Participatory Social Work: Research, Practice, Education

Participatory Social Work: Research, Practice, Education
Participatory Social Work: Research, Practice, Education

Contributor(s): Mariusz Granosik (Editor), Anita Gulczyńska (Editor), Małgorzata Kostrzyńska (Editor), Brian Littlechild (Editor)
Subject(s): Social Sciences, Education, Sociology
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego
Keywords: participatory social work; social workers; live in poverty; homelessness; Romanian Roma immigrants; social justice; street workers; social work students; PAR
Summary/Abstract: Participatory social work raises anew the issues of credibility of knowledge, processes of its creation and use, the purpose of social work, and its relationship to politics. It has given the impetus to the emergence of participatory research teams or, in the more radical viewpoints, to the gradual de-academization of both the empirical and theoretical aspects of social work.In this book we focus on raising controversial issues to encourage debate, reflection and discussion concerning participatory social work with a special attention given to participatory research. As a collective monograph prepared by an international team of researchers, it should help social workers, social pedagogues, politicians, sociologists, policy makers, social activists, etc. from different geographic and socio-cultural contexts to develop critical reflection on implications and consequences of doing their research, practice and teaching in participatory ways.“The book is the result of a longer discussion about Participatory Action Research (PAR) in different contexts. This book focuses on methodological and practical experiences of PAR in a more radical perspective. Not only opportunities but also pitfalls and challenges are worked out.”Prof. Dr. Gunther Graßhoff (the book reviewer)

Series: Uniwersytet Łódzki

E-ISBN-13: 978-83-8142-349-6
Print-ISBN-13: 978-83-8142-348-9
Page Count: 374
Publication Year: 2019
Language: English

Here We Are: Our Journey to Participatory Research

Here We Are: Our Journey to Participatory Research
(Here We Are: Our Journey to Participatory Research)

Author(s):Mariusz Granosik, Anita Gulczyńska, Małgorzata Kostrzyńska, Brian Littlechild
Language:English
Subject(s):Methodology and research technology, Social development, Social differentiation, Family and social welfare, Rural and urban sociology, Social Norms / Social Control, Sociology of Education, Identity of Collectives
Page Range:7-14
No. of Pages:8

Price: 4.50 €

Co-producing Community with Disabled Researchers and Citizens: the Challenges and Potential for Successful Collaboration

Co-producing Community with Disabled Researchers and Citizens: the Challenges and Potential for Successful Collaboration
(Co-producing Community with Disabled Researchers and Citizens: the Challenges and Potential for Successful Collaboration)

Author(s):Geof Dix, Sue Hollinrake, Sara Spencer
Language:English
Subject(s):Methodology and research technology, Social development, Social differentiation, Family and social welfare, Sociology of Education, Identity of Collectives
Page Range:17-32
No. of Pages:16
Summary/Abstract:The chapter discusses the development of a collaborative research project, involving a service user-led Coalition of Disabled People, a local authority and a local university. The collaboration was set up to inform the Coalition’s strategic planning and to raise awareness of disability issues locally, mapping assets and resources for/of disabled people, as well as needs and resource gaps. The initial pilot of this “listening project” is critiqued here. It adopted an inclusive approach to the differing roles and competences within the project co-ordinating team, whose members worked together to recruit and train disabled researchers and engage a small sample of participants. The project drew on ideas from emancipatory disability research to inform its approach. The discussion evaluates the benefits and challenges of a collaborative approach to data collection, analysis and dissemination of findings, to achieve meaningful change locally, critically reflecting on praxis and the project’s effectiveness.

Price: 4.50 €

Participatory Budgeting: Action Research Procedures in Community Work

Participatory Budgeting: Action Research Procedures in Community Work
(Participatory Budgeting: Action Research Procedures in Community Work)

Author(s):Witold Mandrysz
Language:English
Subject(s):Social development, Social differentiation, Family and social welfare, Rural and urban sociology, Social Norms / Social Control, Identity of Collectives
Page Range:33-45
No. of Pages:13
Summary/Abstract:Implementation of actions based on consensus and social dialogue builds a proper climate for cooperation among all social forces in order to solve a given problem or achieve a definite goal, also at local community level (Cohen, 1978; Ross, 1967). One of the manifestations of the practical implementation of the concept of participatory democracy and civil dialogue at the local community level, are actions within assumptions of participatory budgeting which may be defined as a form of “collective” decision-making process, within the framework of which, the inhabitants along with the local authorities co-create the city budget (Ganuza, Baiocchi, 2012; Górski 2007). A specific method that enables the checking of the level of willingness of members of a community to undertake common project actions is a participating intervention research. Planning extensive and costly environmental projects such as revitalization projects, should be preceded with implementation of a participatory budget according to methodology of participating intervention research.

Price: 4.50 €

Doing Participatory Research with Families that Live in Poverty: the Process, Potential and Limitations

Doing Participatory Research with Families that Live in Poverty: the Process, Potential and Limitations
(Doing Participatory Research with Families that Live in Poverty: the Process, Potential and Limitations)

Author(s):Chiara Panciroli, Francesca Corradini
Language:English
Subject(s):Methodology and research technology, Social development, Social differentiation, Family and social welfare, Rural and urban sociology, Social Norms / Social Control
Page Range:47-63
No. of Pages:17
Summary/Abstract:The contribution discusses a practical application of the participatory research approach in the field of poverty. The research was implemented with a high degree of participation, and the collaboration of some families who were living in a marginalized neighbourhood of Reggio Emilia, a small city in Northern Italy. In the contribution, the potentialities and limits of this approach are presented. In particular, the benefits from the perspectives of all participants are described and analysed. The research process contributed to strengthening the co-researchers’ capabilities and raised their consciousness. In conclusion, a description of the usefulness and added value that participatory research provides to the field of social work and the future of research in this field is given.

Price: 4.50 €

Participatory Response to Needs of People Who Experience Homelessness: the Example of “Homeful – Homeless” Box Project

Participatory Response to Needs of People Who Experience Homelessness: the Example of “Homeful – Homeless” Box Project
(Participatory Response to Needs of People Who Experience Homelessness: the Example of “Homeful – Homeless” Box Project)

Author(s):Małgorzata Kostrzyńska, Monika Wojtczak
Language:English
Subject(s):Methodology and research technology, Social development, Social differentiation, Family and social welfare, Rural and urban sociology, Social Norms / Social Control
Page Range:65-83
No. of Pages:19
Summary/Abstract:Social perceptions of homeless people seem to be deeply rooted, homogeneous and stereotypical. From that stems a stereotypical approach also to the needs of people who experience homelessness. Consequentially, that leads to a situation in which the assistance they receive is frequently inadequate, and thus ineffective. In that context, based on the example of the social model of disability, P. Beresford (2014) shows that it was not impairment that was the main cause of the social exclusion of disabled people, but the way society responded to people with impairments (Oliver, 2012: 43). Having in mind analogical perception of homeless people that functions in society, a thesis can be made, that it is not the mere fact of being homeless that is the reason behind the social exclusion of homeless people, but the way they are seen by others, and the way society reacts to them as a consequence of that perception. Beresford, among other things, suggests: to direct between service users and service providers; and to enhance service users’ participation in social work education, practice and research actions towards “targeting the disabling society” (Oliver, 2009: 51); to abolish the divisions (Beresford, 2014). Our participatory practice co-constructed with people who experience homelessness refers to those postulates through “Homeful – Homeless” Box [original name: Skrzynka “Domni-Bezdomni”]. It breaks down stereotypes related to homeless people by engaging different social actors; it abolishes the division between users and providers of services, because the boundaries between them clearly become blurred due to the activities undertaken as part of the Box; and finally, it includes users of services within different spheres of life, including practice, because it is them who become experts on their own needs and the actions they take, and it is them who become involved in helping other people, or who initiate that help. Therefore, sometimes it is difficult to differentiate between a volunteer and a participant of the project. The aim of this contribution is to recreate the actions that enhance the participatory potential of the social work project (“Homeful – Homeless” Box). The chapter starts with social construction of the homeless and its consequences with regard to the selection and the quality of social services. As a response to the problem of the social service system we present the “Homeful – Homeless” Box – the idea behind it, its evolution, and later on, also the social work with the homeless in the course of the project. Next, we present efforts to enhance the participatory potential of “Homeful – Homeless” Box.

Price: 4.50 €

Empowering Community: Theatre of the Oppressed as a Tool of Homeless People’s Emancipation

Empowering Community: Theatre of the Oppressed as a Tool of Homeless People’s Emancipation
(Empowering Community: Theatre of the Oppressed as a Tool of Homeless People’s Emancipation)

Author(s):Eliška Černá, Lenka Polánková
Language:English
Subject(s):Methodology and research technology, Social differentiation, Family and social welfare, Rural and urban sociology, Social Norms / Social Control
Page Range:87-100
No. of Pages:16
Summary/Abstract:In the chapter we describe a process and outcomes of a research project which aimed to find out knowledge about “social housing” for those who are poor, and how we can co-produce, within what action strategies, such knowledge. We take pedagogy of the oppressed as a theoretical grounding. Emancipatory action research is chosen as a research design, specifically theatre of the oppressed: a participatory methodology that can be used for knowledge co-production. In the chapter, we introduce screenplay of theatrical performance Having Home Means Being Housed!. Further, we present business with poverty in flats as a central theme. Specific action strategies were co-developed while performing the play. Key common issues identified within them are decisions not to give up, building solidarity and making the problem public. In the final part of the chapter we discuss the use of theatre of the oppressed as a tool of empowering marginalised communities.

Price: 4.50 €

Contemporary Scenario of Participatory Social Work Research in Rural India

Contemporary Scenario of Participatory Social Work Research in Rural India
(Contemporary Scenario of Participatory Social Work Research in Rural India)

Author(s):Hilaria Soundari
Language:English
Subject(s):Methodology and research technology, Social development, Social differentiation, Family and social welfare, Rural and urban sociology, Social Norms / Social Control
Page Range:101-113
No. of Pages:13
Summary/Abstract:Rural India, holding 68.84% of its population as per the census of 2011 (Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, 2011), stands with an outstanding model of participatory practices in social work research. As the “we feeling” is common among the rural people, indeed it becomes more feasible to enable them to participate in the research process. Based on the divergent socio-economic and cultural background of the rural Indian situation, choosing the best research practices becomes a herculean task. It may certainly enable the bringing into the limelight the struggles and strengths of the marginalized and less privileged of the rural society. The present study strives in identifying the relevant research tools for rural population, which is relatively open to the participatory research approach. It highlights the relevance and suitability of adopting these methods in social work research, especially the collaborative research practices, combining the researcher and service users’ perspective which are found to be more effective and informative. The various constraints and difficulties faced by the researchers also are portrayed and examined in relation with the rural study at the grass root level.

Price: 4.50 €

Empowering Migrant Youth through Participatory Approach in Social Work

Empowering Migrant Youth through Participatory Approach in Social Work
(Empowering Migrant Youth through Participatory Approach in Social Work)

Author(s):Rita Bertozzi
Language:English
Subject(s):Methodology and research technology, Social development, Social differentiation, Family and social welfare, Migration Studies
Page Range:117-131
No. of Pages:15
Summary/Abstract:Young immigrants have the greatest risk of exclusion in many European countries, due to educational inequalities, both in outcomes and opportunities, and to socio-economic family conditions. The paper proposes a reflection on two projects involving immigrant minors in Italy. The first is a participatory research project on child labour/work conducted with a group of working immigrant teenagers; the second is a tutoring project conducted with immigrant university students to support foreign students at risk of failure. Through participatory approaches, the two experiences read differently the child work and the school failure of the children of immigrants, highlighting the different perspectives with which the two issues can be analyzed and addressed. It shows the potential of participatory methods in offering different perspectives and in empowering young people, as well as the possible implications for social work. The results provide useful insights for working with immigrant subjects in other areas as well.

Price: 4.50 €

Participatory Research with Romanian Roma Immigrants Living in Polish Settlements: Methodology, Results and Barriers

Participatory Research with Romanian Roma Immigrants Living in Polish Settlements: Methodology, Results and Barriers
(Participatory Research with Romanian Roma Immigrants Living in Polish Settlements: Methodology, Results and Barriers)

Author(s):Katarzyna Czarnota
Language:English
Subject(s):Methodology and research technology, Social development, Social differentiation, Family and social welfare, Rural and urban sociology, Migration Studies, Social Norms / Social Control
Page Range:133-148
No. of Pages:16
Summary/Abstract:Systemic segregation and economic exclusion of Romanian Roma immigrants in Poland, starting in the 1990s, has deprived this group from the right to work, health care, welfare system and adequate housing. Roma encampments built from recycled materials represent the most radical forms of collective response to the problem of access to housing. A group consisting of sociologists and activists conducted the first Polish sociological intervention studies with this community living in Polish encampments. The final report has been created in cooperation with Roma people. These studies show problems which this community is facing, making it impossible for the authorities to further ignore the presence of these people in Poland. The result of this research has been used to support social change in this community, and continues to support claims made to local authorities to change their policy. In this chapter I focus on the analysis of existing forms of cooperation with this community and the challenges faced by people who want to enter into the emancipatory forms of cooperation with Roma immigrants, presenting the possible fields of cooperation and obstacles.

Price: 4.50 €

Ethnopsychological Consultation: a Tool for Strengthening of Partnerships in Multicultural Social Work

Ethnopsychological Consultation: a Tool for Strengthening of Partnerships in Multicultural Social Work
(Ethnopsychological Consultation: a Tool for Strengthening of Partnerships in Multicultural Social Work)

Author(s):Davide Galesi
Language:English
Subject(s):Social psychology and group interaction, Methodology and research technology, Social development, Social differentiation, Rural and urban sociology, Social Norms / Social Control
Page Range:149-163
No. of Pages:15
Summary/Abstract:During international migration immigrants and refugees are exposed to difficulties that can lead to various psychosocial problems. In order to guarantee appropriate support, social workers are required to investigate and comprehend these clients’ psychological and socio-anthropological background, especially when they are not socialized into Western culture. In multicultural social work, the international debate on how best to reach this objective has developed several theoretical perspectives. Against such a backdrop, this chapter investigates ethnopsychological consultation as a professional tool that can be used by social workers, educators and health care professionals. A case study using participant observation in Italy serves as the basis for the discussion on how this technique puts the theoretical principles of multicultural social work into practice, highlighting how it helps professionals establish stronger partnerships with their clients.

Price: 4.50 €

Difficulties Faced by Researchers in Participatory Practices: An Example of Research with Roma People

Difficulties Faced by Researchers in Participatory Practices: An Example of Research with Roma People
(Difficulties Faced by Researchers in Participatory Practices: An Example of Research with Roma People)

Author(s):Marek Mikulec, Kateřina Glumbíková
Language:English
Subject(s):Methodology and research technology, Social development, Social differentiation, Family and social welfare, Rural and urban sociology, Social Norms / Social Control
Page Range:165-177
No. of Pages:13
Summary/Abstract:The number of socially excluded localities and persons residing in them has significantly increased in the Czech Republic over the last ten years. Socially excluded localities have their specific characteristics and environment that very often concern exclusively the Roma localities. The participatory research aims to gain access to the locality followed by the establishment of communication and cooperation with local residents. These relationships, however, show a number of difficulties that in this contribution are reconstructed based on the ethnographic research conducted in a socially excluded locality inhabited by the Roma community. Some partial recommendations have been formulated for accessing the field. These are recommendations relating to the individual characteristics of the researcher, the specific characteristics of the environment and the characteristics of the target group (the Roma community).

Price: 4.50 €

Theory and Practice of Participatory Approach in Schools: an Example of the Future Youth Schools – a Forums Project

Theory and Practice of Participatory Approach in Schools: an Example of the Future Youth Schools – a Forums Project
(Theory and Practice of Participatory Approach in Schools: an Example of the Future Youth Schools – a Forums Project)

Author(s):Anna Jarkiewicz
Language:English
Subject(s):Methodology and research technology, Social development, Sociology of Education
Page Range:181-196
No. of Pages:16
Summary/Abstract:The active participation of youth has indeed become a key theme across a broad range of service delivery. All organisations concerned with children and young people now promote participation as a “central issue” (Wright, Haydon, Morgan, 2002). Across the EU there is a need to increase educational attainment and active civic participation by European youth. FYS-Forums is responding to this by creating a model for school – led global citizenship youth forums. But even the most carefully planned project can run into unexpected issues. In my contribution a critical review of FYS-FORUM project will be presented.

Price: 4.50 €

Dilemmas in Participatory Approaches to Social Work

Dilemmas in Participatory Approaches to Social Work
(Dilemmas in Participatory Approaches to Social Work)

Author(s):Alice Gojová, Kateřina Glumbíková
Language:English
Subject(s):Methodology and research technology, Social development, Social differentiation, Family and social welfare, Rural and urban sociology, Social Norms / Social Control
Page Range:197-210
No. of Pages:14
Summary/Abstract:Both the community work and the participatory research can be understood as approaches used in social work that increase participants’ capacity to improve their lives and facilitate social change for the benefit of disadvantaged groups. In participatory approaches, dilemmas can arise, which are defined as a situation where a social worker faces two mutually exclusive choices, which he/she has to choose from. We also perceive dilemmas in both approaches as emerging in the interaction with the systems of values. The paper presents the findings from two research projects whose objectives included the identification of dilemmas from two areas, namely from community work and from a participatory approach to homeless mothers. The dilemmas are divided into two categories; from the perspectives of community workers and from a researcher’s point of view. To interpret data we used the theory of empowerment and the typology of power by the authors John French and Bertram Raven (1960). As part of the discussion, the paper provides an overview of dilemmas in participatory approaches to social work research, on the example of the above-mentioned projects.

Price: 4.50 €

Lines of Activity Addressed to Families: Limiting the Participatory Approach as with Casework Practitioners

Lines of Activity Addressed to Families: Limiting the Participatory Approach as with Casework Practitioners
(Lines of Activity Addressed to Families: Limiting the Participatory Approach as with Casework Practitioners)

Author(s):Izabela Kamińska-Jatczak
Language:English
Subject(s):Methodology and research technology, Social development, Social differentiation, Family and social welfare, Rural and urban sociology, Social Norms / Social Control
Page Range:211-233
No. of Pages:23
Summary/Abstract:The chapter shows the course of activity of family assistants – caseworkers situated in the field of child protection practice in Poland. The contribution undertakes a reflection on the constraints in the implementation of the participatory approach which is found in the process of activities performed by assistants. These constraints are related to the scale of the problems faced by family members, as well as the wider determinants of institutional and legislative issues that prescribe the formal framework for the activity of caseworkers. The chapter describes the types of participation of family assistants and users that show the real face of participation, located in the field of social work with families, in particular in relation to child protection practice.

Price: 4.50 €

Doing Participatory Action Research: Reflections on Criticality and Social Justice from the Researchers’ Perspective

Doing Participatory Action Research: Reflections on Criticality and Social Justice from the Researchers’ Perspective
(Doing Participatory Action Research: Reflections on Criticality and Social Justice from the Researchers’ Perspective)

Author(s):Di Bailey, Adam Barnard, Linda Kemp
Language:English
Subject(s):Methodology and research technology, Social development, Social differentiation, Family and social welfare, Rural and urban sociology, Social Norms / Social Control
Page Range:235-251
No. of Pages:17
Summary/Abstract:This chapter explores Participatory Action Research (PAR) from the perspective of researchers who have applied PAR practises in two projects in the United Kingdom which are offered here as case studies. The first case study is a PAR based project which contemplates PAR by utilising the concept of “talking” as an activity for co-constructing knowledge about how young people who self-harm could be better helped when visiting their General Practitioners (GPs). The second is a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP), funded to improve a UK local authority’s children’s service and participation of children and young people in service design and delivery. Each case study is written and reflected upon by an individual contributor to this chapter. The chapter outlines what participatory action research is and advocates why PAR is valuable for Social Work. Case studies are then introduced and critically discussed leading to the authors’ critical self-reflections and concluding comments.

Price: 4.50 €

Challenges Faced by Social Pedagogy Academics in the Course of Participatory Action Research with Homeless People and Street Workers as Co-Researchers

Challenges Faced by Social Pedagogy Academics in the Course of Participatory Action Research with Homeless People and Street Workers as Co-Researchers
(Challenges Faced by Social Pedagogy Academics in the Course of Participatory Action Research with Homeless People and Street Workers as Co-Researchers)

Author(s):Mariusz Granosik, Anita Gulczyńska, Anna Jarkiewicz, Małgorzata Kostrzyńska
Language:English
Subject(s):Higher Education , Methodology and research technology, Family and social welfare, Rural and urban sociology
Page Range:253-274
No. of Pages:22
Summary/Abstract:In taking the idea of participatory action research (PAR) seriously it seems necessary to change both power relation and epistemological perspectives. The basic research relation is perceived as bilateral, which means there are two or more subjects (sometimes collective) to be involved in- researcher and user/client- but most of interpretive research is focused on user perspective only. But there are more participants in the field who create social reality and produce interpretations “from the inside” (for example practitioners), and academic perspectives also plays their role in the process. So finally at least three viewpoints are needed to be recognized and scrutinized in participatory action research: academics, practitioners, and service users. Designing the research project titled: Onto-epistemologies of street social work with homeless people our initial idea was an interpretive assessment to be implemented in the field of such street working. We have realised that there are two quite different discourses (theoretical and practical) being developed during our meetings with practitioners, and no liaison work to be done. Homeless users’ perspectives being added a few months later made the reflexion more complicated. The main objective of this contribution is to share challenges that need to be faced by academics in the course of PAR co-produced with street workers and homeless service users. The focus is on the problem of defining homelessness, power negotiations, differences in conceptualisations of assessment, and the position of service users in the research. Because PAR is also recognised as a way to make the process of knowledge creation more democratic, some political dilemmas and limitations are being taken into consideration as well.

Price: 4.50 €

Learning Together: Social Work Students and Service Users Reflect Critically on Their Diverse Life Experiences

Learning Together: Social Work Students and Service Users Reflect Critically on Their Diverse Life Experiences
(Learning Together: Social Work Students and Service Users Reflect Critically on Their Diverse Life Experiences)

Author(s):Doris Böhler
Language:English
Subject(s):Higher Education , Methodology and research technology, Social development, Rural and urban sociology
Page Range:277-286
No. of Pages:10
Summary/Abstract:In this chapter, the author introduces the concept of a project week where social work students study together with a diverse group of unemployed social work clients. This involves a learning approach as a formative research process, focusing on establishing and maintaining relationships and highlights communalities. The subject matter references a public forum organized by, “aqua muehle Vorarlberg”, during which students and service users present the results of their collective project week. The issues researched focus on unemployment, education, qualification, illnesses, discrimination and inclusion. A document analysis of learning journals together with records of feedback sessions and presentations of outcomes form the basis of this contribution. A series of new possibilities arise when groups form equally, leaving their “normalities” of familiar learning environments behind. The experiences are evaluated positively by the participants despite being described as exhausting, emotional and difficult. Role ambiguity contributes to a valuable experience of exchange.

Price: 4.50 €

“Creating Links”: The Involvement of Service Users and Carers in the Provision of Social Work Education in England

“Creating Links”: The Involvement of Service Users and Carers in the Provision of Social Work Education in England
(“Creating Links”: The Involvement of Service Users and Carers in the Provision of Social Work Education in England)

Author(s):Author Not Specified
Language:English
Subject(s):Methodology and research technology, Family and social welfare
Page Range:287-302
No. of Pages:16
Summary/Abstract:This chapter sets out the processes and outcomes of the involvement of a group of service users and carers in the provision of social work education at the School of Health and Social Work University of Hertfordshire, England. The School was one of the first adopters of service user input into the provision of learning and teaching in social work in England. User involvement in social work services is well established in the discourse about social work services in relation to some service user groups in the UK, although its reality and extent in reality is contested, and service users and carers’ meaningful involvement in social work education on a practical level is less frequently discussed. The chapter sets out the model of participation adopted and evolved over the period of existence of the group of service users and carers who chose the name, “Creating Links” for their steering committee.

Price: 4.50 €

The Project of Artistic Workshops with Students: Achievements and Challenges of Participatory Practice in University Curriculum

The Project of Artistic Workshops with Students: Achievements and Challenges of Participatory Practice in University Curriculum
(The Project of Artistic Workshops with Students: Achievements and Challenges of Participatory Practice in University Curriculum)

Author(s):Magdalena Sasin
Language:English
Subject(s):Higher Education , Methodology and research technology
Page Range:303-322
No. of Pages:20
Summary/Abstract:The paper deals with the issue of participatory practice of students, presented on the basis of the project Artistic Interventions: Self-Development Through Art. It was conducted among students of the University of Łódź, Faculty of Educational Sciences, in the academic year 2015/2016. The assumptions and proceedings of this project were presented through the lens of participatory practice in the academic environment. The workshops offered within the project met the repeatedly expressed self-educational artistic needs of students. The shortage of such classes was one of the main findings that emerged from research on self-education carried out by the author among students at the Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Łódź, in 2012. The research was carried out using the dialogue method, utilising a group interview technique. Observations made by the author during the organization of workshops, enrolment, classes and preparation for the final concert and exhibitions of Artistic Interventions were tested out against the remarks and experiences of the teachers conducting the workshops. Unexpectedly, offering supplemental, voluntary self-educational activities posed some problems. Although organizing free of charge artistic classes for students is not easy, even achieving this appears not to be sufficient. Creating and sustaining participatory practice among students seems to be essential. This practice would, in the long term, result in increasing their activity and responsibility for their educational process. This situation is related to the issue of staff participation that is more and more often mentioned in the context of university education in Poland.

Price: 4.50 €

Radicalising Social Work: Involving Everyone; Including All Our Knowledges

Radicalising Social Work: Involving Everyone; Including All Our Knowledges
(Radicalising Social Work: Involving Everyone; Including All Our Knowledges)

Author(s):Peter Beresford
Language:English
Subject(s):Methodology and research technology, Social development, Rural and urban sociology, Social Norms / Social Control
Page Range:325-338
No. of Pages:14
Summary/Abstract:This discussion focuses on participation as an approach to radicalising social work, drawing on the experience of the author and many others in the UK and beyond. It explores the modern history of participation in policy and ideology, highlighting the empirical evidence that many people seem to feel they have little say over their lives and institutions affecting them and regard this as problematic. It highlights inequalities in participation and explores different ideological approaches to participation; their strengths and weaknesses, the emergence of service user movements; the gains from involving service users in research and the methodological and practical issues of excluding and including people’s “experiential” or first hand knowledge as both practitioners and service users, the overlaps between the two groups, the importance of involving practitioners too and key issues emerging for participation.

Price: 4.50 €

The Potential and Reality for the Inclusion of Service Users in Social Work

The Potential and Reality for the Inclusion of Service Users in Social Work
(The Potential and Reality for the Inclusion of Service Users in Social Work)

Author(s):Brian Littlechild
Language:English
Subject(s):Methodology and research technology, Social development, Rural and urban sociology, Social Norms / Social Control
Page Range:339-357
No. of Pages:19
Summary/Abstract:This chapter sets out to examine the potential and the reality for the inclusion of service users in social work services, social work education, and social work research. It includes special reference to such work with the most vulnerable service users, for example certain people with mental health problems. The chapter will critically examine the theoretical framework, potential of, and reality for, the inclusion of service users in social work services, social work education, and social work research. The discussion will critically analyse the rationale, challenges and opportunities of involving service users and carers in such areas using ideas around the ethics of social work as set out in the International Federation of Social Worker’s (IFSW)/International Association of Schools of Social Work’s (IASSW) Ethical Codes (2012) and their Definition of Social Work (2014) and further analyzed against S. Arnstein’s “ladder of participation”. In examining how we can work towards the greatest level of participation in co-production, the chapter will use examples from projects carried out by the author.

Price: 4.50 €

Pitfalls of Participatory Approaches

Pitfalls of Participatory Approaches
(Pitfalls of Participatory Approaches)

Author(s):Marek Czyżewski
Language:English
Subject(s):Education, Methodology and research technology, Rural and urban sociology
Page Range:359-368
No. of Pages:10
Summary/Abstract:Over recent decades, “participation” has become one of the leading mottos of reform-oriented movements in such diverse fields as democracy, technology, finance, management, mass media, culture, social research methodology and, last but not least, social work. Before our eyes the “change of function” (in the terminology of Karl Mannheim) has taken place: what in the sixties and seventies was an incorporation of subversive and alternative tendencies, has been absorbed step by step in mainstream discourses on politics, economy, social science and the helping professions. The discursive dominance of participatory ideas can be manifested when they constitute a prominent message in recent handbooks in the fields mentioned above or provide apparently self-evident justifications in typical applied research projects. This trend needs to be reflected upon if we are not to succumb to the self-destructive potential of participatory approaches.

Price: 4.50 €

Back to list

Participatory Social Work: Research, Practice, Education Participatory Social Work: Research, Practice, Education

Here We Are: Our Journey to Participatory Research

Here We Are: Our Journey to Participatory Research (Here We Are: Our Journey to Participatory Research)

Co-producing Community with Disabled Researchers and Citizens: the Challenges and Potential for Successful Collaboration

Co-producing Community with Disabled Researchers and Citizens: the Challenges and Potential for Successful Collaboration (Co-producing Community with Disabled Researchers and Citizens: the Challenges and Potential for Successful Collaboration)

Participatory Budgeting: Action Research Procedures in Community Work

Participatory Budgeting: Action Research Procedures in Community Work (Participatory Budgeting: Action Research Procedures in Community Work)

Doing Participatory Research with Families that Live in Poverty: the Process, Potential and Limitations

Doing Participatory Research with Families that Live in Poverty: the Process, Potential and Limitations (Doing Participatory Research with Families that Live in Poverty: the Process, Potential and Limitations)