We’re thrilled to share that the CASCADE Parents Research Advisory Group has won the Public Involvement Award at the 2025 Health and Care Research Wales Awards.

The awards were announced at the tenth annual Health and Care Research Wales conference, held on 16 October at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff. The event brought together researchers, practitioners, and members of the public from across Wales to celebrate a decade of innovation and impact in health and social care research.

The Public Involvement Award recognises outstanding examples of involving people with lived experience in research, using the UK Standards for Public Involvement as a benchmark. The judging panel commended our Parents Research Advisory Group for its “well-structured, longstanding commitment to involvement” and for “demonstrating exemplary public involvement activity in practice.”

Made up of parents with lived experience of children’s social care, the group plays a vital role in shaping CASCADE’s research, helping to decide priorities, review materials, and co-produce outputs. Earlier this year, the group co-authored an article published in the British Journal of Social Work, highlighting the value of meaningful collaboration between researchers and those with lived experience.

Accepting the award, Rachael Vaughan, Engagement Manager at CASCADE, said:

”In social work, a lot of interventions are done to families, not with them. Because of the nature of their experiences, it’s really important that the same thing isn’t done in research and that we’re working with parents to make sure their voices are central.

I always remember one parent telling me that there’s not much she can do now to change things that have happened in her life, but if she can use her experience to change something for one other person, maybe it happened for a reason”

This award is a testament to the incredible dedication, insight, and compassion of the parents who share their lived experiences to make research more ethical, relevant, and impactful.

A wider thank you

While this award recognises the Parents Research Advisory Group, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks to all of CASCADE’s lived-experience groups and contributors. From young people and care-experienced adults to foster carers and social workers, your continued support and commitment make our research stronger and more grounded in real experience.

Congratulations again to the Parents Research Advisory Group, and thank you to everyone who helps CASCADE make sure that research is always done with people, not to them.