Bringing key developments and debates together in a single volume, this book provides an authoritative guide for students and practitioners embarking on qualitative research in social work and related fields.
Frequently illustrated with contemporary and classic case examples from the authors’ own empirical research and from international published work, and with self-directed learning tasks, the book provides insight into the difficulties and complexities of carrying out research, as well as sharing ‘success’ stories from the field. Shaw and Holland have long experience of writing for practitioners and students and in making complex concepts accessible and readable, making this an ideal text for those engaging in qualitative social work research at any level.
Ian Shaw is a Professor of Social Work at the University of York and at the University of Aalborg.
Sally Holland is a Reader in Social Work at the School of Social Sciences in Cardiff University.
Table of Content
What is Distinctive about Qualitative Social Work Research?
Qualitative Research and the Social Work Context
Researching the Social Work Field
Qualitative Methods in Social Work – a Review
Doing Qualitative Social Work Research
Reviewing Research
Qualitative Designs
Ethics in Qualitative Research
Asking Questions
Telling Stories
Traces and Deposits in Texts and Documents
Living in Place, Space and Time
Anticipating Analysis and Making Sense of Qualitative Data
Doing Qualitative Analysis
The Purposes of Qualitative Social Work Research
Researching and Evaluating Interventions and Outcomes
Social Justice
Qualitative Research and Practice
The Consequences of Qualitative Research
About the author
I am a Reader in Social Work in Cardiff University′s School of Social Sciences, and a former social worker in the field of child and family social work. Previously I was a practitioner in the voluntary and statutory sectors. I have extensive experience of conducting qualitative research projects in social work and have investigated issues related to looked after children, assessment of parenting, family group conferences, child neglect, involving fathers and community safeguarding. I have used a range of qualitative methods to explore these topics, including participative research with children, ethnography, mobile methods, life history interviews and documentary analysis. I facilitate a research advisory group for young people who are care experienced and am deputy chair of my departmental research ethics committee. I am also the author of Child and Family Assessment in Social Work Practice (Sage, 2nd edition, 2011).
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