Introducing service user co-researchers into social work education research

In the UK, service-user involvement has long been a feature of social work education, mainly in the teaching of courses but also increasingly in research projects where their personal experiences challenge traditional... [ view full abstract ]

In the UK, service-user involvement has long been a feature of social work education, mainly in the teaching of courses but also increasingly in research projects where their personal experiences challenge traditional perceptions of knowledge building and support the value of alternative research methodologies. However, by contrast, in Israel the contributions of service-user involvement in social work education and research are still not recognized and a framework for such involvement has yet to be addressed in both social work policy and education.

Grounded in the context of the differences in service user involvement in social work education and research between the UK and Israel, a joint project between Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) in the UK and Tel-Hai College in Israel was developed. The aim of this collaborative study was to create a comparative research methodology to evaluate the outcomes of service-user involvement in social work education. A main tenet of the research methodology adopted in this project included partnering with a group of older service users as co-researchers from each country.

Here, we present the comparative tools applied in this study that will contribute, we believe, to the development of future collaborative research. We offer insights gained through our work with the group of Israeli older adults through their transition to the role of co-researchers in the study. We address the tensions that emerged as the older co-researchers' struggled with research concepts, as well as with the expectations and boundaries of their new role. We also identify our insights into the value of creating a group setting that appeared to further the research process by satisfying the older co-researchers' need for social and emotional connections with like others, becoming a place where they could create a common language rooted in their professional past and their experience of aging.