PhD Study : Making space for relationships with social work service users

Summary

This call for PhD project proposals is built on a pragmatic perspective on social work research. We began with the questions: “What is the greatest challenge for social work practice today? How can research help tackle it?” Drawing on serious case reviews, seminal reports on social work practice and education, practitioner surveys, our own experiences and that of our peers in the profession, this call acknowledges that the reduction of face-to-face time with service users, and increase in office-based administrative duties, is a key challenge for modern social work.

We are interested in proposals for projects which evaluate the efficacy of efforts to reduce bureaucracy in social work practice, and facilitate more time with service users. If a change to service provision can be standardised, and replicated, it can be evaluated, and successful PhD candidates in this field will develop the knowledge and skills to do this while contributing to the development of social work practice.

Potential candidates should consider a range of ways in which they would like to trial a change to service delivery, and consider the likelihood of attracting an agency partner to the project.

Examples might include:

*Streamlining communication, within teams, between teams or between levels of supervision by leveraging advances in ICT such as Microsoft Teams

*the use of an information technology adjunct in day-to-day practice (for example speech-to-text recording for case notes, or case notes stored as audio clips as opposed to text);

*the use of remote meeting technologies, and facilitation of out-of-office working;

*deploying an explicit focus on relationships with service users, through training, supervision or the facilitation of more direct feedback from service users.

It should be noted these are just examples, based on a review of research in allied professions, and organisational research more generally. Any practice modification will be considered against our code of practice, and research ethics guidelines. A strong rationale, suggesting that the practice modification proposed has the potential to facilitate stronger, more effective, relationships with service users will be needed. We are interested in completing one or more comparative studies. Studying the impact of a practice modification, by measuring outcomes with a group of practitioners who have used a new tech/procedure/approach with a control or comparison group who have not.

Proposals should place face-to-face time with service users as a primary measure of the success of any practice modification. This would be measured through practitioner self-reporting, service user reporting or researcher observations. Measures of service user satisfaction may also be of interest. Service users’ rating of their relationship with their social worker would be captured with an established questionnaire tool (such as the Working Alliance Inventory, Horvath and Greenberg, 1989). In addition, measures of impact on social workers’ job satisfaction would also be deemed relevant.

Potential candidates should contact Dr Tony McGinn t.mcginin@ulster.ac.uk in the first instance.

Essential: A minimum of a 2:1 first degree in a relevant discipline/subject from a UK institution (or overseas award deemed to be equivalent via UK NARIC); and

Desirable: A Masters’ degree in a relevant subject, or equivalent professional experience.

Essential criteria

Applicants should hold, or expect to obtain, a First or Upper Second Class Honours Degree in a subject relevant to the proposed area of study.

We may also consider applications from those who hold equivalent qualifications, for example, a Lower Second Class Honours Degree plus a Master’s Degree with Distinction.

In exceptional circumstances, the University may consider a portfolio of evidence from applicants who have appropriate professional experience which is equivalent to the learning outcomes of an Honours degree in lieu of academic qualifications.

Funding and eligibility

The University offers the following levels of support:

Vice Chancellors Research Studentship (VCRS)

The following scholarship options are available to applicants worldwide:

• Full Award: (full-time tuition fees + £19,000 (tbc))
• Part Award: (full-time tuition fees + £9,500)
• Fees Only Award: (full-time tuition fees)

These scholarships will cover full-time PhD tuition fees for three years (subject to satisfactory academic performance) and will provide a £900 per annum research training support grant (RTSG) to help support the PhD researcher.

Applicants who already hold a doctoral degree or who have been registered on a programme of research leading to the award of a doctoral degree on a full-time basis for more than one year (or part-time equivalent) are NOT eligible to apply for an award.

Please note: you will automatically be entered into the competition for the Full Award, unless you state otherwise in your application.

Department for the Economy (DFE)

The scholarship will cover tuition fees at the Home rate and a maintenance allowance of £19,000 (tbc) per annum for three years (subject to satisfactory academic performance).

This scholarship also comes with £900 per annum for three years as a research training support grant (RTSG) allocation to help support the PhD researcher.

• Candidates with pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, who also satisfy a three year residency requirement in the UK prior to the start of the course for which a Studentship is held MAY receive a Studentship covering fees and maintenance.
• Republic of Ireland (ROI) nationals who satisfy three years’ residency in the UK prior to the start of the course MAY receive a Studentship covering fees and maintenance (ROI nationals don’t need to have pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme to qualify).
• Other non-ROI EU applicants are ‘International’ are not eligible for this source of funding.
• Applicants who already hold a doctoral degree or who have been registered on a programme of research leading to the award of a doctoral degree on a full-time basis for more than one year (or part-time equivalent) are NOT eligible to apply for an award.

Due consideration should be given to financing your studies. Further information on cost of living