Building knowledge for policy and practice based on service user and carer experiences: A case study of Scottish adult safeguarding research

Citation

Sherwood-Johnson F & Mackay K (2021) Building knowledge for policy and practice based on service user and carer experiences: A case study of Scottish adult safeguarding research. Journal of Social Work, 21 (5), pp. 1182-1202. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468017320952047

Abstract
SUMMARY: This paper offers Scottish adult safeguarding as a case study to illuminate some challenges of building knowledge for policy and practice based on service user and carer voices. It draws on five of our own research projects that have evaluated implementation of Scottish adult safeguarding legislation and/or asked more exploratory questions about risk, safety and support. FINDINGS: We show how practical and ethical issues limited our more evaluative lines of inquiry. We then show how increasingly participative approaches led to studies that were more accessible and that connected more deeply with service users’ and carers’ lives, but that also faced greater challenges in the translation of their findings back into the policy and/or practice environment. APPLICATIONS: We conclude with an argument for ongoing dialogue between policy-makers, professionals, service users and carers, researchers, educators and students about knowledge, its different forms and sources, its generation and its use.

Keywords
Social work; methodology; participation; research; safeguarding; user involvement

Journal
Journal of Social Work: Volume 21, Issue 5

People

Dr Kathryn Mackay

Lecturer, Social Work

Dr Fiona Sherwood-Johnson

Lecturer, Social Work