The Scottish Institute for Policing Research (SIPR) in partnership with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and the Scottish Ambulance Service is providing funding to support a Rapid Research Project which will explore collaboration between Fire, Ambulance and Police Services. We are seeking an exploration of the how cross-service collaboration, including placed-based approaches, can help improve community safety and wellbeing and help reduce social and health inequalities. The assessment should include the costs and benefits arising from such working. The study should encompass primary research, which will be directly supported and facilitated by all three services, and a review of the existing knowledge base of how the three services integrate, share resources, and work collaboratively to achieve these ends. This work will help inform a ‘Collaborative Improvement Model’ for the Reform Collaboration Group (RCG) which is delivering on the ambitions set out in the Scottish Emergency Services Collaboration Strategy.

DATA SOURCES

We are looking for both primary research and a comprehensive literature review. A plan for both aspects of the call will be expected in the application for funding.

LITERATURE REVIEW and PRIMARY RESEARCH:

The primary research will be conducted through a case study methodology supplemented by interviews of relevant personnel from the three organisations and related partners.  The identification of an appropriate case study will be supported by all three services. 

We are also seeking an assessment of the existing published academic research and ‘Grey Literature’ i.e. policy reports and/or self-published material from countries/organisations where relevant work has happened.

Timeframe for the literature: preference would be for an assessment of literature from the past 10 years. However, if there was a significant event in the field prior to this date, that literature could also be included.

FOCUS OF PRIMARY RESEARCH and LITERATURE REVIEW: 

The following four areas will be the focus for both the Literature Review and the case study:

• Strategic, e.g. achieving improvements in community safety and wellbeing and reductions in social and health inequalities

• Best Value e.g. securing maximum public value in the joint use of organisational resources

• Prevention, e.g. the services working together in a preventative capacity to improve wellbeing and reduce inequalities

• Operational, e.g. how national government policy and funding streams contribute to enabling and creating the right conditions to deliver the ambitions to deliver collaborative benefits and improved outcomes situations.

 KEY QUESTIONS:

• Across the UK and internationally, what does the evidence say about collaboration between the three Blue Light emergency services (Fire, Police & Ambulance) in the three focus areas above?

• What is the existing academic evidence around the success or otherwise of tri service collaboration?

• What Grey literature/policy documents are there?

• What methodology & frameworks are there for successful tri-service collaboration?