Researching practice: opportunities for reconfiguring nearness Dr. Jean Dillon and Dr. Pat Cartney JSWEC 2015

Outline for our session To (very briefly) revisit the relationship between social work practice and research. To consider the importance of messy knowledge and practice near research. To explore the opportunities and challenges presented where social work education is sited outside the university. To debate and hear your views.

Classic research practice divide Schon (1981 & 1983) – classic disconnect between the academy and practice: world’s apart Technical rational v swampy lowlands EBP privileging knowledge in hierarchies - htthttp:// htthttp:// Rise of academic capitalism (I can delete if you want to use this as it is your term – just thought it fitted well here…)

Messier knowledge Practice wisdom – social work as art – narrative tradition Eraut (2004) – knowledge elucidation: how we know what we know as professionals Ferguson (2011) the ‘performance’ of child protection social work Munro (2011) ‘informed intuition’ Froggett & Briggs (2012) practice near research

Your slides Could you talk here re the intro of step up and frontline and how issues around where social work is sited might impact on the relationship between research and practice? Though complex and lots of feelings about the intro of specialist progs looks like these may be the direction of future travel etc (not getting into pros and cons – just noting this is the case at the moment) Then making links with practice near research and asking whether siting social work closer to practice might have the potential to reconfigure the research – practice relationship?

Group debate In what ways do you think situating social work physically closer to practice might impact positively on the social work research – practice relationship? What have we got to build on? What are some of the notes of caution here?