Social Work

Research relevant to people's lives 

Our research aims to improve the lives of service users and promote social justice.

Change is most often imposed from the top down by outside authorities or other powerful ‘experts’ but as social workers we like to do things differently. By recognising the expertise of all, and researching collaboratively with a wide range of individuals and communities, we believe that change can also be driven from the ‘bottom up’. Social work research therefore provides unique opportunities for people (particularly those from marginalised groups) to speak up and speak out about things that matter to them. By encouraging service users, students and staff alike to fully participate in the research process (from initial design to eventual dissemination) we can ensure that any new knowledge generated is both real and relevant to people’s lives.

Social Work at LJMU has an international reputation for its academic output. Members of staff come from diverse practice backgrounds and are fully engaged in research, professional development and academic supervision (from undergraduate to doctoral level). Several members have recently written books while others have published widely in their respective areas of expertise.

Our expertise

• Participatory action research and qualitative methodologies
• User involvement in education and training
• Critical and anti-oppressive practice, assessment and advocacy
• Social work ethics and values
• Child protection, children’s rights and disabled children’s issues
• Fostering and adoption
• Youth culture and young people’s political participation
• Working with marginalised groups
• Chinese mental health issues
• Substance misuse
• Fair access to care services, personalisation and citizenship
• Narrative medicine, user-driven healthcare and self-care
• Professional identities and corporate social responsibility