Co-production between researchers, service users, and practitioners in practice research – barriers and possibilities

ABSTRACT

This article presents key concepts for collaboration, participation and co-production in practice research, based on a cross-analysis of three research cases. The article aims to explore questions such as: 1) Who should be involved? 2) What preconditions are necessary from all participants? 3) What nuances arise in the process of becoming a partner? The article investigates how partnerships, participation and knowledge production can be performed in social work practice research, and highlights that any collaborative process is complex, and the questions may thus be intertwined. Such processes require researchers to be aware of the communicative, power-relational, dialogical and democratic processes involved. One of the key takeaways from the cross-analysis is that successful collaboration demands conscious attention and effort towards effective communication, power-sharing and democratic processes.

KEYWORDS:

• Co-production
• participation
• practice research
• social work
• knowledge production

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Maja Müller

Maja Müller is a sociologist with a Ph.D. in social sciences. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology and Social Work at Aalborg University. She teaches courses for the Master in Social work, and her research concerns co-production with vulnerable groups in social work, citizen participation and service user involvement, poverty and social inclusion and exclusion in a welfare context.

Liesanth Yde Nirmalarajan

Liesanth Yde Nirmalarajan is a trained social worker and holds a master’s degree in social science and social work. He is an Assistant Professor in Social Work at VIA University College and currently a Ph.D.-fellow at Aalborg University where he is exploring the advantages and disadvantages of using digital technology to involve service users. Research fields include decision-making, predictive risk modelling, service user involvement and practice research.

Pernille Wisti

Pernille Wisti is a Ph.D. student and lecturer at Aalborg University in Denmark, where she teaches for both Danish and International Master’s degree programmes in Social Work. With a background in social work and social science, she has particular interests in practice research, service user perspectives, contemporary practice theory and feminist epistemologies. Her current research focuses on the positions and practices of social workers with personal service user experiences, exploring the implications of such experiences on social work practice.

Lars Uggerhøj

Lars Uggerhøj holds a Ph.D. in Social Work and is a full professor in the Department of Sociology and Social Work at Aalborg University in Denmark. He is programme coordinator of the Erasmus Mundus Master in Advanced Development in Social Work and Editor-in-Chief of the European Social Work Research Journal. His main research interests are service user experience and involvement and the methodological development of practice research. He has published widely both nationally and internationally.