Social work research
The School of Social Sciences (SOCSI) has a thriving programme of research in the field of social work and social care. The School regularly carries out research projects funded by research councils, national and local government and the third sector. SOCSI is one of three Welsh universities hosting the Academic Social Care Collaboration, funded by the National Institute of Social Care and Health Research (NISCHR).
Areas of research strength in SOCSI include looked after children and adoption, child protection, substance misuse and parenting, working with men, risk management, poverty, social work enquiries, social work education, self harm and suicide, as well as methodology and research capacity-building.
People
Social work academic staff are listed next with links to their web-pages for lists of funded research projects and publications, as well as involvement in policy and practice.
- Dr Dolores Davey
- Dr Teresa De Villiers
- Professor Mark Drakeford AM
- Dr Sally Holland
- Mr Aled Jones
- Dr Heather Ottaway
- Professor Andrew Pithouse
- Mr Abyd Quinn Aziz
- Dr Alyson Rees
- Professor Jonathan Scourfield
- Dr Colin Young
The School has a large number of social work PhD and Professional Doctorate students. Many of these are funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) through the Wales Doctoral Centre or by NISCHR social care studentships. The school also hosts the MA in Social Work, enrolling 48 students per year. Qualified practitioners may study part-time for the MSc Post-Qualifying Social Work award. Both Masters’ schemes include a research based dissertation.
A full list of current and recent social work PhD and Professional Doctorate students can be found here. If you are interested in applying to do a social work or social care research degree in SOCSI please look at the relevant web pages and feel free to contact staff with expertise in relation to your research interests.
Current and recent funded research projects include:
- Academic Social Care Collaboration (NISCHR)
- A feasibility study for a randomised controlled trial of a training intervention to improve the engagement of fathers in the child protection system (NISCHR)
- A qualitative sociological autopsy study of gendered suicide (ESRC, demonstrator project within the National Centre for Research Methods)
- Error, Blame and Responsibility in Child Welfare: Problematics of Governance in an Invisible Trade (ESRC)
- An Evaluation of the “Option 2” Intensive Family Preservation Service (Alcohol Education Research Council)
- Protecting Black & Minority Ethnic Children: An Investigation of Child Protection Interventions (NISCHR)
- Children at Risk: evaluating Early Years interventions with homeless families through photography (Cymorth)
- Dental Health and Looked After Children (Northumbria Health Board)
- Fathers, social interventions and children’s well-being (ESRC)
- Randomised controlled trial of the Strengthening Families 10-14 UK Programme (National Prevention Research Initiative)
- Safeguarding children and young people in local communities: a neighbourhood study (ESRC)
- Using routinely collected data from suicide clusters to influence social and health are service delivery: an investigation of the Bridgend cluster (NISCHR)
Publications
A full list of publications may be found on individual staff web pages. A selection of journal papers is listed under the Health, Well-being and Social Care research theme. Below are a selection of books published by Cardiff social work researchers.
Research Networks
Social work researchers are members of several research groups and centres in Cardiff University, including the Health, Well-being and Social Care group, the Childhood Research Group, DECIPHER, CISHE and WISERD. Cardiff social work researchers also have strong links with other universities, having collaborated on funded research and publications with colleagues in Bedfordshire, Bath, Birmingham, Bristol, Lancaster, Liverpool, LSE, Sussex and Swansea, amongst others. In terms of international universities, there are strong research links with McGill, Michigan, Newcastle (Australia) and Hong Kong Polytechnic. Cardiff social work academics have been invited keynote speakers at research conferences in Canada, Norway and the Republic Ireland.
Social Work Research & Practice Guest Lectures
Each year we run a guest lecture series about social work research and practice. This year's dates and topics can be found here.
Involvement with Policy and Practice
We have a strong relationship with the Welsh Government. Professor Mark Drakeford was a political advisor to the First Minister for ten years and is now AM for Cardiff West and chair of the Assembly’s Health and Social Welfare Committee. Professor Andy Pithouse is seconded part-time to the Welsh Government as special advisor for social services. Dr Sally Holland was academic member on the Welsh Assembly Government’s Safeguarding Children Review 2004-5 and is an expert advisor to the Adoption Inquiry 2012.
Cardiff social work researchers are regularly invited to give keynote speeches to practitioner conferences across the UK. Staff involvement with practice developments includes Mr Aled Jones’s work in training Mental Health First Aid trainers and Dr Teresa De Villiers’s membership of the Care Council for Wales Conduct and Registration committee.