House of Memories is a multi-award winning dementia awareness training programme created by National Museums Liverpool (NML) in the UK. The Institute of Cultural Capital – led by Kerry Wilson – has been researching the impact of House of Memories since 2013. Research has been designed to consider the holistic cross-sector value of House of Memories via standardised measures of subjective wellbeing and professional development outcomes; social network analysis; and social value research methods including social return on investment (SROI). Significant outcomes for participating health and social care workers include enhanced feelings of wellbeing and self-efficacy as carers; increased awareness and understanding of dementia and its implications; skills development including listening, communication and professional empathy; improved capacity for individual and collective critical, reflective care practice; confidence in trying new, creative approaches to dementia care; and increased cultural engagement with museums. The research with NML is also enabling an in-depth exploration of policy-responsive leadership in museums and the organisational conditions and values that drive politically-engaged collaborative cultural work.

Kerry Wilson is Head of Research at the Institute of Cultural Capital, a cultural policy research centre jointly hosted by the University of Liverpool and Liverpool John Moores University in the UK.  She has led a number of research and evaluation projects covering varied aspects of cultural work, its value and impact, for a range of commissioning organisations and funding bodies including the British Council, MLA, Arts Council England, the Arts and Humanities Research Council and Economic and Social Research Council. Kerry’s research interests, in a cultural sector context, include professional identity; instrumental value and public policy; and collaborative practice. She began her academic career in the library and information management discipline, focusing on the organisational development and social value of public libraries, and continues to prioritise research with library and museum sectors