This article discusses the development of a co-produced research proposal. The authors reflect on the process of this work and some of the challenges that were experienced by a team who had a mix of lived, clinical and academic experience of the research topic. We highlight the need to embed trauma informed principles into co-produced research and the ways in which doing so can support the development of co-produced work. As such, the article focuses on how we established safety, choice, collaboration, trustworthiness and empowerment during the process of developing the proposal. Within this we offer our reflection on some of the challenges we experienced and our learning from undertaking this work.

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Trauma informed participatory research: Reflections on co-producing a research proposal

Abstract The involvement of people with lived experience (service participants) is mandatory within UK social work education, although the form this takes varies significantly between organisations. This article outlines the final phase of a two-year research project focused on understanding the mechanisms which support and develop the meaningful and sustainable involvement of people with lived experience in social work education within a Higher Education Institution and a Local Authority Teaching Partnership in the East of England. The research team worked collaboratively using co-production principles and possessed lived experience backgrounds. This article presents findings from a qualitative study using interviews and questionnaires that aimed to deepen understanding of the concept and practice of embedding lived experience in social work education. Thematic analysis identified a dedicated role with the motivation and drive to achieve sustained inclusion in creative ways was the underpinning of meaningful and sustainable lived experience involvement. This was alongside opportunities to shape diverse and relational learning experiences, values reflecting compassionate and respectful relationships, and power sharing, accompanied by practical resources, can create a culture change. Together, these principles, practices and values have been instrumental in creating meaningful and sustainable lived experience involvement within social work education. 

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‘Is Gold Dust to My Mind’: Exploring Lived Experience in Social Work Education

This paper reports findings of a study exploring educator and student experiences of teaching and learning trauma-material. Two participant samples were recruited. Sample one included seven educators teaching trauma-material across two Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) delivering Social Work Programmes approved by Social Work England. Sample two included eight student social workers enrolled at the HEIs. Methods included educator semi-structured interviews and a student survey. Analysis used a deductive-inductive thematic approach. Highest frequency of comparable statements within data were coded into five themes indicative of trauma-informed teaching principles identified within literature including: (1) ensuring safety (2) maximising choice (3) encouraging collaboration (4) establishing trustworthiness and (5) prioritising empowerment. A sixth theme (6) promoting resilience was identified. Findings highlight educators’ understanding of vicarious trauma and relevance for risk of (re)traumatisation in the classroom of students’ experience of childhood adversity. This understanding was embedded in educators’ pedagogical practice(s) and how trauma-informed teaching principles were implicitly applied was identified. Experiences of receiving teaching in a trauma-informed way were shared by students. Findings indicate essential to ‘best practice’ is educators’ need to enhance awareness of trauma-informed teaching to help moderate risks to students and themselves associated with exposure to trauma-material in the classroom. 

Enhancing ‘best practice’ in trauma-informed social work education: insights from a study exploring educator and student experiences

Critical reflexivity is an epistemological position that brings together the social constructionist stance of reflexivity with the emancipatory goals of critical social science. Critical reflexivity is a vial precondition for critical reflection, yet not sufficient in its own right to activate the transformative deconstruction and reconstruction processes that critical reflection enables. The related concepts of reflection, reflexivity, and critical reflection will also be discussed. A critically reflexive stance is essential to further a critical social work agenda that is committed to social justice and human rights, despite the challenges presented by the contemporary, neoliberal context.

Critical Reflexivity and Social Work Practice

This study aims to support curriculum development by integrating service-users’, students’, and academic educators’ perspectives regarding the mental health knowledge Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) students should possess upon graduation. Set in the Israeli context, thirty-nine semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten service-users, ten academic-educators, ten BSW, and nine Master of Social Work (MSW) students. Data were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. Analysis revealed three major themes: 1. Person-centered approach—A humane, non-patronizing, relationship-based approach forms the foundation of mental health practice 2. Negotiating the role of bio-medical knowledge—Contributions and perils of bio-medical knowledge to social work education and practice. 3. Mental health knowledge broadened—Additional topics valuable to BSW graduates’ knowledge, such as knowledge about service-users’ experiences, recovery approach, and critical mental health. The discussion presents four educational-insights derived from the findings: 1. Articulate recovery as the mental health framework for person-centered approach. 2. Teach bio-medical knowledge from a person-centered holistic perspective. 3. Ground person-centeredness in a socio-political context. 4. Involve service-users and practitioners in academic education. These insights are discussed in the context of current debates in social work education, such as person-centeredness, service-user involvement, and neo-liberal individualization. 

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/02615479.2023.2229839?needAccess=true&role=button

What do BSW graduates need to know about mental health?: educational insights derived from integrating service-users’, students’, and academic-educators’ perceptions

This paper shares learning from a project designed as part of a UK regional Teaching Partnership (TP) development to enhance service user and carer, or what we prefer to term ‘Educator-by Experienc...

Stewart Chappell

Papers

Enhancing ‘Educator by Experience’ Led Social Work Training: Lessons learned from the development of a Teaching Partnership funded project