Building action focused research in social care organisations

Abstract

This article presents a model for action research in family practice. It reviews three research projects used by the authors over the past decade. Drawing on learning from each, the article discusses a model for undertaking ongoing, embedded action research in organisational settings. The contribution that action methods can make to the development of such research is highlighted. The model is based on the principle that relevant and usable knowledge is created through relationships – the nature of these relationships influences what gets known, who knows it and how knowledge can be used and who it can be used by. Because they are intentionally focused on change, action research approaches have a major contribution to make to the development of understanding of what types of interventions work with families. Their emphasis on the situated and relational nature of knowledge generates deep understandings of how families and workers make sense of their worlds.

Keywords:

• practice research
• social work
• action methods
• families
• community development

Acknowledgement

Two of the research projects discussed in this paper were undertaken with funding made available by the New Zealand Foundation for Research Science and Technology and the authors gratefully acknowledge the support that the Foundation made to their work.