Research End-User Perspectives about Using Social Work Research in Policy and Practice

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clare Tilbury ◽  
Mark Hughes ◽  
Christine Bigby ◽  
Mike Fisher
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Well Being ◽  
End Users ◽  
Research Translation ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Social Work Research ◽  
Telephone Interviews ◽  
Research Engagement ◽  
Engagement Strategies ◽  
User Perspectives

Abstract Research funding and assessment initiatives that foster engagement between researchers and research end-users have been adopted by governments in many countries. They aim to orient research towards achieving measurable impacts that improve economic and social well-being beyond academia. This has long been regarded as important in social work research, as it has in many fields of applied research. This study examined research engagement and impact from the perspective of research end-users working in human services. In-person or telephone interviews were conducted with forty-three research end-users about how they used research and interacted with researchers. Content analysis was undertaken to identify engagement strategies and thematic coding was employed to examine underpinning ideas about research translation into practice. Participants were involved in many types of formal and informal research engagements. They viewed research translation as a mutual responsibility but indicated that researchers should do more to improve the utility of their research for industry. The findings highlight the iterative nature of engagement and impact and raise questions about the infrastructure for scaling up impact beyond relationships between individual researchers and their industry partners.

scholarly journals Australian Social Work Research: An Empirical Study of Engagement and Impact

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clare Tilbury ◽  
Christine Bigby ◽  
Mike Fisher ◽  
Mark Hughes
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Research Impact ◽  
End Users ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Academic Impact ◽  
Social Work Research

Abstract Internationally, non-academic research impact is assessed by governments as part of evaluating the quality of publicly funded research. A case study method was used to investigate the non-academic impact of Australian social work research. Interviews were conducted with fifteen leading researchers about outputs (research products, such as publications and reports), engagement (interaction between researchers and end-users outside academia to transfer knowledge, methods or resources) and impact (social or economic contributions of research). Twelve case studies were prepared using a standardised template. Content analysis highlighted examples of impact, and theoretical and in vivo coding uncovered processes of engagement and impact. Different types of engagements with research end-users influenced impact in three areas: legislation and policy; practices and service delivery; and quality of life of community members. Engagement and impact were intertwined as research altered policy discourses and illuminated hidden social issues, preparing ground for subsequent, more direct impact. Likewise, academic and non-academic impacts were intertwined as research rigour and academic credibility were perceived to leverage influence. There was no evidence of achieving impact simply through the trickle-down effect of scholarly publication. The findings broaden understandings of how research influences policy and practice and iterative and indirect relationships between engagement and impact.

Calling Social Work to the Movement for Educational Justice

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annahita Ball
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Youth Development ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Valuable Insight ◽  
Educational Justice ◽  
Social Work Research ◽  
Conditions For Learning ◽  
History Of

Abstract The persistent and systemic inequities within the U.S. public education system have grave implications for children’s and youth’s outcomes, yet these inequities go far beyond academics. Marginalized and vulnerable students experience injustices across the educational system, including disproportionality in school discipline, unequal access to advanced courses, and poor conditions for learning. Social work has a solid history of addressing issues that intersect across families, schools, and communities, but the profession has had little engagement in the recent educational justice movement. As educational scholars advance a movement to address educational inequities, it will be increasingly important for social work researchers to provide valuable insight into the multiple components that make up youth development and support positive well-being for all individuals within a democratic society. This article encourages social work researchers to extend lines of inquiry that investigate educational justice issues by situating social work practice and research within educational justice and suggesting an agenda for future social work research that will advance equity for all students.

scholarly journals Conflict between Religious Beliefs and Sexuality: An Autoethnography

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Gerena
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Religious Beliefs ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Sex Behavior ◽  
Religious Institutions ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
Social Work Research ◽  
Latino Community ◽  
Beliefs And Values

Despite the shift in attitudes in religious institutions toward homosexuals in the United States, there are some religions that continue to view same-sex behavior as a deviant and damning sin. For many, religious beliefs and values provide meaning and impact personal identity. Using autoethnography, I will explicate my own experiences with religious institutions and the ongoing conflict between religious beliefs and sexuality. I will discuss messages received from the Pentecostal church, family, and Latino community, and how these messages influenced my human development and emotional well-being. I show that internalization of the principles taught by the Pentecostal Church triggered a conflict when I became aware of my homosexuality. In this article, I discuss the mental health challenges I faced, and strategies I used to reconcile conflicting identities. I also discuss the use of autoethnography in social work and its implications in social work research and practice.

The Campbell Collaboration

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia H. Littell ◽  
Howard White
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Organizational Structure ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Behavioral Interventions ◽  
Social Economic ◽  
Evidence Synthesis ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Campbell Collaboration

In this article, we trace the development of the Campbell Collaboration and its renewed efforts to build a world library of accurate, synthesized evidence to inform policy and practice and improve human well-being worldwide. Campbell systematic reviews and related evidence synthesis products provide unbiased summaries of entire bodies of empirical evidence, making them uniquely useful sources of information for policy and practice. With recent changes in organizational structure and new leadership, the Campbell Collaboration is poised to dramatically increase the production, dissemination, and use of rigorous syntheses of research on social, economic, and behavioral interventions. Campbell provides opportunities for social work scholars, practitioners, and consumers to contribute to knowledge about the processes and outcomes of social, behavioral, and economic interventions.

Evaluating Social Work: Progress and Prospects

1997 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 291-310 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliet Cheetham
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Research Policy ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Social Worlds ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Social Work Research ◽  
The Social ◽  
Evaluative Research ◽  
Evidence Of Impact

Within the past decade, evaluative research has achieved an established and well-regarded place within the repertoire of social work inquiry. Although increasingly wide-ranging and methodologically sophisticated, social work evaluation still has to contend with important challenges. These include taking greater account of the several audiences of research, namely, service users, practitioners, and policy makers; developing, through a variety of research methods, the range and quality of evidence of impact; and drawing research, policy, and practice into closer union. To reach its full potential, social work research must focus both on individuals and their social worlds and must therefore be firmly rooted in the social sciences.

All Awareness and No Action: Can Social Work Leverage Creative Arts’ Potential?

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 708-720
Author(s):  
Raphael Travis
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Creative Arts ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Research Education ◽  
Social Work Research ◽  
The Arts ◽  
Explicit Recognition

Social work is grounded with an emphasis on promoting the well-being being of individuals and families with an explicit recognition of how the environment plays a significant role in the unfolding of well-being. Unfortunately, the profession’s commitment to maintaining the infrastructure for social work research, education, and practice that helps students and professionals focus on the environmental forces that create, contribute to, and address problems of the living sometimes feels superficial. These trends have made it difficult to realize the effectiveness and promise of integrating creative arts into social work practice. The present article discusses how social work efforts with creative arts will have limited influence if their context, underlying assumptions, and framing are misaligned with the experiential realities of clients; if gatekeeping is too rigid or biased to effectively grow the arts-based infrastructure; and if the underlying assumptions that define well-being outcomes are proportionately narrow, deficit oriented, and short-term focused.

Making AIMS Explicit: Establishing Intersectionality Criteria for Gender Equity Analyses

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Goodkind ◽  
Rachel E Gartner ◽  
Leah A Jacobs ◽  
Dominique Branson ◽  
Jorden King ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Social Justice ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Gender Equity ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Social Work Research ◽  
United Nations Convention ◽  
Economic Well Being

Abstract Social work researchers often conduct population-level analyses of equity, sometimes focusing on how social and economic well-being are differently experienced depending on gender. In response to the United States’ refusal to ratify the United Nations’ Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, city-level campaigns began conducting gender equity analyses to highlight and address inequality. To date, these analyses have largely focused on gender alone, affording little attention to other axes of inequality. This article argues that theories of intersectionality offer a conceptual antidote to this narrow focus on gender. Drawing on extant literature, authors developed four criteria to guide intersectional gender equity analyses: (1) analyzes power, (2) interprets population and phenomena in context, (3) mutually constituted and interdependent category use, and (4) strategic and transparent social justice goals (which can be abbreviated as AIMS). Taking a metaevaluation approach, they applied the AIMS criteria to assess existing gender equity analyses. Results indicate ways in which these criteria can be met and the implications of taking intersectional approaches. Ultimately, the AIMS criteria offer guidance to social work research that can systematically and intentionally integrate core intersectionality principles and, in turn, support efforts to promote equity in our systems and institutions.

Enriching social work research through architectural multisensory methods: Strategies for connecting the built environment and human experience

2020 ◽  
pp. 147332502092445
Author(s):  
Alison L Grittner ◽  
Victoria F Burns
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Research Policy ◽  
Human Experience ◽  
Built Environments ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Spatial Justice ◽  
Social Work Research ◽  
The Relationship

Scholars have called for greater emphasis on the physical environment to expand social work research, policy, and practice; however, there has been little focus on the role of the built environment. Redressing this gap in the literature, this methodological paper explicates how four multisensory research methods commonly used in architecture—sketch walks, photography, spatial visualization, and mapping—can be used in social work research to create a greater understanding of the complex, interconnected, and multidimensional nature of built environments in relationship to human experience. The methods explored in this paper provide social work researchers with a methodological conduit to explore the relationship between the built environment and vulnerable populations, understand and advocate for spatial justice, and participate knowledgeably in interdisciplinary policy realms involving the built environment and marginalized populations.

scholarly journals 1000 Families Study, a UK multiwave cohort investigating the well-being of families of children with intellectual disabilities: cohort profile

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. e032919 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard P Hastings ◽  
Vasiliki Totsika ◽  
Nikita K Hayden ◽  
Caitlin A Murray ◽  
Mikeda Jess ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Primary Caregivers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Total N ◽  
Telephone Interviews ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Degree Level

PurposeThe 1000 Families Study is a large, UK-based, cohort of families of children with intellectual disability (ID). The main use of the cohort data will be to describe and explore correlates of the well-being of families of children with ID, including parents and siblings, using cross-sectional and (eventually) longitudinal analyses. The present cohort profile intends to describe the achieved cohort.ParticipantsOver 1000 families of UK children with ID aged between 4 and 15 years 11 months (total n=1184) have been recruited. The mean age of the cohort was 9.01 years old. The cohort includes more boys (61.8%) than girls (27.0%; missing 11.1%). Parents reported that 45.5% (n=539) of the children have autism. Most respondents were a female primary caregiver (84.9%), and 78.0% were the biological mother of the cohort child with ID. The largest ethnic group for primary caregivers was White British (78.5%), over half were married and living with their partner (53.3%) and 39.3% were educated to degree level.Findings to dateData were collected on family, parental and child well-being, as well as demographic information. Wave 1 data collection took place between November 2015 and January 2017, primarily through online questionnaires. Telephone interviews were also completed by 644 primary caregivers.Future plansWave 2 data collection is ongoing and the research team will continue following up these families in subsequent waves, subject to funding availability. Results will be used to inform policy and practice on family and child well-being in families of children with ID. As this cohort profile aims to describe the cohort, future publications will explore relevant research questions and report key findings related to family well-being.

The capability approach in social work research: A scoping review of research addressing practical social work

2020 ◽  
pp. 002087281989684
Author(s):  
Inger Kjellberg ◽  
Birgitta Jansson
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Capability Approach ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Structural Level ◽  
Social Work Research ◽  
The Capability Approach

This study reports the findings from a scoping review of the use of the capability approach in social work research. We identified 17 peer-reviewed journal articles which actively used the capability approach and addressed social work practice. The purpose was to examine how the use of the capability approach was linked to policies, practices and social justice approaches in social work research. The merits and challenges of the capability approach in social work research are discussed. Four main applications of the capability approach were found: as a tool for social workers in practice, to explore the subjective sense of well-being, to address social inequalities on a structural level, and as a way of evaluating social practices. The capability approach was framed as congruent with the aims of social work, and as a call for action for social workers to promote social justice, human dignity and well-being. Another finding was that empowerment, mostly viewed as a tool for social workers to promote strength in individuals, was closely connected to using a capability approach. The contradictory use of empowerment in social work may carry some lessons for future development of a capability approach in social work. The review indicates that the capability approach is used in a range of different ways and acknowledged as a valuable tool for research in social work.

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