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Case Study

Solutions on Demand + University of Strathclyde

To embed capacity in user adoption and management methodologies to evaluate and scale the commercialisation of Connect.

Solutions on Demand team accepting the ROCCO Award for Innovation and Technology 2025 at the annual business awards of the Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce for the Connect platform.

Solutions on Demand

Solutions on Demand Ltd. operates as a well-established technology enterprise, delivering comprehensive digital solutions across Scotland. The company provides enterprise-level IT support and infrastructure solutions to SMEs throughout the UK.

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What was the need?

The Challenge

Residential care and education organisations (RCEOs) operate within a complex landscape shaped by GIRFEC, SHANARRI, The Promise, and local authority reporting expectations. Despite these frameworks, many settings still rely on fragmented or manual recording processes, including paper notes, spreadsheets, and disparate systems. This results in inconsistent data quality, duplicated effort, and limited visibility across care and education teams. The administrative pressure reduces the time practitioners can dedicate to direct work with young people, which undermines the goals of child-centred, relational practice.

For Solutions on Demand, the challenge was not simply to develop a digital tool, but to ensure Connect could be meaningfully adopted by a diverse workforce with varying levels of digital confidence, different reporting cultures, and unique organisational workflows. Achieving consistency, accessibility, and trust required a deeper understanding of user needs, training requirements, and the day-to-day realities of frontline staff. The company also needed structured evaluation methods, user engagement processes, and change-management approaches to support successful implementation across multiple RCEOs. Addressing these challenges was essential to positioning Connect as a credible, compliant, and sector-aligned solution capable of improving reporting practice and strengthening outcomes for young people.

What did we do?

The Solution

The KTP provides Solutions on Demand with the structured expertise needed to strengthen Connect’s usability, reliability, and sector-wide readiness. Working in partnership with the University of Strathclyde, the project introduces an evidence-based, user-centred approach to refining how the platform is implemented, evaluated, and supported across residential care and education settings. The Associate is leading a programme of usability testing, Living Lab simulations, stakeholder engagement, and training needs analysis to understand how practitioners complete reporting tasks, where barriers exist, and how the platform can be optimised for clarity, accessibility, and consistency.

Academic supervisors bring specialist knowledge in child-centred practice, user behaviour, organisational change, and evaluation design. This has enabled the development of a robust evaluation and impact framework, a Theory of Change, structured data-collection methods, and a clear model for onboarding, training, and ongoing support. The work also strengthens SOD’s internal capabilities in risk management, evidence gathering, and client engagement.

Through this collaborative approach, Connect is being refined not only as a digital tool, but as a complete implementation solution, combining technology, training, evidence, and change-management processes. This ensures the platform can be confidently adopted across RCEOs, improving reporting quality and supporting better outcomes for children and young people.

What changed?

The Impacts and Benefits

Impact to the Company

The KTP has significantly strengthened Solutions on Demand’s capability to deliver, scale, and sustain Connect across the residential care and education sector. Through the project, the company has gained a structured, evidence-based understanding of user needs, training requirements, and operational workflows within RCEOs. This has enabled SOD to refine Connect’s design, improve user experience, and ensure closer alignment with sector regulations and reporting expectations linked to GIRFEC, SHANARRI and The Promise.

The introduction of robust evaluation methods, usability testing processes, and Living Lab-led research has enhanced the credibility and market readiness of Connect. The company now benefits from improved internal processes for user engagement, change management, and risk management, allowing it to accelerate commercial rollout while maintaining high standards of compliance and data governance.

The KTP has also strengthened SOD’s strategic position in the care technology space, enabling the company to build stronger relationships with RCEOs, local authorities, and national bodies. This has opened new opportunities for growth, improved the company’s service offering, and paved the way for wider sector adoption. As a result, SOD is better equipped to deliver a scalable, high-impact digital solution that supports improved outcomes for young people.

 

Impacts to the Academic Team

The KTP has provided the academic team at the University of Strathclyde with a valuable opportunity to apply research expertise in user-centred design, organisational change, and care sector practice within a real-world digital transformation project. Working with Solutions on Demand has enabled academics to deepen their engagement with residential care and education providers, strengthening understanding of how digital tools can enhance reporting, communication, and wellbeing monitoring for young people.

The project has expanded opportunities for research, publication, and impact generation, particularly in areas such as trauma-informed digital design, workforce engagement, and evidence-based implementation models. Insights generated through usability testing, Living Lab simulations, and frontline practitioner engagement offer rich data that can inform future academic work and teaching. The partnership has also supported new interdisciplinary collaboration across occupational psychology, social work, organisational studies, and digital innovation.

Engagement with Connect has enhanced the academic team’s links with the Educating Through Care Scotland network and other national bodies, providing a platform for broader policy and practice contributions. The KTP demonstrates how academic research can translate directly into improved digital practice, workforce experience, and outcomes for service users, reinforcing the University’s commitment to socially impactful innovation.

 

Impacts to the KTP Associate 

The KTP has provided me with a unique opportunity to lead a complex, sector-focused digital transformation project while developing advanced skills in user research, evaluation, and strategic implementation. Working at the intersection of academia, industry, and the residential care sector has strengthened my ability to translate research into practical solutions that directly support frontline practice. I have gained significant experience in stakeholder engagement, Living Lab facilitation, usability testing, and the development of evidence-based frameworks for training, evaluation, and change management.

Through close collaboration with academic supervisors, I have expanded my analytical, methodological, and impact assessment skills, while deepening my understanding of regulatory requirements and best practices in children’s care and education. The project has also enhanced my commercial awareness, particularly in market engagement, implementation planning, and understanding the operational needs of SMEs delivering digital products.

The KTP has accelerated my professional growth, enabling me to build strong networks across RCEOs, local authorities, and national bodies. It has also strengthened my leadership, communication, and project management capabilities, equipping me to contribute meaningfully to Connect’s future development and to progress toward a senior role in digital innovation, social impact or sector transformation.

The Impacts and Benefits

The People

Meet the Team

Taranjot Singh Chopra

KTP Associate

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Dr Joanna Butler

Knowledge Base Supervisor

Ryan Mitchell

Company Supervisor

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