltered housing. In late 2017 a project advisory group was established consisting of expert organisations in both the housing and healthcare sectors. The purpose of the group was to, amongst other things, assist the Departments of Health and Housing, Planning and Local Government to develop guiding principles that would underpin the development of a policy framework for housing for older people.

Building on this, the Department of Health and the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government working together have developed Ireland’s first joint policy statement for housing for our ageing population. The policy statement, “Housing Options for Our Ageing Population” was published in February 2019. This will provide a framework by which Government can facilitate and promote a variety of housing options, including supported housing (that is housing with care), for older people. While a number of different models of housing for older people have emerged at local level, there is a need for a more strategic and collaborative approach in this area to ensure the best possible outcomes. It is also important to recognise that housing with supports is a vital element of facilitating older people to remain in their communities.

The Policy Statement commits to a range of actions that will assist in delivering on the objective to create greater choice for older people to remain in their communities, with appropriate support where required. An Implementation Group is being established to ensure that there is an integrated approach to progressing these actions.

Overarching actions include:

• to develop a catalogue of housing options that provide a range of choices that meet the diverse needs of an ageing population, spanning owner occupier, private rental and social housing, whilst providing accessible care and the associated support needs
• the development of a high-level blueprint for Approved Housing Bodies, Co-Operatives, Local Authorities and private developers to provide them with information and guidance in relation to the design and development of new housing models for older people or the refurbishment of existing housing, the funding mechanisms available to them, and on engagement processes with local authorities and where necessary the HSE.

It is also intended that through the implementation of the actions in the policy statement, this blueprint would be refined over the coming years to reflect policy and process changes.

Post Description

This role is supported by The Healthy and Positive Ageing Initiative; a co-funded project between The Atlantic Philanthropies, the Department of Health, the Health Service Executive (Health and Wellbeing Division), and Middlequarter Ltd. HaPAI is a jointly funded programme of research, monitoring and evaluation, and knowledge management.

The purpose of the Initiative is to fulfil one of the objectives of the National Positive Ageing Strategy (NPAS), which is to ‘support and use research about people as they age to better inform policy responses to population ageing in Ireland’. The NPAS is in turn linked to the Healthy Ireland initiative launched in 2013 which provides a framework and set of actions across all agencies and NGOs, recognising the need to view health and wellbeing as a continuum across the life course. Full details about the Healthy and Positive Ageing Initiative can be found at www.hapai.net.

The successful candidate will conduct mixed methods research for policy development to support implementation of the “Housing for Our Ageing Population” Policy Statement.

Key tasks are to:

• work with the Research Services and Policy Unit in the Department of Health and the Implementation Group to design and conduct a mixed methods research study to profile a sample of supported housing initiatives that are delivered through collaboration between the HSE and the relevant local authorities in Ireland, with a focus on factors that enable successful collaboration
• prepare a project report with key findings and recommendations to inform relevant components of the high-level blueprint (action 1.3) for Approved Housing Bodies, Cooperatives, Local Authorities and private developers
• work with the Implementation Group and the departments to translate research findings from related work streams and policy options into the blueprint for Approved Housing Bodies, Cooperatives, Local Authorities and private developers

The Researcher will primarily work with the Department of Health’s Research Services and Policy Unit and Services for Older People Unit (but also work in partnership with the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government) and will attend Implementation Group meetings.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Contribute to the design and completion of a mixed methods research study

2. Prepare project presentations and reports

3. Work with the Implementation Group and the departments to translate research findings from related work streams into policy questions and options, for supported housing models, which will be then be appraised by the departments, with assistance from the Implementation Group and relevant stakeholders

4. Work with the Implementation Group and the departments to develop a proposed policy for a revised blueprint for Approved Housing Bodies, Cooperatives, Local Authorities and private developers, based on, among other things, the outcomes of the options appraisal.

Additional Responsibilities:

Knowledge Management: Actively engage in the promotion of all research activity and communicate research insights and experiences with project partners, for example through meetings and seminars and the development of learning and development (L&D) materials.

Qualification (essential)

A post-graduate (Masters) qualification in relevant health or social policy discipline.

Knowledge and Experience (essential)

1. A demonstrated understanding of the Irish health and social care system, particularly in relation to population ageing

2. Applied research using mixed methods

3. Excellent quantitative and qualitative research skills using appropriate software (for example Stata, SPSS, R, MaxQDA) and be able to demonstrate these

4. Excellent organisational, communication, interpersonal and presentation skills

5. Ability to disseminate research findings in accessible formats for different audiences

Knowledge and Experience (desirable)

Experience of interacting with interest groups and policy makers.

Further information and informal enquiries

The Healthy and Positive Ageing Initiative is an equal opportunities employer. The contract is for a minimum of 12 months based on a 37 hour week. Unsociable hours may occasionally be required.

Informal enquiries to: ResearchServicesUnit@health.gov.ie