![Sample our Health and Social Care journals, sign in here to start your FREE access for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5938/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Health-Social-Care.jpg"})
ABSTRACT
This article presents and analyzes four projects focusing on diverse forms of service users’ involvement in social work training and research in different countries (Israel, Italy, Slovenia and UK). It highlights the value of service user involvement (SUI) to specific social change objectives and to social work education. The conceptual framework focused on the Standpoint Theory, while methodologically participatory action research was applied, and evaluation measures were developed. Key findings, facilitators and limitations to the involvement, students’ views of it and similarities and differences among the four projects are outlined. The challenges embedded in introducing and sustaining social change objectives in a co-production framework within social work education are identified, alongside the added value of meeting them. The differentiated impact the projects had on students is highlighted as well as their significance for health and social care providers were relevant. It is encouraging that in each project SUI was positively valued. The projects indicate the wide range of SUI in the content and format of social work education, as well as its applicability cross-culturally to a range of key issues pertaining to both training and research in social work.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Shulamit Ramon
Prof. Shulamit Ramon is research professor at the University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK. A registered social worker and chartered clinical psychologist, she specialises in researching mental health recovery, shared decision making, co-production between service users and researchers in both mental health and social work, social work education, as well as media representation of domestic violence and of migration.
Merav Moshe Grodofsky
Dr. Merav Moshe Grodofsky is the director of the social work course at Sapir College, Shedreot, Israel. A social worker by her training, her research activities have focused on co-production between students and service users, community based human rights advocacy, and peace education in the Middle East.
Elena Allegri
Prof. Elena Allegri is research professor in social work at the University of Piemonte Orientale, Asti, Italy. A social worker and family therapist by her training, she introduced service users’ involvement in social work education in Italy. Her research and publications focus on community work, family work, media representation of domestic violence and migration.
Andreja Rafaelic
Dr. Andreja Rafaelic is senior lecturer in social work at the University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia. A social worker by her training, she has specialised in researching de-institutionalisation in mental health, engaging with her Slovene students in initiating de-institutionalisation in Serbia, care management and independent living.