Involving Service Users in Social Work Education, Research and Policy

“This is a rich and celebratory collection about the participation of service users in the training of social workers and in research about social work. It conveys confidence in the value of involving ‘experts by experience’ and is an excellent encouragement to those who are embarking on the early stages.” European Journal of Social Work

“An impressive and inspiring multiannual research project forms the basis of this book, and one of its strengths is the enhanced comparison of the different experiences with the involvement of service users. It provides an interesting and inspiring insight in the state of the art in higher social work education in Europe.” Journal of Social Intervention: Theory and Practice

“This is a remarkable and inspiring collection of models and critical reflections on the inclusion of experts by experience in social work education and research. It provides valuable guidance for developing a very innovative approach.” Silvia Fargion, University of Trento

Kristel Driessens is Professor of Social Work at the University of Antwerp and Head of the Centre of Expertise Strength-based Social Work at the Karel de Grote University of Applied Sciences. She is coordinator of Bind-Kracht, a collaboration between service users living in poverty, lecturers and researchers, providing educational programmes for social workers.

Vicky Lyssens-Danneboom is Senior Researcher in Qualitative Social Work Research at the Centre of Expertise Strength-based Social Work and Lecturer in the social work and socio-educational care work programmes at the Karel de Grote University of Applied Sciences.

1. Introduction - Kristel Driessens and Vicky Lyssens-Danneboom

Part 1: Collaborative models in social work education

2. The gap-mending concept: theory and practice - Cecilia Heule, Marcus Knutagård and Arne Kristiansen

3. Mending gaps in social work education in the UK - Helen Casey and Peter Beresford

4. Service users as tandem partners in social work education - Kristel Driessens, Vicky Lyssens- Danneboom, Wendy Peeters, Cindy Van Geldorp, Piet Vandenhende, Hilde Bloemen, Caro Bridts, Sascha Van Gijzel and Henrike Kowalk

5. Service users as supervisors in social work education: mending the gap of power relations - Mette Fløystad Kvammen and Tabitha Wright Nielsen

6. Involving students with mental health experience in social work education - Hubert Kaszyński and Olga Maciejewska

7. The living library in social work education - Robin Sen, Marianne Nylund, Ali Hayward, Rahul Pardasani, William Rivera and Michelle Kaila

8. Creating a platform together for the voice of the service user: inspiration for organising an event together with service users - Ruth Strudwick, Suzanna Pickering and Joep Holten

9. Reflections on inspiring conversations in social work education: the voices of Scottish experts by experience and Italian students - Susan Levy and Elena Cabiati with John Dow, Elinor Dowson, Keith Swankie and Gil Martin

10. Joint workshops with students and service users in social work education: experiences from Esslingen, Germany - Thomas Heidenreich and Marion Laging

11. Service users, students and staff: co-producing creative educational activities on a social work programme in the UK - Kieron Hatton, Kevin Holmes and Pete Shepherd

Part 2: Collaborative models in research and policy

12. The co-researcher role in the tension between recognition, co-option and tokenism - Ole Petter Askheim

13. Community of development: a model for inclusive learning, research and innovation - Jean Pierre Wilken, Ellen Witteveen, Carla van Slagmaat,

Sascha van Gijzel, Jeroen Knevel, Toinette Loeffen and Els Overkamp

14. Dialogue, skills and trust: some lessons learned from co-writing with service users - Sidsel Natland

15. Participatory pathways in social policymaking: between rhetoric and reality - Peter Beresford and Heidi Degerickx

16. Experiential knowledge as a driver of change - Har Tortike and Vicky Lyssens-Danneboom

Part 3: Reflective chapters

17. Experiences matter equally - Henrike Kowalk and Jenny Wetterling

18. Ethical issues in the meaningful involvement of service users as co-researchers - Hugh McLaughlin

19. Involving service users in social work education and research: is this structural social work? Kristel Driessens and Vicky Lyssens- Danneboom