Summary of the impact

Collaborative research conducted at Royal Holloway into young peoples' consumption of alcohol has influenced a richer and more nuanced understanding of the role of alcohol as a cultural force in young people's lives. It has contributed to the quality of the public and policy debate that surrounds alcohol policy issues, and in particular has helped to undermine the widespread stereotype of the `mindless' and criminal young drinker that was the underlying premise of Government anti-drinking campaigns. The research continues to be cited by many alcohol research and policy bodies in the UK, Europe and Australia.

Summary of the impact

A high proportion of social work clients have alcohol or drug problems, ranging from 5% in some adults services to over 70% in children's services. Workers find this work challenging, and misuse is strongly associated with negative outcomes, including abuse and neglect. The Tilda Goldberg Centre (TGC) leads research on substance misuse in social work, that has had the effect of:

• Identifying often hidden problems, through key studies on, for example, the extent of parental misuse in Children's Services and problem drinking in older people;
• Improving effective practice, such as intensive family interventions and the use of Motivational Interviewing in Children's Services;
• Influencing policy and practice debates, including studies of training that have changed the curriculum for social work education and for local authority training;
• Developing capacity in quantitative expertise in social work research and education as a direct spin-off from our research on substance use and misuse.

Summary of the impact

This case study refers to research on British drinking cultures and alcohol policy carried out by James Nicholls, Reader in Media and Social Policy, Department of Film and Media Production/HCI (2004-September 2012). In this role, Nicholl's research and his public engagement contributed to shaping the UoA's research reference frame of cultural behaviour, cultural practice and public policy (see Ref5). Following the publication of his book, The Politics of Alcohol (2009) Nicholls developed as a specialist advisor involved in the analysis and planning of alcohol policy at national and regional levels. His work and influence has been cited in key policy documents (including the House of Commons Health Select Committee Report, Alcohol: First Report of Session 2009-10 HC151-1) in 2010. This work has subsequently helped to shape regional and national alcohol policy in both England and Scotland. This case study provides evidence of this impact in regard to the following areas:

• Influence on alcohol policy at a national level, particularly regarding the role of historical perspectives in the development of policy.
• Impact on alcohol policy at a regional level through knowledge transfer activities.

Summary of the impact

This collaboration between the UoE and six local authorities developed social work interventions to improve engagement with `involuntary' services users. The impact of the research is seen in the sharing and implementation of knowledge about `what worked' within and across the participating local authorities and in gradually shifting practice cultures within these authorities. The impact is evident at several levels:

• practitioners changing how they work with service users, including greater ability to challenge risk averse practice in, for example, working with young adults with learning difficulties;
• three participating local authorities incorporating project findings into policy and staff induction and training;
• knowledge exchange activity via a thriving practice panel with representation from one local authority and UoE. This has led directly to six events each attracting around 60 practitioners;
• use of findings in wider academic, policy and practice communities through distribution and uptake of 500 `Good Practice' booklets;
• practitioners pursuing further study, one enrolling for a PhD, another writing a book and others going on to participate in a subsequent KE project following on from this one.

Summary of the impact

Widespread concern about the effects of excess alcohol consumption by young people has been the focus of extensive national debate. The drinks industry has paid growing attention to these issues; corporate social responsibility measures by both individual companies and industry bodies show evidence of a more sophisticated appreciation of how marketing can be used to address the problem. This is evident in publications of the major drinks companies and the continual updating of recommendations to industry by the Portman Group. Findings from research into young people, alcohol consumption and social identity research have informed public, policy and industry debates and have shaped control measures, in particular by highlighting the social versus individual responsibility issues around so-called binge drinking. Professor Isabelle Szmigin of Birmingham Business School, a lead researcher on this project, has subsequently been directly involved in enhancing corporate social responsibility activities within the alcohol industry through industry and policy wide debates such as a St. George's House consultation on alcohol and has been appointed as one of nine members of the Portman Group Independent Complaints Panel, which adjudicates on complaints made under the industry Code of Practice on the marketing of alcoholic products in the UK.

Summary of the impact

Almost one in four deaths of young people in England and Wales are attributable to alcohol (Hastings and Sheron, 2011). Critical marketing research by the Institute for Social Marketing at The Open University (ISM-Open) has informed policy by: establishing the link between the marketing practices of drinks manufacturers and young people's attitudes to and consumption of alcohol; providing the material for the seminal report Under the Influence commissioned and published by the BMA Board of Science; guiding the Health Select Committee and underpinning a Private Members Bill on the regulation of alcohol marketing to children.

This research in ISM-Open is a collaboration between the Open University Business School (OUBS) and Stirling University.

Summary of the impact

This case study details an impact relating to health and welfare in which educational practices regarding the dissemination of responsible drinking messages has been influenced, and on public policy and services where this evidence has stimulated policy debate. Specifically, research led to (i) the withdrawal of the Drinkaware Trust's 5-year flagship campaign, Why let the good times go bad? (WLGTGB), and (ii) a recommendation from an independent review to a) involve academics in future campaign development and evaluation, and b) implement changes to the current campaign based on our findings.

Summary of the impact

The Sheffield Alcohol Policy Model (SAPM) makes a major contribution to national and international debate on public policy and services, focusing on policies aimed at reducing alcohol misuse in society.

SAPM provides the core evidence underpinning Scottish Government plans to implement a minimum unit price (MUP) for alcohol and is cited in the Prime Minister's foreword to the 2012 UK Alcohol Strategy. The model's findings have influenced health policy debate in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland, and the European Commission.

SAPM findings for the cost-effectiveness of a programme of identification and brief advice (IBA) in primary care underpin the National Institute for Health & Clinical Excellence guidance on this topic.

Summary of the impact

Dr Helen Lee works with an international team on research identifying workplace risks and implementing changes to improve the well-being of a beer sellers` community in the developing country of Cambodia. Research identifying risks from HIV/AIDS (21.7%) and alcohol overuse (1.2 litres of beer nightly) has had different forms of impact: the implementation of i) an educational and industry skills training programme — Hotel Apprenticeship Program (HAP) reaching 30 women who reported changes in awareness of health risks (how HIV/AIDS is transmitted and the effect of alcohol overuse on health) and behaviour change (zero alcohol consumption and no longer engaging in indirect sex work), ii) a peer educator outreach programme reaching over 10,600 people in the Siem Reap community and iii) raising public and brewers awareness of beer sellers` health risks through websites (over 51,900 visits). In 2013 a near zero prevalence for HIV/AIDS in the target group is reported.

Summary of the impact

This case study develops Kevin Hannam's work on mobility and social exclusion for the understanding of the impacts of demographic change on the local economy. The case study is based on a European funded project led by the University of Sunderland. The project has had a practical impact in the region with the development of innovative ways of influencing and addressing the employment and skills dimension of the over 50s and European migrants including Erasmus students. The case study focuses on two pilot projects addressing the employability and the quality of life of European migrants in the region.