Facilitators

What are Facilitators?

Facilitators are focused on supporting bottom-up change. They work within a local organisation leading an evidence-informed change project.

Through close collaboration, Facilitators review evidence, lead local change and evaluate.

Findings and outcomes are shared for replication across the sector.

Projects

2025-26

  • Encouraging young people to develop careers in social care – Border Links, England
  • Enhancing skills and knowledge of social care staff when supporting LGBTQ+ residents of Newham – Newham Council, England
  • Improving, and raising awareness, of pet acceptance in homeless accommodation – Street Paws, StreetVet, Dogs Trust and Newcastle University, England
  • Improving support for adults caring for older parents – Carents, England
  • Improving support for people with dementia and families – Carers of West Lothian, Scotland
  • Supporting staff to deliver compassionate case/improving support for people with dementia and families – Meeting Centres Scotland
  • Improving staff awareness of experiences of people with acquired brain injury and their families through coproduced training – Brain Injury Matters, Northern Ireland
  • Improving staff retention in adult social care – Ategi, Wales

2024-25

2023-24

2022-23

Project Team

Karen Watchman

facilitator lead (job share)

My practice background is in social care with many years as Chief Executive of Down’s Syndrome Scotland. I then moved into academia where I am Professor of Ageing, Frailty and Dementia and work with co-researchers who have a learning disability on dementia-related projects.

I am Founder and CEO of a social enterprise, SquarePeg Training, delivering co-developed training on learning disability and dementia. IMPACT provides a rare and exciting opportunity to draw on different types of evidence and learn how best to put this into social care practice across the UK

Kathryn Mackay

facilitator lead (job Share)

I am a registered social worker who now works at the University of Stirling. My teaching, research and writing reflect my interests in mental health, ageing, adult safeguarding and supporting human rights in everyday life.

I joined IMPACT to support agencies to develop services with, rather than for, people who use services and the practitioners who work with them. I believe that without true co-production few things change for the better.

Kimberley Coutts-Murray

facilitator project coordinator

I worked in social care for a number of years before completing my MSc in Health Psychology in 2020. Since then, I’ve spent time working with different interdisciplinary teams and research projects across Psychology and Social Sciences.

Most recently I supported the Healthy Ageing Challenge, Social Behavioural and Design Research Programme. I joined IMPACT as this is an amazing opportunity to work together to create real change, and to improve the quality of life for people within adult social care.

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