what is research in social work practice

The link between social work research and practice

When thinking about social work, some may consider the field to solely focus on clinical interventions with individuals or groups.

There may be a mistaken impression that research is not a part of the social work profession. This is completely false. Rather, the two have been and will continue to need to be intertwined.

This guide covers why social workers should care about research, how both social work practice and social work research influence and guide each other, how to build research skills both as a student and as a professional working in the field, and the benefits of being a social worker with strong research skills. 

A selection of social work research jobs are also discussed.  

• Social workers and research
• Evidence-based practice
• Practice and research
• Research and practice
• Build research skills
• Social worker as researcher
• Benefits of research skills
• Research jobs

Why should social workers care about research?

Sometimes it may seem as though social work practice and social work research are two separate tracks running parallel to each other – they both seek to improve the lives of clients, families and communities, but they don’t interact. This is not the way it is supposed to work.

Research and practice should be intertwined, with each affecting the other and improving processes on both ends, so that it leads to better outcomes for the population we’re serving.

Section 5 of the NASW Social Work Code of Ethics is focused on social workers’ ethical responsibilities to the social work profession. There are two areas in which research is mentioned in upholding our ethical obligations: for the integrity of the profession (section 5.01) and for evaluation and research (section 5.02). 

Some of the specific guidance provided around research and social work include:

• 5.01(b): …Social workers should protect, enhance, and improve the integrity of the profession through appropriate study and research, active discussion, and responsible criticism of the profession.
• 5.01(d): Social workers should contribute to the knowledge base of social work and share with colleagues their knowledge related to practice, research, and ethics…
• 5.02(a) Social workers should monitor and evaluate policies, the implementation of programs, and practice interventions.
• 5.02(b) Social workers should promote and facilitate evaluation and research to contribute to the development of knowledge.
• 5.02(c) Social workers should critically examine and keep current with emerging knowledge relevant to social work and fully use evaluation and research evidence in their professional practice.
• 5.02(q) Social workers should educate themselves, their students, and their colleagues about responsible research practices.

Evidence-based practice and evidence-based treatment

In order to strengthen the profession and determine that the interventions we are providing are, in fact, effective, we must conduct research. When research and practice are intertwined, this leads practitioners to develop evidence-based practice (EBP) and evidence-based treatment (EBT).

Evidence-based practice is, according to The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) , a process involving creating an answerable question based on a client or organizational need, locating the best available evidence to answer the question, evaluating the quality of the evidence as well as its applicability, applying the evidence, and evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency of the solution. 

Evidence-based treatment is any practice that has been established as effective through scientific research according to a set of explicit criteria (Drake et al., 2001). These are interventions that, when applied consistently, routinely produce improved client outcomes. 

For example, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) was one of a variety of interventions for those with anxiety disorders. Researchers wondered if CBT was better than other intervention options in producing positive, consistent results for clients.

So research was conducted comparing multiple types of interventions, and the evidence (research results) demonstrated that CBT was the best intervention.

The anecdotal evidence from practice combined with research evidence determined that CBT should become the standard treatment for those diagnosed with anxiety. Now more social workers are getting trained in CBT methods in order to offer this as a treatment option to their clients.

How does social work practice affect research?

Social work practice provides the context and content for research. For example, agency staff was concerned about the lack of nutritional food in their service area, and heard from clients that it was too hard to get to a grocery store with a variety of foods, because they didn’t have transportation, or public transit took too long. 

So the agency applied for and received a grant to start a farmer’s market in their community, an urban area that was considered a food desert. This program accepted their state’s version of food stamps as a payment option for the items sold at the farmer’s market.

The agency used their passenger van to provide free transportation to and from the farmer’s market for those living more than four blocks from the market location.

The local university also had a booth each week at the market with nursing and medical students checking blood pressure and providing referrals to community agencies that could assist with medical needs. The agency was excited to improve the health of its clients by offering this program.

But how does the granting foundation know if this was a good use of their money? This is where research and evaluation comes in. Research could gather data to answer a number of questions. Here is but a small sample:

• How many community members visited each week and purchased fruits and vegetables? 
• How many took advantage of the transportation provided, and how many walked to the market? 
• How many took advantage of the blood pressure checks? Were improvements seen in those numbers for those having repeat blood pressure readings throughout the market season? 
• How much did the self-reported fruit and vegetable intake increase for customers? 
• What barriers did community members report in visiting and buying food from the market (prices too high? Inconvenient hours?)
• Do community members want the program to continue next year?
• Was the program cost-effective, or did it waste money by paying for a driver and for gasoline to offer free transportation that wasn’t utilized? What are areas where money could be saved without compromising the quality of the program?
• What else needs to be included in this program to help improve the health of community members?

How does research affect social work practice?

Research can guide practice to implement proven strategies. It can also ask the ‘what if’ or ‘how about’ questions that can open doors for new, innovative interventions to be developed (and then research the effectiveness of those interventions).

Engel and Schutt (2017) describe four categories of research used in social work:

• Descriptive research is research in which social phenomena are defined and described. A descriptive research question would be ‘How many homeless women with substance use disorder live in the metro area?’
• Exploratory research seeks to find out how people get along in the setting under question, what meanings they give to their actions, and what issues concern them. An example research question would be ‘What are the barriers to homeless women with substance use disorder receiving treatment services?’
• Explanatory research seeks to identify causes and effects of social phenomena. It can be used to rule out other explanations for findings and show how two events are related to each other.  An explanatory research question would be ‘Why do women with substance use disorder become homeless?’
• Evaluation research describes or identifies the impact of social programs and policies. This type of research question could be ‘How effective was XYZ treatment-first program that combined housing and required drug/alcohol abstinence in keeping women with substance use disorder in stable housing 2 years after the program ended?’

Each of the above types of research can answer important questions about the population, setting or intervention being provided. This can help practitioners determine which option is most effective or cost-efficient or that clients are most likely to adhere to. In turn, this data allows social workers to make informed choices on what to keep in their practice, and what needs changing. 

How to build research skills while in school

There are a number of ways to build research skills while a student.  BSW and MSW programs require a research course, but there are other ways to develop these skills beyond a single class:

• Volunteer to help a professor working in an area of interest. Professors are often excited to share their knowledge and receive extra assistance from students with similar interests.
• Participate in student research projects where you’re the subject. These are most often found in psychology departments. You can learn a lot about the informed consent process and how data is collected by volunteering as a research participant.  Many of these studies also pay a small amount, so it’s an easy way to earn a bit of extra money while you’re on campus. 
• Create an independent study research project as an elective and work with a professor who is an expert in an area you’re interested in.  You’d design a research study, collect the data, analyze it, and write a report or possibly even an article you can submit to an academic journal.
• Some practicum programs will have you complete a small evaluation project or assist with a larger research project as part of your field education hours. 
• In MSW programs, some professors hire students to conduct interviews or enter data on their funded research projects. This could be a good part time job while in school.
• Research assistant positions are more common in MSW programs, and these pay for some or all your tuition in exchange for working a set number of hours per week on a funded research project.

How to build research skills while working as a social worker

Social service agencies are often understaffed, with more projects to complete than there are people to complete them.

Taking the initiative to volunteer to survey clients about what they want and need, conduct an evaluation on a program, or seeing if there is data that has been previously collected but not analyzed and review that data and write up a report can help you stand out from your peers, be appreciated by management and other staff, and may even lead to a raise, a promotion, or even new job opportunities because of the skills you’ve developed.

Benefits of being a social worker with strong research skills

Social workers with strong research skills can have the opportunity to work on various projects, and at higher levels of responsibility. 

Many can be promoted into administration level positions after demonstrating they understand how to conduct, interpret and report research findings and apply those findings to improving the agency and their programs.

There’s also a level of confidence knowing you’re implementing proven strategies with your clients. 

Social work research jobs

There are a number of ways in which you can blend interests in social work and research. A quick search on Glassdoor.com and Indeed.com retrieved the following positions related to social work research:

• Research Coordinator on a clinical trial offering psychosocial supportive interventions and non-addictive pain treatments to minimize opioid use for pain.
• Senior Research Associate leading and overseeing research on a suite of projects offered in housing, mental health and corrections.
• Research Fellow in a school of social work
• Project Policy Analyst for large health organization
• Health Educator/Research Specialist to implement and evaluate cancer prevention and screening programs for a health department
• Research Interventionist providing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for insomnia patients participating in a clinical trial
• Research Associate for Child Care and Early Education
• Social Services Data Researcher for an organization serving adults with disabilities.
• Director of Community Health Equity Research Programs evaluating health disparities.

No matter your population or area of interest, you’d likely be able to find a position that integrated research and social work. 

Social work practice and research are and should remain intertwined. This is the only way we can know what questions to ask about the programs and services we are providing, and ensure our interventions are effective. 

There are many opportunities to develop research skills while in school and while working in the field, and these skills can lead to some interesting positions that can make a real difference to clients, families and communities. 

Drake, R. E., Goldman, H., Leff, H. S., Lehman, A. F., Dixon, L., Mueser, K. T., et al. (2001). Implementing evidence-based practices in routine mental health service settings. Psychiatric Services, 52(2), 179-182. 

Engel, R.J., & Schutt, R.K. (2017). The Practice of Research in Social Work. Sage.

National Association of Social Workers. (n.d). Evidence Based Practice. Retrieved from: https://www.socialworkers.org/News/Research-Data/Social-Work-Policy-Research/Evidence-Based-Practice

Social Work Research Methods That Drive the Practice

Social workers advocate for the well-being of individuals, families and communities. But how do social workers know what interventions are needed to help an individual? How do they assess whether a treatment plan is working? What do social workers use to write evidence-based policy?

Social work involves research-informed practice and practice-informed research. At every level, social workers need to know objective facts about the populations they serve, the efficacy of their interventions and the likelihood that their policies will improve lives. A variety of social work research methods make that possible.

Data-Driven Work

Data is a collection of facts used for reference and analysis. In a field as broad as social work, data comes in many forms.

Quantitative vs. Qualitative

As with any research, social work research involves both quantitative and qualitative studies.

Quantitative Research

Answers to questions like these can help social workers know about the populations they serve — or hope to serve in the future.

• How many students currently receive reduced-price school lunches in the local school district?
• How many hours per week does a specific individual consume digital media?
• How frequently did community members access a specific medical service last year?

Quantitative data — facts that can be measured and expressed numerically — are crucial for social work.

Quantitative research has advantages for social scientists. Such research can be more generalizable to large populations, as it uses specific sampling methods and lends itself to large datasets. It can provide important descriptive statistics about a specific population. Furthermore, by operationalizing variables, it can help social workers easily compare similar datasets with one another.

Qualitative Research

Qualitative data — facts that cannot be measured or expressed in terms of mere numbers or counts — offer rich insights into individuals, groups and societies. It can be collected via interviews and observations.

• What attitudes do students have toward the reduced-price school lunch program?
• What strategies do individuals use to moderate their weekly digital media consumption?
• What factors made community members more or less likely to access a specific medical service last year?

Qualitative research can thereby provide a textured view of social contexts and systems that may not have been possible with quantitative methods. Plus, it may even suggest new lines of inquiry for social work research.

Mixed Methods Research

Combining quantitative and qualitative methods into a single study is known as mixed methods research. This form of research has gained popularity in the study of social sciences, according to a 2019 report in the academic journal Theory and Society. Since quantitative and qualitative methods answer different questions, merging them into a single study can balance the limitations of each and potentially produce more in-depth findings.

However, mixed methods research is not without its drawbacks. Combining research methods increases the complexity of a study and generally requires a higher level of expertise to collect, analyze and interpret the data. It also requires a greater level of effort, time and often money.

The Importance of Research Design

Data-driven practice plays an essential role in social work. Unlike philanthropists and altruistic volunteers, social workers are obligated to operate from a scientific knowledge base.

To know whether their programs are effective, social workers must conduct research to determine results, aggregate those results into comprehensible data, analyze and interpret their findings, and use evidence to justify next steps.

Employing the proper design ensures that any evidence obtained during research enables social workers to reliably answer their research questions.

Research Methods in Social Work

The various social work research methods have specific benefits and limitations determined by context. Common research methods include surveys, program evaluations, needs assessments, randomized controlled trials, descriptive studies and single-system designs.

Surveys involve a hypothesis and a series of questions in order to test that hypothesis. Social work researchers will send out a survey, receive responses, aggregate the results, analyze the data, and form conclusions based on trends.

Surveys are one of the most common research methods social workers use — and for good reason. They tend to be relatively simple and are usually affordable. However, surveys generally require large participant groups, and self-reports from survey respondents are not always reliable.

Program Evaluations

Social workers ally with all sorts of programs: after-school programs, government initiatives, nonprofit projects and private programs, for example.

Crucially, social workers must evaluate a program’s effectiveness in order to determine whether the program is meeting its goals and what improvements can be made to better serve the program’s target population.

Evidence-based programming helps everyone save money and time, and comparing programs with one another can help social workers make decisions about how to structure new initiatives. Evaluating programs becomes complicated, however, when programs have multiple goal metrics, some of which may be vague or difficult to assess (e.g., “we aim to promote the well-being of our community”).

Needs Assessments

Social workers use needs assessments to identify services and necessities that a population lacks access to.

Common social work populations that researchers may perform needs assessments on include:

• People in a specific income group
• Everyone in a specific geographic region
• A specific ethnic group
• People in a specific age group

In the field, a social worker may use a combination of methods (e.g., surveys and descriptive studies) to learn more about a specific population or program. Social workers look for gaps between the actual context and a population’s or individual’s “wants” or desires.

For example, a social worker could conduct a needs assessment with an individual with cancer trying to navigate the complex medical-industrial system. The social worker may ask the client questions about the number of hours they spend scheduling doctor’s appointments, commuting and managing their many medications. After learning more about the specific client needs, the social worker can identify opportunities for improvements in an updated care plan.

In policy and program development, social workers conduct needs assessments to determine where and how to effect change on a much larger scale. Integral to social work at all levels, needs assessments reveal crucial information about a population’s needs to researchers, policymakers and other stakeholders. Needs assessments may fall short, however, in revealing the root causes of those needs (e.g., structural racism).

Randomized Controlled Trials

Randomized controlled trials are studies in which a randomly selected group is subjected to a variable (e.g., a specific stimulus or treatment) and a control group is not. Social workers then measure and compare the results of the randomized group with the control group in order to glean insights about the effectiveness of a particular intervention or treatment.

Randomized controlled trials are easily reproducible and highly measurable. They’re useful when results are easily quantifiable. However, this method is less helpful when results are not easily quantifiable (i.e., when rich data such as narratives and on-the-ground observations are needed).

Descriptive Studies

Descriptive studies immerse the researcher in another context or culture to study specific participant practices or ways of living. Descriptive studies, including descriptive ethnographic studies, may overlap with and include other research methods:

• Informant interviews
• Census data
• Observation

By using descriptive studies, researchers may glean a richer, deeper understanding of a nuanced culture or group on-site. The main limitations of this research method are that it tends to be time-consuming and expensive.

Single-System Designs

Unlike most medical studies, which involve testing a drug or treatment on two groups — an experimental group that receives the drug/treatment and a control group that does not — single-system designs allow researchers to study just one group (e.g., an individual or family).

Single-system designs typically entail studying a single group over a long period of time and may involve assessing the group’s response to multiple variables.

For example, consider a study on how media consumption affects a person’s mood. One way to test a hypothesis that consuming media correlates with low mood would be to observe two groups: a control group (no media) and an experimental group (two hours of media per day). When employing a single-system design, however, researchers would observe a single participant as they watch two hours of media per day for one week and then four hours per day of media the next week.

These designs allow researchers to test multiple variables over a longer period of time. However, similar to descriptive studies, single-system designs can be fairly time-consuming and costly.

Learn More About Social Work Research Methods

Social workers have the opportunity to improve the social environment by advocating for the vulnerable — including children, older adults and people with disabilities — and facilitating and developing resources and programs.

Learn more about how you can earn your  Master of Social Work online at Virginia Commonwealth University . The highest-ranking school of social work in Virginia, VCU has a wide range of courses online. That means students can earn their degrees with the flexibility of learning at home. Learn more about how you can take your career in social work further with VCU.

From M.S.W. to LCSW: Understanding Your Career Path as a Social Worker

How Palliative Care Social Workers Support Patients With Terminal Illnesses

How to Become a Social Worker in Health Care

Gov.uk, Mixed Methods Study

MVS Open Press, Foundations of Social Work Research

Open Social Work Education, Scientific Inquiry in Social Work

Open Social Work, Graduate Research Methods in Social Work: A Project-Based Approach

Routledge, Research for Social Workers: An Introduction to Methods

SAGE Publications, Research Methods for Social Work: A Problem-Based Approach

Theory and Society, Mixed Methods Research: What It Is and What It Could Be

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In This Article Expand or collapse the "in this article" section Social Work Research Methods

Introduction.

• History of Social Work Research Methods
• Feasibility Issues Influencing the Research Process
• Measurement Methods
• Existing Scales
• Group Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs for Evaluating Outcome
• Single-System Designs for Evaluating Outcome
• Program Evaluation
• Surveys and Sampling
• Introductory Statistics Texts
• Advanced Aspects of Inferential Statistics
• Qualitative Research Methods
• Qualitative Data Analysis
• Historical Research Methods
• Meta-Analysis and Systematic Reviews
• Research Ethics
• Culturally Competent Research Methods
• Teaching Social Work Research Methods

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• Community-Based Participatory Research
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• Evidence-based Social Work Practice: Finding Evidence
• Evidence-based Social Work Practice: Issues, Controversies, and Debates
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Social Work Research Methods by Allen Rubin LAST REVIEWED: 28 April 2017 LAST MODIFIED: 14 December 2009 DOI: 10.1093/obo/9780195389678-0008

Social work research means conducting an investigation in accordance with the scientific method. The aim of social work research is to build the social work knowledge base in order to solve practical problems in social work practice or social policy. Investigating phenomena in accordance with the scientific method requires maximal adherence to empirical principles, such as basing conclusions on observations that have been gathered in a systematic, comprehensive, and objective fashion. The resources in this entry discuss how to do that as well as how to utilize and teach research methods in social work. Other professions and disciplines commonly produce applied research that can guide social policy or social work practice. Yet no commonly accepted distinction exists at this time between social work research methods and research methods in allied fields relevant to social work. Consequently useful references pertaining to research methods in allied fields that can be applied to social work research are included in this entry.

This section includes basic textbooks that are used in courses on social work research methods. Considerable variation exists between textbooks on the broad topic of social work research methods. Some are comprehensive and delve into topics deeply and at a more advanced level than others. That variation is due in part to the different needs of instructors at the undergraduate and graduate levels of social work education. Most instructors at the undergraduate level prefer shorter and relatively simplified texts; however, some instructors teaching introductory master’s courses on research prefer such texts too. The texts in this section that might best fit their preferences are by Yegidis and Weinbach 2009 and Rubin and Babbie 2007 . The remaining books might fit the needs of instructors at both levels who prefer a more comprehensive and deeper coverage of research methods. Among them Rubin and Babbie 2008 is perhaps the most extensive and is often used at the doctoral level as well as the master’s and undergraduate levels. Also extensive are Drake and Jonson-Reid 2007 , Grinnell and Unrau 2007 , Kreuger and Neuman 2006 , and Thyer 2001 . What distinguishes Drake and Jonson-Reid 2007 is its heavy inclusion of statistical and Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) content integrated with each chapter. Grinnell and Unrau 2007 and Thyer 2001 are unique in that they are edited volumes with different authors for each chapter. Kreuger and Neuman 2006 takes Neuman’s social sciences research text and adapts it to social work. The Practitioner’s Guide to Using Research for Evidence-based Practice ( Rubin 2007 ) emphasizes the critical appraisal of research, covering basic research methods content in a relatively simplified format for instructors who want to teach research methods as part of the evidence-based practice process instead of with the aim of teaching students how to produce research.

Drake, Brett, and Melissa Jonson-Reid. 2007. Social work research methods: From conceptualization to dissemination . Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

This introductory text is distinguished by its use of many evidence-based practice examples and its heavy coverage of statistical and computer analysis of data.

Grinnell, Richard M., and Yvonne A. Unrau, eds. 2007. Social work research and evaluation: Quantitative and qualitative approaches . 8th ed. New York: Oxford Univ. Press.

Contains chapters written by different authors, each focusing on a comprehensive range of social work research topics.

Kreuger, Larry W., and W. Lawrence Neuman. 2006. Social work research methods: Qualitative and quantitative applications . Boston: Pearson, Allyn, and Bacon.

An adaptation to social work of Neuman's social sciences research methods text. Its framework emphasizes comparing quantitative and qualitative approaches. Despite its title, quantitative methods receive more attention than qualitative methods, although it does contain considerable qualitative content.

Rubin, Allen. 2007. Practitioner’s guide to using research for evidence-based practice . Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

This text focuses on understanding quantitative and qualitative research methods and designs for the purpose of appraising research as part of the evidence-based practice process. It also includes chapters on instruments for assessment and monitoring practice outcomes. It can be used at the graduate or undergraduate level.

Rubin, Allen, and Earl R. Babbie. 2007. Essential research methods for social work . Belmont, CA: Thomson Brooks Cole.

This is a shorter and less advanced version of Rubin and Babbie 2008 . It can be used for research methods courses at the undergraduate or master's levels of social work education.

Rubin, Allen, and Earl R. Babbie. Research Methods for Social Work . 6th ed. Belmont, CA: Thomson Brooks Cole, 2008.

This comprehensive text focuses on producing quantitative and qualitative research as well as utilizing such research as part of the evidence-based practice process. It is widely used for teaching research methods courses at the undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral levels of social work education.

Thyer, Bruce A., ed. 2001 The handbook of social work research methods . Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

This comprehensive compendium includes twenty-nine chapters written by esteemed leaders in social work research. It covers quantitative and qualitative methods as well as general issues.

Yegidis, Bonnie L., and Robert W. Weinbach. 2009. Research methods for social workers . 6th ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

This introductory paperback text covers a broad range of social work research methods and does so in a briefer fashion than most lengthier, hardcover introductory research methods texts.

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Practice-Based Research in Social Work: A Guide for Reluctant Researchers

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Cheryl Simmill-Binning, Practice-Based Research in Social Work: A Guide for Reluctant Researchers, The British Journal of Social Work , Volume 43, Issue 1, February 2013, Pages 197–199, https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcs203

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Research, it is said, is rarely high on the agenda of social workers. However, during my time working alongside practitioners, I have learnt that invariably they ask the right questions and hold many of the skills to seek successful solutions. With the guidance of this new volume, most practitioners could undertake research, especially if they sought to develop practice-based research (PBR). PRB places practitioners at the heart of the research examining questions that ‘emerge from practice in ways that inform practice’ (p. 5). This has to be a good thing in an era when social workers are urged to be a thinking practitioner as proposed by the Social Work Task Force (2009) and the Munro Review (2012) . We should be supporting, enabling and encouraging social workers to see research as ‘the norm’, not as the ‘add-on’ it has become.

By engaging with Dodd and Epstein, the social worker's research fears should melt away. The authors lay bare the research ‘paradigm wars’; they discuss the concept of ‘gold standard’ research and the associated randomised control trials, which, for a newcomer to the field, can appear overwhelming in their demands. In its place, the authors present a manageable research process that values practitioner knowledge and introduces a systematic approach to achievable research.

Starting with an explanation of PBR based on a firm foundation of experience, they move onto what Dodd and Irwin describe as ‘possibly the booooooring’ bits, the fundamentals of the research process. However, I did not find this section in the least boring, as it was well written, accessible and not without humour. The reader is guided through a series of easy-to-follow, practice-based research processes, including design, methodology, application, analysis and review. Each chapter starts with a ‘purpose’ box and concludes with a summary of points. There is a detailed guide on the use of various IT packages used to store and analyse data that should allay fears about dealing with qualitative and, dare I say, the sometimes fearful subject of quantitative data.

Their purpose, explains Dodd and Epstein, is to take an explanatory approach to research that takes account of ‘practice imperatives’ rather than ‘research priorities and protocols’ which they see as determining academic research. They acknowledge the need for ‘strategic compromise’ along the way—a necessary activity rarely acknowledged by the proponents of randomised control trials and similar approaches. Literatures reviews are put in their place, locating within, rather than preceding, the research process. Challenging issues such as ethics are not glossed over and feature strongly in the discussion on ‘compromise’. This degree of exploration into research is important at a time when organisations may be considered to be adding needless layers of complexity and mystique to programme evaluation and social work research.

However, one omission in the text is that the book does not discuss the professional environment within which research is, or is not, supported. Unless managers, fellow social workers and other professionals acknowledge the need for resources, especially time, to carry out the research, little progress can be made. This observation is based on evaluations where social workers were willing and able to research but those around them were more cautious and rather reticent to ‘allow’ such work to be undertaken. This may well be a discussion to be had once social workers have experienced PBR and their findings are making an impact upon delivery and policy. For now, Dodd and Epstein have produced an engaging and informative volume that should move practitioners along the route to research.

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So why is research important to social work?

As social workers, we train to be able to see the multitude of invisible lines within the systems that hold our lives together, or divide us. We learn to recognize the disconnects, and to help our clients figure out how to reconnect the dots. We view the world through a lens of person-in-environment, that is to say, we seek to understand the context in which our clients live.

The social sciences have an inherent obligation not only to keep abreast of current relevant research, but also to be competent enough to apply new treatments and insights within their practice. Social workers are truly dedicated professionals who have to complete a minimum number of continuing education credits to continue practicing. We don’t get to pick and choose the individuals we help, which is why we have to constantly develop our cultural competencies to identify the strengths of those we are helping. So, research is important to social work because it helps us be effective!

According to the NASW, research in social work helps us:

• Assess the needs and resources of people in their environments
• Evaluate the effectiveness of social work services in meeting peoples needs
• Demonstrate relative costs and benefits of social work services
• Advance professional education in light of changing contexts for practice
• Understand the impact of legislation and social policy on the clients and communities we serve (Retrieved from http://www.socialworkpolicy.org/research)

I still do not know what my research question will be for my senior thesis, but I am beginning to pare down some topics that interest me such as:

• Effects of childhood trauma
• The school-to-prison pipeline
• Trauma-informed therapies within prisons
• Effectiveness of prison diversion programs

8 thoughts on “ So why is research important to social work? ”

try explaining in detail

article quite informing for an amateur in research

In doing any of interventions;evidence based is needed. Not intuition,you need to do assessment of the problem before intervention.Then again you need to to evaluation on the service you provided if has positive impact to your client.

It is a very informative piece of work

try explaining in detail the points listed as to where the nexus between Research and Social work lie

are there means to conduct dual research projects with your institutions?

Akulu muziika zithu zonse ap tisamachiteso kuvutika iyayi 😏😏

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What is Practice Research in Social Work - Definitions, Barriers and Possibilities

• Lars Uggerhøj Aalborg University

Practice is subject to increasing pressure to demonstrate its ability to achieve outcomes required by public policy makers.  As part of this process social work practice has to engage with issues around advancing knowledge-based learning processes in a close collaboration with education and research based perspectives. This has given rise to approaches seeking to combine research methodology, field research and practical experience. Practice research is connected to both “the science of the concrete” – a field of research oriented towards subjects more than objects and “mode 2 knowledge production” – an application-oriented research where frameworks and findings are discussed by a number of partners. Practice research is defined into two approaches: practice research – collaboration between practice and research – and practitioner research – processes controlled and accomplished by practitioners. The basic stakeholders in practice research are social workers, service users, administrators, management, organisations, politicians and researchers. Accordingly, practice research is necessarily collaborative, involving a meeting point for different views, interests and needs, where complexity and dilemmas are inherent. Instead of attempting to balance or reconcile these differences, it is important to respect the differences if collaboration is to be established. The strength of both practice and research in practice research is to address these difficult challenges. The danger for both fields is to avoid and reject them.

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SP2 ranked #8 among Schools for Social Work by U.S News & World Report

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Penn’s School of Social Policy & Practice (SP2) has been named #8 among Schools for Social Work in the 2024 U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate Schools rankings . This marks SP2’s highest ranking ever, and the second time that the School has appeared in the list’s top 10.

U.S. News periodically ranks programs in the sciences, social sciences and humanities, health, and many other fields, based solely on academic experts’ ratings. The Best Schools for Social Work category is part of the U.S. News Best Health Schools ranking.

 “At SP2, we prepare the next generation of social change agents to embrace the highest standards of research and practice, and to apply their knowledge and partnership where they are needed most in the world,” said SP2 Dean Sara “Sally” Bachman, PhD .  “Within our unique, interdisciplinary school, students in social work programs learn alongside future policy makers and nonprofit leaders from our world-class faculty, in the setting of an urban, Ivy League university. We are proud that our commitment to a transformative education has resulted in a rise in the school of social work rankings.”

Dedicated to the passionate pursuit of social innovation, impact, and justice, SP2 offers five top-ranked, highly respected degree programs: Master of Social Work , Doctorate in Clinical Social Work , PhD in Social Welfare , Master of Science in Nonprofit Leadership , and Master of Science in Social Policy (MSSP) . For students interested in enhancing their MSSP with a certificate in data analytics, SP2 also offers the MSSP Program + Data Analytics for Social Policy Certificate .

SP2’s transdisciplinary centers and initiatives yield innovative ideas and better ways to shape policy and service delivery in a number of research areas: children, women, and family well-being; climate inequality; data-driven policy analysis and evidence-based practice; economic security; health equity, mental health, and aging; identity, immigration, and racism; mass incarceration, homelessness, and substance use; and social innovation, philanthropy, and nonprofit management.

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Call for Book Chapters- Social Work and Social Change: Education, Research and Practice (Springer)

Social work as human service-based profession has a long and rich history of being intricately linked to social change. From early reformers advocating for better living conditions to contemporary practitioners working for poverty, inequality, racial justice, crime, drug addiction and so on, the profession has consistently strived to create a more equitable society. This edited book aims to explore the complex relationship between social work and social change, exploring how the profession contributes to positive societal transformations and how the concept of social change itself is understood within the social work field. Social work, at its core, is a profession dedicated to promoting social justice and fostering positive societal transformations. While social work is inherently tied to the pursuit of social justice and equity, little is known about the specific mechanisms through which the profession actively contributes to social change. This book seeks to bridge this gap by offering a comprehensive exploration of the multifaceted ways in which social work education, practice, and research intersect with and contribute to broader processes of social transformation. Furthermore, this proposed volume explores the intricate and dynamic relationship between social work and social change, focusing on the critical roles of education, practice, and research in driving meaningful progress. We will explore how these three pillars work together to equip social workers with the knowledge, skills, and evidence-based practices necessary to be effective change agents. The contribution in this volume should be in position to explore the following questions:    

• How is the concept of social change itself conceptualized within social work broadly and particularly in its different specializations (e.g., child welfare, gerontology, mental health, social justice social policy, community organizing etc.)? 
• How does social work education, research and practice contribute to social change at micro, macro and meso levels?
• What are the various frameworks and approaches used by social workers to promote social change?
• How do issues of power, oppression, and social justice influence social work's role in social change? 
• How can social work better measure and document its impact on social change efforts?
• How do global and technological advancements influence the ways social workers approach and achieve social change? 

We invite social work educators, scholars, practitioners, and researchers engaged in social work and social change to submit chapters that address the central themes outlined above. Contributions can be theoretical, empirical, research-based or practice-oriented, offering diverse perspectives on how each area (education, practice, research) contributes to social change within the social work. We aim to include 15 chapters (maximum) for this proposed volume. 

Dr. Koustab Majumdar, email- [email protected]

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Abstract : Abstract is a brief synopses of article. It provides a brief but comprehensive summary of the article. 

Citing : In the context of academic writing, citing is the act of acknowledging the sources of information you have used when writing your work.

Citation:  A citation gives credit to a source, and contains publication information such as author(s), title and date.

DOI (digital object identifier): It is a unique alphanumeric string assigned to a digital object, mainly a scholarly article, to provide a persistent link to its location on the internet. 

In-Text Citation : It is a brief note that appears within the body of the paper and briefly identifies the cited work by its author and date of publication. An in-text citation should always match the corresponding entry in the reference list at the end of paper.

Paraphrasing : A paraphrase restates another’s idea (or your own previously published idea) in your own words. 

Plagiarism : It is the act of presenting the words, ideas, or images of another as your own; it denies creators of content the credit they are due. 

Quoting : It is the act of reproducing the exact wording used by the original author. Direct quotations appear within quotation marks and end with a citation.

Reference : It contains details about one cited work, generally including four elements:  author, date, title, and source.  

Reference List : It identifies all the sources you cited in the text of your paper. It generally is at the end of the paper and definitely on a new page after the text of your paper. 

APA Style is the most common writing style used in college and career. Its purpose is to promote excellence in communication by helping writers create clear, precise, and inclusive sentences with a straightforward scholarly tone. It addresses areas of writing such as how to

• format a paper so it looks professional;
• credit other people’s words and ideas via citations and references to avoid plagiarism; and
• describe other people with dignity and respect using inclusive, bias-free language.

APA Style is primarily used in the behavioral sciences, which are subjects related to people, such as psychology, education, and nursing. It is also used by students in business, engineering, communications, and other classes. Students use it to write academic essays and research papers in college, and professionals use it to conduct, report, and publish scientific research.

In addition, APA Style provides you with a powerful tool that will hep you avoid deliberate or unintentional plagiarism. Please review the Avoiding Plagiarism Guide created by the APA experts to understand what two common types of plagiarism are and how to avoid them. 

Why is learning citations important? Citations help readers understand where the information used in your paper comes from, enabling them to trace the path of that information. When readers wish to explore a specific point or reference cited in the text, citations make it easier by providing information about your sources in a standardized format.

Besides showing readers where you obtained information, using citations also has a strong ethical purpose. In academic writing, it is important to credit ideas that are not your own. Citations allow you to integrate the ideas of others with your own thoughts in a fair and honest way.

The reference formats for APA Style manuals are as follows:

APA Style provides a foundation for effective scholarly communication because it helps authors present their ideas in a clear and concise, and organized manner.  Uniformity and consistency enable readers to (a) focus on the ideas being presented rather than formatting and (b) scan works quickly for key points, findings, and sources. When style works best, ideas flow logically, sources are credited appropriately, and papers are organized predictably and consistently. 

Students are encouraged to first learn about APA Style by reading works written in APA Style. A couple of guides created by APA experts from the American Psychological Association can help you with that:

Anatomy of a Journal Article   https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/anatomy-journal-article.pdf

Scholarly journal articles share a common anatomy or structure. Each part of an article serves a specific purpose. The handout of  Anatomy of a Journal Article explains how journal articles are structured and how to become more efficient at reading and understanding them. Understanding the structure of a scholarly article and the purpose of each part helps you grasp a strategy called targeted reading. Targeted reading means to read specific sections of research articles first to determine if the article seems useful for your research topic. This way you will save time, find useful article faster, and choose which articles to read in full.

Reading and Understanding Abstracts https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/reading-abstracts.pdf

Abstracts are short summaries of scientific research articles. The handout of Reading & Understanding Abstracts explains the definition and purpose of abstracts and the benefits of reading them, including analysis of a sample abstract. The skill of reading and understanding abstracts of scholarly articles not only saves time but also helps you conduct better research and write more effectively.

APA Style Writing Principles https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/writing-principles.pdf

The poster created by APA experts shows the three main principles of APA Style: clarity, precision, and inclusion and lists steps on how to achieve them. As a student writer, you always should write your academic paper with clarity, precision, and inclusion. 

Research Article Activity https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/apa-style-research-activity.pdf

Reading research articles is not an easy task for you as a student. The Research Article Activity designed by APA Style experts aims to make it easy to read and understand a scholarly article. This activity worksheet helps you find, cite, analyze, and summarize a research article. Completing this activity breaks down a lengthy research article into easily understandable chunks. This way helps you better understand the study in the article before you write about it. 

The information in this Guide   is courtesy of   the official APA Style website by the American Psychological Association.

Source Credit: Information on this LibGuide comes from APA Style website https://apastyle.apa.org/ This website has a wealth of free and authoritative resources designed to help anyone new to APA Style.

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Practice educators passionate about role, but lack of support risks pushing them out of it, finds study

Research for social work england highlights 'emotional labour' of being a practice educator and lack of workload relief, but also practitioners' strong motivations to develop next generation of professionals.

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The study found that practitioners were sustained in the role by the motivation to develop the next generation of social workers, further their own skills and knowledge and, in some cases, redress their own negative experiences as a student.

But it also highlighted the hidden “emotional labour” practice educators experienced, particularly in working with struggling students, along with a lack of workload relief and insufficient pay as posing a risk to their retention.

Call for greater recognition and better pay

Practice educators involved in the research called for greater recognition of the role, including through some form of regulation by Social Work England, fair and consistent remuneration, clear, defined career progression opportunities and workload relief.

The regulator commissioned the study to improve its understanding of practice educators as part its wider objectives of strengthening the transition from education to employment and ensuring newly qualified social workers are equipped to meet its professional standards.

Social Work England’s education and training standards require course providers to ensure that “practice educators are on the register and that they have the relevant and current knowledge, skills and experience to support safe and effective learning”.

However, the regulator does not have a direct link with practice educators, unlike with approved mental health professionals (AMHPs) or best interests assessors (BIAs), who can voluntarily ‘annotate’ their entries on the register to acknowledge their specialist role. Also, unlike with AMHPs and BIAs, Social Work England is not responsible for regulating practice educator training.

What the research involved

• A literature review of the existing evidence base relating to practice education.
• Four focus groups attended by 127 practice educators, and individual interviews with 28.
• Analysis of placement handbooks from 23 of the 83 social work course providers in England.
• A focus group with representatives of nine course providers.
• A survey of local authorities, in their capacity as placement providers, answered by 14 of the 153 councils.

Lack of existing evidence base

Researchers found the existing evidence base around practice education was limited, with existing studies often dated and local, rather than national, and some lacking methodological and analytical rigour.

While the research base primarily focused on the views of practice educators, there was a “notable lack of research on the views of practice educators from minoritised groups”, the study found.

Key messages from the literature included the complex web of relationships – with students, employers, course providers and, sometimes, on-site practice supervisors – that practice educators had to manage, and the “emotional labour” involved in the role.

This is defined as the process of suppressing or modifying your behaviour to manage workplace expectations and was particularly present when working with students at risk of failing their placement.

‘Emotional labour’ when working with struggling students

This theme was raised frequently in the study’s focus groups with practice educators, with practitioners saying they had to strike a “delicate balance” between addressing concerns and keeping the student’s confidence up, to enable them to make required changes to their practice.

“One practice educator vividly recalled a supervision where the student told her that failing ‘is going to ruin my life’ and spoke of the ‘weight of the damage, the emotional weight…’ that this placed upon her,” the report said.

In line with previous studies, practice educators described the experience as undermining their own confidence and wellbeing or making them feel shame, and the report warned that this created risks that they would “step away from the role”.

What mitigated against this was having support and the opportunity to debrief, whether with their team, their supervisor or the student’s course provider, as well as the provider offering personal, practice and academic support to the student.

Practice educators also said they were increasingly working with students with additional needs, such as mental health conditions, autism, dyslexia or ADHD, and needed more training to do so.

While they felt passionate about supporting these students, some practice educators felt underequipped and under-supported in doing so, meaning they had to do hours of research outside of working hours to identify helpful strategies.

The critical role of managers and teams

Practitioners said the support of their team, manager and organisation was critical to their success as a practice educator and the chances of them continuing in the role, however, this support was variable, the study found.

Practice educators said that having different members of their team provide support to a student, for example, by giving them shadowing opportunities or reflecting with them, contributed to the success of a placement. In some cases, these extended to a fellow social worker sharing aspects of the practice educator role.

Where this support network was not available within their team, practitioners looked outside, to workforce development colleagues, the local teaching partnership or fellow practice educators within the organisation.

Focus group attendees said they would welcome more opportunities to network with fellow practice educators.

Lack of workload relief

A significant issue identified in the literature review and also reported by practice educators interviewed for the study was managing a full caseload alongside a placement, because of the lack of workload relief they received when they took on a student.

This resulted in them often doing placement paperwork outside of working hours, and the conflicting demands on them were particularly acute when they were working with a struggling student.

Practitioners said that the lack of relief reflected a lack of recognition for the role, when compared to AMHPs and BIAs, and some said it was leading them to contemplate abandoning practice education.

Course providers, meanwhile, reported that practice educators’ lack of workload relief meant that students were commonly used as “an extra pair of hands”, resulting in some feeling “broken” before they even registered as social workers.

Insufficient remuneration

Some practice educators said they did not receive any additional pay for taking on a student, while more broadly, remuneration was found to be poor or inconsistent, again reflecting findings from the literature review.

Practitioners also saw this as indicative of a lack of recognition for the role. This issue was felt most acutely by independent practice educators – those not employed by the organisation hosting the student. They reported that this meant organisations were reliant on their goodwill, with some saying they were taking on fewer and fewer students because of the lack of pay.

“Several observed that when travel costs to placements and other expenses were factored in, their wage generally amounted to ‘a pittance’ and there was a sense of incredulity that this was tolerated,” the report said.

Institutional racism 

Researchers also interviewed 13 practice educators from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds (described as global majority in the report) and 16 who had a disability or identified as neurodivergent, for example, because they had ADHD.

Both groups expressed a determination to provide global majority or disabled or neurodivergent students, respectively, with a better experience on placement than they had experienced themselves while studying.

However, the report said that the “overriding theme” of the interviews with global majority practice educators was the “experience of institutional racism”, including a lack of training and development compared with white British colleagues and being exclusively matched with students from a similar background to them.

Some also experienced discriminatory attitudes from students, to which they strove to respond in a way that helped the student unpick their biases. While this was beneficial to the student, “confronting students’ discriminatory views was a painful, additional burden to global majority practice educators”.

Inconsistent support for disabled and neurodivergent practice educators

Some disabled and neurodivergent practice educators said they felt well supported in their role, for example through the provision of reasonable adjustments, which they generally attributed to having a good manager, rather than to the wider organisation.

However, others reported ineffective support due to unsupportive managers or high management turnover. As a result, some ended up championing not only their own needs, but those of neurodivergent and disabled colleagues and students.

Practice educators’ recommendations for change

Based on their interviews with practice educators, the research team identified six changes practitioners wanted to see happen:

• Social Work England enabling practice educators to annotate the register with their role.
• Fair and consistent remuneration for practice educators.
• Consistency of placement paperwork and student assessment frameworks across course providers (though this was not supported by course providers interviewed by the research team).
• Greater representation of diverse voices in practice educator training and a wider range of training and career development opportunities for practice educators.
• Clear, defined routes for career progression within the role including opportunities for ‘experienced’ status, and more equitable routes into practice education, especially for global majority social workers.
• Workload relief and protected time.

What Social Work England will do with study

On the back of the report, Social Work England said it wanted to “build a clearer picture of the practice education workforce” to inform future options for regulating them as a distinct group. It said these options included:

• Annotation of the register for practice educators.
• Setting additional professional standards for practice educators.
• Developing new education and training standards for practice educator courses; the current standards – the practice educator professional standards (PEPS) – are overseen by the British Association of Social Workers.
• Setting continuing professional development requirements for practice educators.
• Amending Social Work England’s education and training standards for qualifying courses.
• Setting new guidance for course providers.

practice educators , social work education , Social Work England , social work research

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