Centre for Adult Social Care (CARE), Cardiff University

The Centre for Adult Social Care (CARE)  and Rhondda Cynon Taf Health Determinants Research Collaboration (RCT HDRC) are offering a placement opportunity for doctoral students to conduct a scoping review of the research literature and grey literature informed by consultations with unpaid carers and working with Interlink Rhondda Cynon Taf (Interlink RCT). The scoping review will focus on unpaid adult carers of adults with care and support needs.

Host Name:

Centre for Adult Social Care Research (CARE) and Rhondda Cynon Taf Health Determinants Research Collaboration (RCT HDRC)

Main Point of Contact / Placement Supervisor:

Dr Jeremy Dixon – Dixonj7@cardiff.ac.uk

Location:

The placement is hybrid with 2 days per week in the office at CARE, Cardiff University, Spark Building, Maindy Road, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ

Work Schedule:

The placement is offered on a three month full-time basis, working 35 hours per week (core hours normally 09:00 – 17:00) Monday to Friday. The host is open to flexible working arrangements, in agreement with the supervisor, including completing the placement on a part-time basis over six months. The anticipated start date is to be confirmed, but will ideally be before the end of the year.

How to Apply:

To apply, please submit the following:

• A current CV
• A covering letter explaining how you meet the criteria for this role and why you would like to work for CARE. Your application will not be considered without the covering letter.

If your application is successful, you will also be required to provide a reference before starting work.

Please send your CV and covering letter to CARE@Cardiff.ac.uk. The deadline for applications is 17:00 on 11th September 2026.

Students are also advised to inform scdtp@soton.ac.uk if they submit an application.

If you have any questions about the placement, please contact Penny White at p.c.white@southampton.ac.uk for a copy of a more detailed placement opportunity document in the first instance.

Deadline for applications:

The deadline for applications is 17:00 on 11th September 2026.

Number of placements available:

One

Background:

Unpaid carers provide care and support to family members or friends with an illness or disability and without their input the health and social care system would struggle to function. Local Authorities in the UK have duties to support the wellbeing of carers through providing a range of services for carers and have a duty to provide carers assessments. In Wales, this occurs through the Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Act 2014. Local authority duties to carers are complicated by the fact that some individuals providing care and support may view themselves as carers whilst others may not or may be reluctant to identify in this way.

Placement summary brief:

The student will be based within CARE and will conduct a scoping review of the research literature and grey literature informed by consultations with unpaid carers and working with Interlink RCT. Interlink RCT, a collaborating partner in RCT HDRC, is a member-led charity dedicated to building connected, resourceful and sustainable communities. It provides a wide range of support to community and voluntary sector (CSV) organisations, including expert advice and guidance, training opportunities, network development, volunteer support, and sector-focused events. The organisation also manages a team of Wellbeing Coordinators (social prescribers) who work directly within local communities and small grants for CVS organisations supporting unpaid carers.

The scoping review will focus on unpaid adult carers of adults with care and support needs. The scoping review questions will be informed through consultation with carers and with professionals and CVS organisations. However, it is anticipated that the review will focus on:

• What are the processes through which individuals come to recognise themselves as carers?
• What are the alternative descriptors that individuals may use to identify themselves.
• How do factors such as age, gender, sexuality or ethnicity affect the way in which individuals choose to identify as carers or not?
• Do the needs of those who receive care (for example, older adults, adults with learning disabilities, adults with mental health problems) affect the way in which those providing care identify?

Outline of duties:

The student will:

• Conduct a scoping review from publicly available research and documents.
• Work closely with your supervisors to gain skills in literature reviewing, analysis, collaborative working with external stakeholders, reporting, and project management.
• Lead consultations with stakeholders on research questions and research terms.
• Be responsible for conducting searching, screening and shortlisting articles using an agreed inclusion/exclusion criteria.
• Make a key contribution to Interlink’s efforts to support CVS organisations improve services for unpaid carers.

Expected output:

The student will provide a report highlighting the findings of the scoping review. This will be provided to Rhondda Cynon Taf Health Determinants Research Collaboration and will identify implications for practice.

Skills and attributes summary:

• Reviewing literature – searching using relevant databases online; extracting relevant information from documents.
• IT proficiency – using referencing software, for example Endnote; using Microsoft applications including Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• Time management – managing multiple tasks and delivering agreed outputs.
• Working collaboratively – proactively engaging stakeholders; developing and maintaining good relationships; facilitating one-to-one and group meetings.
• Written and verbal communication skills – preparing a summary report in accessible formats for wider public dissemination; recording information from meetings; presenting key information concisely and effectively.