Learning from research for contemporary social work practice - The Lived Experience of Young People in Residential Care

Social work research seminar – ‘Learning from research for contemporary social work practice’ - The Lived Experience of Young People in Residential Care.

Would you like to enhance your social work knowledge base and evidence-based practice experience?

Do you want to learn more about research taking place in the region and how it can inform your social work practice?

We know that evidence-based practice is crucial to good social work. It helps keep us professionally curious.

However, in the busy world of front line social work , we know that it can be challenging to keep up to date with the latest research, to make sense of it and understand how it applies to the day to day issues that social workers deal with.

The West Midlands Social Work Teaching Partnership is committed to developing links between research and practice in social work. We want to support practitioners to engage with research that can help them with the real-world issues they work with daily.

We are therefore hosting a series of quarterly Learning from Research Seminars which will feature a researcher who will present a piece of research with key findings and messages for contemporary social work practice. Time is also allowed for questions and reflections for learning and moving forwards. These sessions will provide learning for both adults and children’s practitioners, with opportunity to feedback some messages from practice to help inform future research.

Our next seminar will be held on 9th September 2022 14:00-15:30. This will be led Helen Woods from the University of Birmingham, who will present findings of her research into the lived experience of young people in residential care, the impact of placement breakdown, change and movement in the care system. The session will deliver key messages for social workers, with opportunities for small group discussion to help apply the learning to contemporary practice. Particular focus will be on the voice of the child and how best to engage children and young people in research and activities which are about them.

This session is only available to members of the West Midlands Social Work Teaching Partnership, and people with lived experience who are linked to one of our partner organisations.