While both practice and research in the realm of social work across the world are constantly developing, social work practice research has achieved remarkable progress due to its innovative approaches integrating of practice and research. Inspired by the increased need for effective social work research to address the dynamic and complex practice in China, Peking University-The Hong Kong Polytechnic University China Social Work Research Centre has been committed to developing and promoting of social work practice research in recent years. The centre has already organised several international seminars on practice research and developed a series of pertinent training programmes, which have significantly advanced practice research, particularly action research in the context of China. In November 2021, an international conference entitled “Dialogue: International Conference on Social Work Practice Research” was jointly held by the centre, the Department of Sociology of Peking University and the Department of Applied Social Sciences of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. A group of leading scholars who had greatly contributed to the development of social work practice research were invited to attend the conference and share their new ideas and the latest research in the field. The conference gained great success, and some speakers were invited to write their reports and publish in the China Journal of Social Work. The theme of this special issue is “Social work practice research: philosophy, ethic and practices”, which contains seven articles based on the invited talks given at the conference.
The first article by Irwin Epstein was mainly inspired by the work of Greek philosopher Alexander Nehamas and conceptualised the relationship between practice and research in social work as a “virtue friendship”. It claimed that practice and research in social work did not just mutually benefit each other but also engaged together in cultivating “virtue friendship” between them. Irwin Epstein recommended that Cicero’s ever-relevant question “Cui Bono?” should be asked to evaluate the contributions of practice research to social work practice and policy. He particularly advocated using clinical data mining as an important approach to practice research in social work. It is always enlightening to see practice research in social work as a “virtue friendship”.
In the second article, Martin Webber emphasised the significance of methodological pluralism in social work practice research. He used an intervention model entitled “Connecting People” as an example to illustrate the necessity of employing multiple methods to develop and evaluate social interventions. The article introduced the application of Connecting People in England and indicated that the development of the model started with a thorough understanding of the need for the intervention. To be specific, Connecting People was developed from an ethnography of social work practice and then piloted in quasi-experimental studies alongside focus groups and semi-structured interviews. Martin Webber stated that the intervention process and the resulting model were replicable in China and internationally. The article helps readers better understand how to implement social work practice research in an iterative manner.
Grounded in several years of practice and research in rural China, the third article by Hok Bun Ku vividly described how a transdisciplinary practice research team cooperated with local villagers in Southwest China to address their challenges caused by agricultural modernisation and marketisation as well as to maintain their livelihoods and promote further development in a framework of social economy. Using this action research project as an example, Hok Bun Ku demonstrated how researchers, practitioners and villagers jointly produced practice knowledge. A theory of rural-urban alliance was further generated that could be applied in future practice. The multiple-year participatory action research can serve as a model for rural social work practice research in China. It also inspires readers to criticise the mainstream “science-informing-practice” model in social work research and explore the possibility of the “research-informing-practice” model.
From a broader perspective of social identity theory, the fourth article by Lena Dominelli discussed the importance of being accepted in specific situations and locales for disadvantaged populations, which justified their entitlements to necessary services. It pointed out that as a socially constructed concept, identity could be reproduced through interaction with others and negotiated through power relations. The article clarified how participatory action research helped social workers comprehend the significance of identity in their routine practice. An emphasis on using culture as an asset in fostering a sense of belonging in participatory action research would increase the acceptance and celebration of differences among diverse social groups. This article provides readers with profound insights into the nature and mission of social work practice research.
In the fifth article, Herman Hay Ming Lo reviewed four pieces of practice research whose primary goal was to evaluate the outcomes of social care programmes with special attention to the dialogue process involving social workers, academic supervisors, agency administrators, funders, policymakers and other stakeholders. He demonstrated how to use diverse methods to carry out practice research based on which some generalised conclusions were reached and underpinning theories were refined. The article further explained that the choice in methodology for practice research should take into account both rigorous academic standards and its contribution to practice knowledge through adequate interpretation and dissemination of research findings among multiple stakeholders. The four studies are presented in great detail and thus can serve as a quick reference guide for conducting social work practice research.
Based on their knowledge about the development of social work in Mainland China, Michael Austin and Bowen McBeath highlighted the critical roles of contextual, cultural and institutional factors in social work practice research in the fifth article. They delineated the core elements of practice research in the context of social service delivery. Informed by the Salisbury Statement, Michael Austin and Bowen McBeath proposed 11 principles of practice research in four domains, which helped to tackle the key issues related to practice research in social work. This article can help readers learn how to increase their proficiency in practice research under the proposed principles.
The seventh article by Siu Ling Fok reviewed participatory action research on the development of a cross-sector system for child protection in rural China. It raised a variety of questions related to ethical conflicts and decision-making during the implementation of the project. According to an in-depth reflection on these questions, Siu Ling Fok suggested that everyday ethical issues in research should be addressed collaboratively and relationally. Such discussions shed light on improving researchers’ awareness of ethical issues in participatory action research.
To sum up, the special issue brings together leading scholars in the field to explore practice research in social work and aims to advance the development of social work practice research in China and internationally. These articles are vital for the rapidly developing social work practice research that comprises multiple research approaches in Mainland China. We hope Chinese researchers, practitioners and other readers can benefit greatly from this issue, enhance their research capabilities, and work together to promote the development of social work in China. We also hope that social work practice research in China can make a unique contribution to social work in a global society.