Developing a question to identify gambling harms to individuals or affected others and piloting it in three local authorities
FREE Gambling Harms Training for Adult Social Care Staff
As part of this study, we developed FREE training materials for adult social care staff together with GamCare, the UK-wide Gambling Support Charity. Training includes information about support and treatment options, self-exclusion and bank blocking.
- Training webinar for staff asking about gambling harms (30 minute YouTube presentation; download the slides)
- Staff guidance (including support organisations)
- Recommendations for local authorities wishing to embed a question about gambling harms within services
See also Video recording of the October 2023 webinar led by Prof Heather Wardle (YouTube, 56 mins)
The following two questions for asking about gambling harms to individuals or ‘affected others’ have been scientifically tested and found to be reliable and acceptable in practice. Choose one (or both) based on staff preference or service considerations.
More about this study
Purpose
Many people in Britain gamble and do so without problem. But some individuals experience harms such as debt, mental and physical health problems and relationship difficulties. Friends and family of people with gambling problems are also harmed. Local Authorities are being asked by government to help people experiencing gambling harms, such as debt and money problems as well as mental health issues. But Local Authorities are not always sure how to identify people in need of help.
Working with GamCare, the UK's largest gambling support charity, and a team with different research skills and experience of gambling-related harm, we have been funded by the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) under its Research for Social Care programme to test a question for use in three Local Authorities. We hope this will enable people identified as affected by gambling harms to help to get the support they need. It will also tell us more about gambling harms. There is increasing concern about the harms caused to individuals by gambling, to their families, and to wider communities.
Project duration
April 2021 - January 2023
Project funding
National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Research for Social Care Programme (RE17877)
Research team
- Caroline Norrie (PI) and Professor Jill Manthorpe (NIHR Policy Research Unit in Health and Care Workforce and NIHR ARC South London, King’s College London)
- Cat Forward (NIHR Policy Research Unit in Health and Care Workforce)
- Anna Hemmings (GamCare)
- Dr Heather Wardle
- Dr Stephanie Bramley (University of York)
- Dr Emily Finch (South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and IoPPN, King’s College London)
- Frankie Graham (Betknowmore)
- Dr James Shearer (King’s Health Economics, King’s College London)
What the researchers will do
Phase 1 Development: We will look at the evidence about potential questions which are designed to see if a person might have problems gambling. This will help us develop some questions that might be possible for Local Authority staff to ask people. GamCare, Local Authority social care staff and members of the public will help us see what might work in practice.
Phase 2 Implementation: We will train staff in three Local Authorities to use the question with enquirers/service users and put people affected by gambling harms in touch with sources of help.
Phase 3 Evaluation: We will compare question responses across the three Local Authorities, see if asking the question is acceptable to enquirers/service users and staff, ask people about the training they had and if the question was easy to ask. We will ask Local Authorities what doing this cost them.
We hope our findings will be of use to Local Authorities and other people working in services that help people with gambling problems. We will tell people about our study findings and will also run a regular series of seminars to share knowledge. Please get in touch if you would like to be on the mailing list for this.
Gambling-related harms seminar series
- 5 May 2021: Dr Heather Wardle and Dr Emma Ryan
- 14 September 2021: Conversation with Frankie Graham and other experts by experience of Betknowmore gambling support charity on lived experience of gambling harms
- 29 November 2021: Dr Steve Sharman – Suicide and gambling.
- 8 June 2022: Women and gambling harms
- 12 October 2022: Money and mental health
- 31 October 2023: Adult social care and gambling harms
More details on the seminar series webpage
Related projects at HSCWRU
- Exploring “what works” in creating infrastructures and engagement methods for people with lived experience within public health, health and social care, and addiction research [2019-20]
- Gambling-related harm among recent migrant communities in the UK: responses to a 21st century urban phenomenon [2018]
- Examining the nature of gambling-related harm for adults at risk [2016-17]
Project Team
University of York
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and IoPPN, King’s College London
Research Associate
CEO, Betknowmore UK
GamCare
Senior Research Fellow
Publications
Final Project Outputs
Final Report
Norrie, C., Forward, C., Manthorpe, J., Riley, L., Burke, L., Shearer, J., Bramley, S., & Wardle, H. (2025) Developing a question to identify gambling harms in adult social care services: Final Report. NIHR Policy Research Unit in Health and Social Care Workforce, The Policy Institute, King's College London.
Guidance
Forward, C., Norrie, C., Wardle, H., Bramley, S., Manthorpe, J., Burke, L., Shearer, J., & Riley, L. (2023). Identifying and supporting people affected by gambling harms, Advice for Adult Social Care staff. NIHR Policy Research Unit in Health and Social Care Workforce, The Policy Institute, King's College London.
Recommendations
Norrie, C., Forward, C., Manthorpe, J., Riley, L., Burke, L., Shearer, J., Bramley, S., & Wardle, H. (2023). Recommendations for embedding a question about gambling harms to individuals and affected others in adult social care services. NIHR Policy Research Unit in Health and Social Care Workforce, The Policy Institute, King's College London.
Training slides
Forward, C., Norrie, C., Wardle, H., Bramley, S., Manthorpe, J., Burke, L., Shearer, J., & Riley, L. (2023). Identifying and supporting service users affected by gambling harms in Adult Social Care. NIHR Policy Research Unit in Health and Social Care Workforce, The Policy Institute, King's College London; Gamcare. (Video presentation of these slides, 30 mins, YouTube)
See also Video recording of the October 2023 webinar led by Prof Heather Wardle (YouTube, 56 mins)
Earlier Project Outputs
Rapid response
Norrie, C., Wardle, H., Manthorpe, J., Forward, C. & Bramley, S. (2023) Rapid Response: Asking about gambling harms – the role of social care staff. BMJ. https://www.bmj.com/content/383/bmj.p2298/rr-0
Articles
Forward, C., Norrie, C., Bramley, S., Riley, L., Shearer, J., Finch, E., Stewart, G., Fletcher, P., Manthorpe, J. and Wardle, H. (2023). "Gambling Harms in Adult Social Care: Developing an ‘Introductory’ Question to Identify Gambling Harms Among Service Users." The British Journal of Social Work. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcad155
Forward, C., Norrie, C., Bramley, S., Wardle, H., Stuart, G., Dowridge, W., Nyandu, S., Parker, J., Shearer, J., Finch, E., & Manthorpe, J. (2022) Assessing potential brief screening questions for use within different social care-related contexts to identify individuals experiencing gambling-related harms: A scoping review. Health & Social Care in the Community. https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.13976
The publication feed is not currently available.
Conferences
Norrie, C., Forward, C., Wardle, H., Bramley, S., Finch E., Shearer, J., Riley, L., Webb, D., Manthorpe, J. (2023) Identifying gambling harms and supporting those at risk within adult social care, ARC South London Knowledge Exchange network event on 7th March 2023 Strand Campus, KCL (poster presentation).
Norrie, C., (2023) Gambling-related harms in adults with health and social care needs - Joint Southwark & Lambeth Mental Health carers forum. 31st January 2023.
Norrie, C., Forward, C., Wardle, H., Bramley, S., Finch E., Shearer, J., Riley, L., Webb, D., Manthorpe, J., Identifying gambling harms and supporting those at risk within adult social care (2022) Gambleaware Conference, The King’s Fund, London (poster presentation).
Bramley, S., Norrie, C., Forward, C., Wardle, H., Finch E., Shearer, J., Riley, L., Webb, D., Manthorpe, J., Identifying and Supporting People Affected by Gambling Harms in Local Authorities. University of York Research health and social care Conference. 13th July 2022.
Norrie, C., Forward, C., Wardle, H., Bramley, S., Finch E., Shearer, J., Riley, L., Webb, D., Manthorpe, J., Gambling-related harms in adults with health and social care needs, Fast Forward (Youthwork organisation specialising in risk-taking behaviours and early-intervention, Scotland) Webinar, May 26th 2022.
Norrie, C., Forward, C., Wardle, H., Bramley, S., Finch E., Shearer, J., Riley, L., Webb, D., Manthorpe, J., Identifying and Supporting People Affected by Gambling Harms in Local Authorities, Current Advances in Gambling Research (CAGR) Conference, Cardiff, May 19th & 20th 2022.
News
Unit research feeds into consultations on gambling policy and practice
Caroline Norrie and Cat Forward have responded to calls from NICE, the London Assembly, and DHSC
Adult social care and gambling harms
What questions should Adult Social Care be asking to identify gambling harms?
Knowledge exchange on the Strand campus
King's researchers Kritika Samsi and Caroline Norrie were at an NIHR ARC South London event
Unit researchers present work at GambleAware Conference
The conference focused on taking a public health approach to gambling harms
Money and mental health – talk at the Unit
The fifth seminar in a series deriving from the gambling study at the NIHR Policy Research Unit in Health and Social Care Workforce
Project Team
University of York
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and IoPPN, King’s College London
Research Associate
CEO, Betknowmore UK
GamCare
Senior Research Fellow
Publications
Final Project Outputs
Final Report
Norrie, C., Forward, C., Manthorpe, J., Riley, L., Burke, L., Shearer, J., Bramley, S., & Wardle, H. (2025) Developing a question to identify gambling harms in adult social care services: Final Report. NIHR Policy Research Unit in Health and Social Care Workforce, The Policy Institute, King's College London.
Guidance
Forward, C., Norrie, C., Wardle, H., Bramley, S., Manthorpe, J., Burke, L., Shearer, J., & Riley, L. (2023). Identifying and supporting people affected by gambling harms, Advice for Adult Social Care staff. NIHR Policy Research Unit in Health and Social Care Workforce, The Policy Institute, King's College London.
Recommendations
Norrie, C., Forward, C., Manthorpe, J., Riley, L., Burke, L., Shearer, J., Bramley, S., & Wardle, H. (2023). Recommendations for embedding a question about gambling harms to individuals and affected others in adult social care services. NIHR Policy Research Unit in Health and Social Care Workforce, The Policy Institute, King's College London.
Training slides
Forward, C., Norrie, C., Wardle, H., Bramley, S., Manthorpe, J., Burke, L., Shearer, J., & Riley, L. (2023). Identifying and supporting service users affected by gambling harms in Adult Social Care. NIHR Policy Research Unit in Health and Social Care Workforce, The Policy Institute, King's College London; Gamcare. (Video presentation of these slides, 30 mins, YouTube)
See also Video recording of the October 2023 webinar led by Prof Heather Wardle (YouTube, 56 mins)
Earlier Project Outputs
Rapid response
Norrie, C., Wardle, H., Manthorpe, J., Forward, C. & Bramley, S. (2023) Rapid Response: Asking about gambling harms – the role of social care staff. BMJ. https://www.bmj.com/content/383/bmj.p2298/rr-0
Articles
Forward, C., Norrie, C., Bramley, S., Riley, L., Shearer, J., Finch, E., Stewart, G., Fletcher, P., Manthorpe, J. and Wardle, H. (2023). "Gambling Harms in Adult Social Care: Developing an ‘Introductory’ Question to Identify Gambling Harms Among Service Users." The British Journal of Social Work. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcad155
Forward, C., Norrie, C., Bramley, S., Wardle, H., Stuart, G., Dowridge, W., Nyandu, S., Parker, J., Shearer, J., Finch, E., & Manthorpe, J. (2022) Assessing potential brief screening questions for use within different social care-related contexts to identify individuals experiencing gambling-related harms: A scoping review. Health & Social Care in the Community. https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.13976
The publication feed is not currently available.
Conferences
Norrie, C., Forward, C., Wardle, H., Bramley, S., Finch E., Shearer, J., Riley, L., Webb, D., Manthorpe, J. (2023) Identifying gambling harms and supporting those at risk within adult social care, ARC South London Knowledge Exchange network event on 7th March 2023 Strand Campus, KCL (poster presentation).
Norrie, C., (2023) Gambling-related harms in adults with health and social care needs - Joint Southwark & Lambeth Mental Health carers forum. 31st January 2023.
Norrie, C., Forward, C., Wardle, H., Bramley, S., Finch E., Shearer, J., Riley, L., Webb, D., Manthorpe, J., Identifying gambling harms and supporting those at risk within adult social care (2022) Gambleaware Conference, The King’s Fund, London (poster presentation).
Bramley, S., Norrie, C., Forward, C., Wardle, H., Finch E., Shearer, J., Riley, L., Webb, D., Manthorpe, J., Identifying and Supporting People Affected by Gambling Harms in Local Authorities. University of York Research health and social care Conference. 13th July 2022.
Norrie, C., Forward, C., Wardle, H., Bramley, S., Finch E., Shearer, J., Riley, L., Webb, D., Manthorpe, J., Gambling-related harms in adults with health and social care needs, Fast Forward (Youthwork organisation specialising in risk-taking behaviours and early-intervention, Scotland) Webinar, May 26th 2022.
Norrie, C., Forward, C., Wardle, H., Bramley, S., Finch E., Shearer, J., Riley, L., Webb, D., Manthorpe, J., Identifying and Supporting People Affected by Gambling Harms in Local Authorities, Current Advances in Gambling Research (CAGR) Conference, Cardiff, May 19th & 20th 2022.
News
Unit research feeds into consultations on gambling policy and practice
Caroline Norrie and Cat Forward have responded to calls from NICE, the London Assembly, and DHSC
Adult social care and gambling harms
What questions should Adult Social Care be asking to identify gambling harms?
Knowledge exchange on the Strand campus
King's researchers Kritika Samsi and Caroline Norrie were at an NIHR ARC South London event
Unit researchers present work at GambleAware Conference
The conference focused on taking a public health approach to gambling harms
Money and mental health – talk at the Unit
The fifth seminar in a series deriving from the gambling study at the NIHR Policy Research Unit in Health and Social Care Workforce
Principal Investigator
Senior Research Fellow