SVF-8067 Making social work research relevant: Stakeholder engagement, research realities and policy influence - 5 stp

Good research depends on solid project design, including precise research questions and carefully planned strategies for data gathering. But how can we enhance the impact of our research?

In this course, students will be presented with strategies to collaborate with and actively involve different stakeholders in social work research, how challenges in collaborating with service users, practitioners and leadership in social and child welfare services can be anticipated and quickly responded, and how to use research results to influence welfare policy and social work practice. Lectures and groupwork will focus on how

• a collaborative relationship with relevant stakeholders can be established and maintained when building a net of respondents, and when identifying gate keepers to welfare services

• service users can be attracted to participate in social work research

• organizational cultures can affect data collection strategies

• the value of independent research can be balanced with maintaining a good relationship with different stakeholders in the field where the research takes place

• research results can be used to influence welfare policy and practice in social and child welfare services.

Students are encouraged to evaluate critically the contribution of their own research project for the practice field and to reflect on making the results of their research relevant for policy makers.

Course code 9301 - Singular courses at PhD level

PhD students or holders of a Norwegian Master´s Degree of five years or 3 + 2 years (or equivalent) may be admitted. PhD students must upload a document from their university stating that they are registered PhD students.

Holders of a Master´s Degree must upload a Master´s Diploma with Diploma Supplement / English translation of the diploma. Applicants from listed countries must document proficiency in English. To find out if this applies to you see the following list: https://www.nokut.no/globalassets/nokut/artikkelbibliotek/utenlandsk_utdanning/gsulista/2021/language_requirements_gsu_121121.pdf

For more information on accepted English proficiency tests and scores, as well as exemptions from the English proficiency tests, please see the following document: https://uit.no/Content/254419/PhD_EnglishProficiency_100913.pdf

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The course is part of the activities of the Norwegian Research School of Social Work and Child Welfare (NORWEL). PhD-students who are enrolled in NORWEL will be prioritized in this course. PhD-students who are not enrolled in NORWEL can apply for this course if space permits.

The course has 20 seats, with a minimum number of participants of 5. If the number of applicants exceeds the available number of seats, applicants will be ranked from category 1 to 4.

• Category 1: Doctoral students enrolled in NORWEL.

• Category 2: Doctoral students from UiT and other universities

• Category 3: Applicants with a Master’s degree (120 ECTS) or equivalent.

• Category 4: Students attending a research study program.

The students have the following learning outcomes:

Knowledge

The student:

• has state-of-the-art knowledge about strategies for involving different stakeholders in social work research

• is in the forefront of knowledge about how to conduct independent research in a good relationship with practitioners, welfare bureaucracy and service users

• has a firm grasp about strategies for maximizing policy influence of social work research.

Skills

The student can:

• balance successfully the standards for high quality research and the knowledge demands from practitioners, policy makers and service users

• choose between internationally successfully applied strategies for attracting social work practitioners, policy makers and service users as participants in research

• communicate research results effectively to different stakeholders in social work practice and policy making.

Competence

The student

• can communicate social work research through recognized Norwegian and international channels

• can participate in and influence policy making about issues relevant to social work practice and research

• can identify relevant ethical issues and carry out research relevant to social work with scholarly integrity.

Teaching methods include lectures, group work, individual presentations, and discussions by the participants. PhD-students are expected to present their ongoing research and to assess the relevance of their work for social work practice and policy making.

The duration of the course is three days (22,5 hours).