Duration: 120 mins
Practice research in the context of social work engages practitioners, researchers, service users, experts by experience, and educators in a negotiated and collaborative process of inquiry. The dialogue between researchers and practice stakeholders plays a major role in identifying emerging research issues directly from practice, defining research questions, conducting research, interpreting the research results and transferring them to practice. Practice research aims not only at producing research-based knowledge on practice-relevant issues but also at societal change through research collaboration. This workshop addresses the question of impact and influence that challenges co-produced research processes, particularly considering short-time funded research. Transformational change is dependent on good relationships and good evidence. This highlights the need for long-term partnerships to truly affect systems change. In this workshop, we discuss methodological, theoretical, and empirical issues addressing research in practice and transformational change. How should research aiming for social change be designed as a research partnership and what form of impact literacy should be embedded in these designs? The impact of research might be visible immediately, or it can take years to become apparent; and ideally, the contribution of the research to society, the environment, and/or the economy cumulate and have implications for generations to come. What forms of partnership processes have been proven successful in gaining sustainable impact?
Maija Jäppinen (D.Soc.Sc., licensed social worker) works as an assistant professor of social work at the University of Helsinki and scientific co-leader of the Helsinki Practice Research Centre (HPRC). Her research focuses on social work practices and work environments, especially in child and family services, gender violence, migration and multilinguality, and human rights in social work. She currently leads a collaborative practice research project on interaction skills in child and family social work. Recently she has contributed a chapter on teaching practice research to master’s students to the Routledge Handbook on Social Work Practice Research. She is also a member of the advisory board of the International Community of Practice Research in Social Work.
Maija’s research profile and details on publications and projects.
Contact email: maija.jappinen@helsinki.fi
Ilse Julkunen is a professor of social work at the University of Helsinki and scientific co-leader of the Helsinki Practice Research Centre (HPRC). Together with Professor Gillian Ruch she has co-edited Relationship-Based Research in Social Work: Understanding Practice Research. Recently she has contributed two chapters on co-creation with young people and knowledge transition to the Routledge Handbook on Social Work Practice Research and an article on Connecting social work research with policy and practice: Issues of people, power and politics in European social work research. Her research concerns vulnerable young people, transitions, practice research methodology and comparative research. She is also a member of the advisory board of the International Community of Practice Research in Social Work.
Ilse’s research profile and details on publications and projects.
Contact email: ilse.julkunen@helsinki.fi