Identifying ‘hidden’ phenomena for social policy research: methodological reflections from a project exploring Long-Term Care workforce innovation

Locating emerging and ‘hidden’ phenomena for social policy research entails several challenges, including poor articulation and definition of the topic of interest, lack of comprehensive information sources, and few previous examples to draw on. These issues, and how to address them, will be examined by discussing the working approach adopted in a study to detect the extent and nature of Workforce Innovation in the UK Long Term Care sector. In doing this, we will critically assess the application of four methods employed in a mixed methods approach. These are a Literature Based Innovation Output Indicator (LBIOI, a bibliometric index) a multi-stakeholder consultation, the systematic examination of social care awards, and a documentary online search. We will critically consider the methodological choices, discuss benefits and limitations of each method in relation to its ability to locate emerging and hidden examples, and provide recommendations for the future use of our approach within other disciplinary areas, including organisational and sociological research.