ABSTRACT

The Routledge Handbook of Social Work Practice Research is the first international handbook to focus on practice research for social work. Bringing together leading scholars in the field from Europe, the USA and the Asia Pacific region, it provides an up-to-the minute overview of the latest thinking in practice research whilst also providing practical advice on how to undertake practice research in the field. 

It is divided into five sections:

  • State of the art
  • Methodologies
  • Pedagogies
  • Applications
  • Expanding the frontiers

The range of topics discussed will enhance student development as well as increase the capacity of practitioners to conduct research; develop coordinating and leadership roles; and liaise with multiple stakeholders who will strengthen the context base for practice research. 

As such, this handbook will be essential reading for all social work students, practitioners and academics as well as those working in other health and social care settings.

List of contributors

Foreword: Irwin Epstein

1 Introduction

Lynette Joubert & Martin Webber

Section 1: State of the Art

2 Identifying the Conceptual Foundations of Practice Research

Michael Austin

3 Social Work Practice Research Developments – Four statements, ten years later

Lars Uggerhøj

4 From Research Question to Practice Research Methodology

Mike Fisher

5 Underlying Theoretical Positions, Perceptions and Foundations in Practice Research

Maja Lundemark Andersen, Lene Ingemann Brandt, Kirsten Henriksen, Kirsten Mejlvig, Liesanth Nirmalarajan, Mette Rømer, Lars Uggerhøj and Pernille Wisti

6 Practice Research as a Collective Enterprise

Ian Shaw

7 Philanthropic Collaboration in Practice Research: The Mrs Lee Choon Guan Endowed Research Fund Model, Singapore

Rosaleen Ow, Isabel Sim & Esther Goh

Section 2: Methodologies

8 Clinical Data Mining: a practice research methodology of choice for health social workers

Lynette Joubert, Melinda Collins, Lisa Braddy, Kathryn Turner, Alison Hocking, Denise Beovich, Sarah Blaschke, Fiona Wiseman

9 Different approaches in practice research

Maja Lundemark Andersen, Lene Ingemann Brandt, Kirsten Henriksen, Kirsten Mejlvig, Liesanth Nirmalarajan, Mette Rømer, Lars Uggerhøj and Pernille Wisti

10 Methodological pluralism in practice research

Martin Webber

11 Pragmatist knowledge production in practice research

Heidi Muurinen and Mirja Satka

12 Evaluating social work practice with single system research designs

Bruce A. Thyer

13 Measuring effectiveness in practice research

Grahame Simpson

14 The interface between qualitative research methodology and practice research

Lisa Morriss

15 Engaging service users in practice research

Maja Lundemark Andersen, Lene Ingemann Brandt, Kirsten Henriksen, Kirsten Mejlvig, Liesanth Nirmalarajan, Mette Rømer, Lars Uggerhøj and Pernille Wisti

16 Practice research in Indigenous communities

Angus Macfarlane

17 Translating ideas of practice research for a national and local child welfare reform process

Laura Yliruka, Päivi Petrelius and Pia Eriksson

18 Causal analysis for practice-based research using observational data

Arno Parolini, Wei Wu Tan, Marlena Klaic and Anna Bornemisza

Section: Pedagogies

19 Teaching practice research through partnerships with field educators, social work communities and university

Laura Yliruka, Jenika Heinonen, Maria Tapola-Haapala and Nanne Isokuortti

20 Teaching practice research through fieldwork placements: critical factors for successful trialogical learning processes

Maria Tapola-Haapala, Aino Kääriäinen, Maija Jäppinen and Mirja Satka

21 Teaching practice research: a curriculum guide for postgraduate social work training

Martin Webber

22 Academic practitioner collaboration: a state-wide social work innovation from Victoria, Australia

Lynette Joubert, Alison Hocking, Anita Morris and Lisa Braddy

23 International capacity-building for practice research in India

Saju MD, Meredith Fendt-Newlin, Lynette Joubert and Martin Webber

Section 4: Applications

24 From practice wisdom to research knowledge: the case of the development of the Integrative Body-Mind-Spirit intervention model

Margaret Xi-can Yin, Celia Hoi-yan Chan, Yat-lui Fung and Cecilia Lai-wan Chan

25 Using existing data to explore practice issues and improve service responses: application of clinical data mining methodology in a healthcare context

Alys-Marie Manguy, Lynette Joubert, Ed Oakley and Robert Gordon

26 Post-hospital caregiving experiences: an exploratory, longitudinal mixed-methods study

Geok Ling Lee, Corinne S.N. Ghoh, Gerald C.H. Koh, Soon Noi Goh, Crystal Chai-Lim, Marcus Y.L. Chiu, Nan Luo and Kai Cao

27 The role of clinical supervision within Australian Youth Cancer Services

Kate Thompson, Lucy Holland, Jeremy Lewin, Victoria Dax and Lynette Joubert

28 Narrative practice and practice-based research

Kristina Lainson

29 Co-producing practice research: The Connecting People Implementation Study

Nicola Moran, Martin Webber, Harminder Dosanjh Kaur, David Morris, Kayonda Ngamaba, Victoria Nunn, E. Thomas and Keith J. Thompson

30 Sharing lived experience in mental health services

Jonny Lovell, Alison O’Connell and Martin Webber

31 Co-creation in research with young people

Frida Westerback, Emma Murtonen, Judith Metz and Ilse Julkunen

32 Parenting Assessment Manual Software with forensic parentingassessments: from practice to research

Tracee Green and Martin Webber

33 Practice-led research: developing communities of practice to drive research and practice change in the domestic and family violence arena

Susan Heward-Belle, Cathy Humphreys, Lucy Healey, Menka Tsantefski, Jasmin Isobe, Cherie Toivonen, Erin Links, Amy Young and Tracy Wilde

34 The performance of researching with migrants and refugees

Janet Carter Anand, Chaitali Das, Csilla Veszteg and Enkhjargal Batbaatar

Section 5: Expanding the frontiers

35 Beyond knowledge transfer in practice research in social work: making sense of relations and alliances

Ilse Julkunen and Raija Koskinen

36 Results to practice: navigating complexities to create meaningful impact

Christa B. Fouché and Laura A. Chubb

37 Staying close to practice: knowledge translation in practice research

Meredith Fendt-Newlin

38 Whence and whither clinical data mining?

Irwin Epstein

39 New frontiers for practice research

Lynette Joubert and Martin Webber

Index