A paper presented on Tuesday 9th June 2009 at the St Cross College Colloquium. Recent literature and policy movements in the UK and USA have given a great deal of focus to evidence-based practice (EBP) in social services, however there remains little clarity in the literature as to the realities of what these concepts look like in practice. As educational models in the social sciences and policy pressure on human services continue to develop, it is imperative to examine what is being considered as evidence for practice, how evidence is being accessed, interpreted and used by practitioners, and what barriers may exist to the uptake of research.