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Overview
This statement represents the sixth iteration in an ongoing tradition of consensus documents emerging from international practice research conferences in social work. Produced following the 2023 Aalborg University conference, it synthesizes discussions regarding service users' participation, positioning, and roles within social work practice research frameworks. The statement identifies priority areas requiring enhanced scholarly attention and theoretical development.
Methods and approach
The statement derives from deliberations and presentations conducted at the international practice research conference convened at Aalborg University in 2023. The methodology reflects the established tradition of the Practice Research in Social Work community, wherein collective discussions at themed conferences generate synthesized statements of professional consensus and areas warranting further investigation.
Key Findings
The statement identifies service user perspectives as foundational driving forces in practice research. Key thematic areas include examination of human-centered approaches, power dynamics within research relationships, communicative processes and their structural effects, empowerment mechanisms, and ethical considerations. The document emphasizes that collaborative research processes should generate knowledge through joint creation methodologies, facilitate translation of findings into innovative social work practices, and enable critical examination of existing social work practices, theoretical frameworks, and methodological approaches.
Implications
The statement establishes service user participation not merely as procedural inclusion but as epistemologically central to practice research in social work. Recognition of power relationships and communicative dynamics suggests that research designs require explicit attention to structural inequalities embedded in traditional academic-practitioner hierarchies. This framework positions practice research as accountable to service user perspectives in knowledge generation.
Disclosure
- Research title: The Aalborg Statement of Practice Research in Social Work—Participation, Co-Creation, and Service Users’ Positions
- Authors: Maja Lundemark Andersen, Kirsten Mejlvig, Lars Uggerhøj
- Institutions: Aalborg University
- Publication date: 2026-01-30
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/10497315251410196
- OpenAlex record: View
- Image credit: Photo by Redmind Studio on Unsplash (Source • License)
- Disclosure: This post was generated by Claude (Anthropic). The original authors did not write or review this post.
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