Good and proper: Considering ethics in practice research

Abstract

As social workers increasingly take up the challenge of researching social work practice, ethical issues arise for which they have been inadequately prepared. With the growth of qualitative data collection methods that better suit many practice research enterprises more assistance has become available on ethical and political issues, but it is argued here that the convergence of practice and research in agency settings poses distinctive dilemmas. These centre on social work's complex unit of attention and the consequent need for multi-dimensional research strategies, and on the status of the practitioner-researcher who often straddles both practice and research domains, whether as an insider or outsider to the research site. As agencies accelerate their efforts to provide guidelines and structures to manage ethical research, social workers themselves should take the initiative to shape these structures in order to retain flexible and creative research opportunities.