428|ESWRA Seminar 15th October Zoom Link|

ESWRA Seminar 15th October Zoom Link

Topic: ESWRA Seminar Solidarity

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https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81959702200?pwd=qT2GG40SnqaLUJa9c4h4qzCKaIZ00o.1

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|2025-10-15|5|1|§427|ESWRA Call for nominations: General & Doctoral Board Members |

We are delighted to announce an open call for nominations to fill four vacant positions on the ESWRA Board: two General Board Members and two Doctoral Members. The deadline for nominations is 20 October 2025. The ESWRA Board typically comprises thirteen General Board Members and two Doctoral Members usual term is for three years.

About European Social Work Research Association (ESWRA)

Founded in 2014, the Association is at an exciting time in its development, consolidating our existing strengths whilst growing our membership and developing new Association activities and resources. We are looking for Board Members who will bring enthusiasm, energy, and commitment to the role, and take a pro-active lead in fulfilling ESWRA Goals.

BENEFITS: To promote social work research which will have beneficial consequences for practitioners, service users, educators, researchers, graduate students, and those responsible for service development and delivery.

HIGH STANDARD OF RESEARCH: To foster and maintain the development of high levels of social work research and knowledge production across the European community of nations.

RESEARCH CAPACITY and LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES: To enhance both capacity and learning opportunities within and across the European social work community.

RESEARCH METHODS FOR SOCIAL WORK: To provide an environment for the application of research methods and approaches by those from a wide range of disciplines within and beyond the social sciences, in forms which have relevance for social work practice and research.

NETWORKS AND COLLABORATION: To build and work with networks of social work researchers within Europe and actively foster links between European and wider international research networks.

Eligibility Criteria for General Board Member Positions:

We invite all ESWRA members who aspire to contribute actively and assume leadership roles within the association to consider seeking election for these positions. Proficiency in English is a prerequisite for candidates.

We seek applications/nominations from Individuals who:

General Board Members

1. who are currently an ESWRA member (at the time of application).
2. Possess Senior Level Academic Leadership and Management Experience:
   • Demonstrated leadership in academia.
   • Proven management skills.
3. Express Interest in Future Role as ESWRA Treasurer:
   • Individuals with financial acumen and a willingness to assume the role of Treasurer in the future.
4. Represent underrepresented European countries:
   • Nominations from European countries currently underrepresented are encouraged, including but not limited to France, Slovenia, Slovakia, Czechia, Netherlands, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Bulgaria, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Turkiye.

Doctoral Students

1. Who are currently an ESWRA member (at the time of application).
2. Who are currently a PhD student.
3. Represent Underrepresented European Countries:
   • Nominations from European countries currently underrepresented are encouraged, including but not limited to France, Slovenia, Slovakia, Czechia, Netherlands, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Bulgaria, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Turkiye.

Details of current Board Members are available at: https://www.eswra.org/structure.html

Nomination Process:

Candidates can either be nominated by a fellow ESWRA member or make a self-nomination.

Application Process:

Those interested should send a submission letter to info@eswra.org. The letter indicating willingness to serve on the Board should also include:

• name, title, job title & email address.
• university or other organisational affiliation (name & department).
• confirmation of institutional support for a Board member.
• confirmation of your current membership of ESWRA.
• a list of which European Conferences for social Work Research (ECSWR) you have attended.
• if you do not work in a European institution, then a demonstration of a clear connection to the social work research community in Europe.
• confirmation that you are free to act for three years.
• confirmation that, if elected, you are willing to take on a major Board officer role if asked to do so. Please indicate which roles or committees you would be interested in taking on in the future.  Committees can be found here: Board roles here: https://eswra.org/eswra_commites.php
• a statement of up 150 words maximum briefly outlining your work relevant to social work research and the aims of ESWRA, an indication of what you might offer to the Board in terms of expertise e.g., IT skills; languages; international collaboration experience; research methods teaching; legal aspects of running an organisation; familiarity with Secretary or Treasurer duties; etc. Please note that if your name is put forward for election, your text will be hosted on the ESWRA website for the purposes of the election.

a link to your profile on your institution’s website (if that is available).

Calendar for Election Process:

• Application deadline                         20th October 2025
• Voting period                                    28th October 2025, 7 days.
• Where to send your application:              info@eswra.org

We appreciate your dedication to advancing social work research, and we eagerly await your participation in shaping the future of the European Social Work Research Association. For further details and inquiries, please contact me at Sarah Vicary sarah.vicary@open.ac.uk  or ESWRA at info@eswra.org

Thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,

The Nominations and Election Committee

Sarah Vicary Chair

|2025-09-24|3|1|§409|European Social Work Research journal|

Dear ESWRA members

A very quick reminder, post conference, that the society has its very own journal, European Social Work Research, and book series, Research in Social Work, both published by Policy Press on our behalf.

European Social Work Research journal

All members have free access to the journal via the My ESWRA Login.

If you are enjoying the journal, please help us to build up its readership by recommending to your librarian. Policy Press can offer them a free three month trial.

Do remember to submit your abstracts by 30th April 2025 for the conference special issue, ‘Embracing Democracy in Social Work Practice and Research'. The issue will be guest edited by Carolin Auner, Florian Spensberger and Lars Uggerhoj.

If you are interested in reviewing for the journal please contact eswr-journal@bristol.ac.uk. 

Books

We hope you enjoyed browsing Policy Press's most recent publications at the book stand. As a reminder, all of their social work books are available at 50% discount until 30th April 2025 when purchasing direct from the Policy Press website. Please enter CNF25 at checkout to claim your discount. 

If you are interested in writing a book for the Research in Social Work series please get in touch with

John Gal - johngal30@gmail.com    Anna Gupta - anna.gupta@rhul.ac.uk   Isobel Bainton (Commissioning Editor) - isobel.bainton@bristol.ac.uk

With best wishes,

Karen Winter

ESWRA Chair

|2025-04-01|6|1|§425|New SIG Adult Protection and Safeguarding SIG|

We are excited to announce the formation of a new Adult Protection and Safeguarding SIG.  Adult protection (which is also known as adult safeguarding) can be understood as a set of activities through which adults who are unable to protect themselves, due to a care or support need, are supported to receive protection, in line with human rights imperatives. Adults with a range of support needs may require assistance or protection from abuse and neglect. Such support needs include, but are not limited to, dementia, a mental health problem, a learning disability or advanced old age. The types of harm or abuse which adults may experience include physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, financial abuse, modern slavery and neglect. Adult protection has become a key concern of social workers in many jurisdictions. However, state policies vary significantly with state responses being well developed in some countries but underdeveloped or absent in others. The degree to which governments subscribe to and apply international human rights conventions and treaties is also variable.

This SIG emerges from a symposium which was held at the ESWRA conference in 2025, entitled, “Social Work and Adult Protection – Policy, Research and Practice Across National Boundaries”, where the presenters and attendees expressed a wish to work together in the future. The aim of the SIG is to provide a forum for international social work scholars to network with one another on matters relating to adult protection/adult safeguarding.  We hope to hold our first event in Aberdeen and will also be organising online events with other SIGs.  If you are interested in becoming part of the SIG then please email Jeremy Dixon at Dixonj7@cardiff.ac.uk or Lorna Montgomery at l.montgomery@qub.ac.uk'.  

|2025-09-15|2|0|§424|ESWRA Seminar October Service User Involvement SIG |

Title: Zurich for everyone: When vulnerable target groups test public services

Date: Wednesday 15th October 2025      Time: 15:00 BST/ 16:00  CEST approximately 1 hour. 

Contact: info@eswra.org 

Register: https://forms.gle/3TJYj2WqKCV1GhEf7

Contributor: Gisela Meier, ZHAW School of Social Work, Zürich  .https://www.zhaw.ch/en/about-us/person/meeg

The first seminar of this recurring series will primarily feature the presentation of the innovative project “Zurich for Everyone” (part 1). In addition, the continuation of the SIG SUI within the framework of ESWRA conferences and online meetings will be discussed (part 2).

1. The project “Zurich for Everyone” (2025–2028) is being conducted by ZHAW Social Work on behalf of the City of Zurich. Its aim is to make public services more inclusive by involving vulnerable population groups. For this purpose, services are tested and evaluated by actual or potential users. The testing procedures can be applied at different phases of the service lifecycle, including concept development, prototype testing, user journeys, and evaluations of existing services. After the tests, the participating municipal departments receive scientifically grounded evaluations and recommendations based on the experiences of the test participants. The presentation will focus on the sensitive initiation phase of the project and introduce the concept of the various roles involved. Particular attention will be given to the establishment of a pool of test participants, addressing questions of recruitment and the careful building of trust. Furthermore, initial experiences with test procedures will be presented, with a particular focus on challenges such as introducing participants to test scenarios, finding a shared language, and responding to the expectations of the commissioning public services.
2. The second part of the seminar will briefly look ahead to the upcoming ESWRA conference in Aberdeen, refer to the forthcoming call, and outline further collaboration in the framework of in-person and online meetings.

All interested persons are warmly invited to attend the seminar.

|2025-09-11|4|0|§421|Call for Papers - 9th Social Work International Conference|

The Social Work Department of the University of Bucharest is pleased to invite submissions for presentations at the 9th edition of the Social Work International Conference (SWIC) to be held from October 29th to 31st, 2025.

This year’s theme, Social Work in a shifting world: Responding to transforming realities and their ripple effects is an invitation to critically explore how social work is adapting to the complex and often disruptive transformations shaping our societies today. These transformations include economic instability, political turbulence, global and regional conflicts, migration, demographic changes, climate crisis, technological advancement, and growing social disparities.

The SWIC 2025 conference aims to provide a platform for dialogue, knowledge exchange, and collaboration among social work scholars, educators, practitioners, policymakers, and students. Participants are encouraged to reflect on how social work can remain responsive and proactive in the face of these evolving realities. Emphasis will be placed on intersectional perspectives, innovative practices, and cross-sectoral collaborations that contribute to equitable and sustainable social work responses.

We invite researchers and practitioners from the field of social work as well as other connected social science fields. We welcome scientifically sound and original contributions from researchers, educators, practitioners, and students from social science in the areas listed below. Submissions can be empirical, theoretical or practice based.

Special focus: student and practitioner engagement

The first day of the conference (October 29th, 2025) will be activities engaging students and practitioners, including:

• A special student paper stream (undergraduate, master, and doctoral level)
• Interactive workshops and panels
• Networking opportunities with experienced researchers and professionals

This dedicated day reflects our commitment to promoting the active involvement of practitioners and students in shaping the future of social work education, research, and practice.

Conference streams / focus areas

The streams of the conference are divided based on the following focus areas:

1. Social work responses to inequalities, poverty, and systemic marginalization in times of change
2. Child welfare, aging populations, and intergenerational support systems
3. Social work responses to climate justice and eco-social work
4. Social work responses to digital and AI advancement in social work practice and education
5. Social work ethics and professional resilience amid global crises
6. Social work responses and solutions to current socio-economic changes (miscellaneous)

Publication of papers

All submissions to SWIC 2025 must be in English (abstracts and/or full-texts). They will be evaluated through a peer-review process. Selected full-text papers will be published in a special number of the The Social Work Review.

Types of presentations   Presentation types include individual or co-authored papers, poster presentations, and workshops. The abstracts will be evaluated based on their relevance to the conference theme, methodological strength, relevance to social work and actuality of the topic.

Abstract submission   We are now receiving abstract submissions. To apply please fill out the [Abstract Submission Form].

Abstract submissions should include the following:

• Title of the presentation
• Name and affiliation of the author(s)
• 3-5 keywords

The abstract body (300 words or less, maximum 3000 characters) should follow as much as possible the below structure:

• Background/Context
• Research objective
• Methodology
• Main results and/or implications for social work education, practice and/or research
• General conclusion

All submissions are made through the [Abstract Submission Form]., by July 15th, 2025. Please address any enquiries about the conference toswicub@sas.unibuc.ro.

The SWIC 2025 Organizing Committee looks forward to receiving your abstract!

 

|2025-07-14|1|0|§420|Call for Co-Editor of European Social Work Research (ESWR) |

Application deadline: 30 September 2025

The Editorial Management Board of European Social Work Research (ESWR) invites applications for a Co-Editor to work alongside the Editor-in-Chief, Lars Uggerhøj (Aalborg University) and Co-Editor, Ana M. SoboÄ�an (University of Ljubljana). The successful applicant will succeed Elaine Sharland, who is stepping down as Co-Editor after overseeing the launch of the journal in 2023 and three successful years of publication.

ESWR is published by Policy Press on behalf of the European Social Work Research Association (ESWRA). This is an excellent opportunity for a current member of ESWRA to take part in publishing the Association’s flagship journal.

About the journal

ESWR is dedicated to the development, practice and utilisation of social work research. It is the only Europe-wide journal to focus uniquely on social work research. Its audience is scholars, students, other researchers, practitioners and policymakers who have an interest in social problems, social work and the contribution that social work research makes to just and equitable societies.

ESWR seeks to advance scholarship and debate, connecting empirical research with theoretical understandings that may inform, and be informed by, social work. The journal particularly welcomes innovation in social work research, including the development and application of novel research methods and theory. As a double anonymous peer-reviewed journal, ESWR provides a forum for high-quality research that contributes to understanding and furthering all aspects of social work. Articles and underpinning research need not originate in Europe but must be relevant to contemporary European social work contexts and issues.

More information about the journal can be found here: https://bristoluniversitypressdigital.com/view/journals/eswr/eswr-overview.xml?tab_body=about

This is an exciting opportunity to help shape and develop the journal over the coming years. The Editors meet regularly with Policy Press colleagues; they work closely together as a supportive team. Individual Editors also liaise closely with Guest Editors for Special Issues of the journal. The Editors convene twice-yearly meetings with the journal’s Editorial Board and with the wider International Advisory Board, to help inform the direction of the journal. Most meetings are online, with the exception of those held at the annual European Conference for Social Work Research.

How to apply

The Co-Editor will be a current member of ESWRA, and an internationally respected researcher in social work. They should have a breadth of experience in social work research, extensive research networks, and established expertise and experience of working with journals in an editorial and or reviewing capacity. The appointment will be for 3 years, renewable by mutual agreement.

Applicants are invited to submit a short CV including a list of publications and a cover letter (maximum 2 pages) summing up their experience (interests, skills in social work research; journal experience) and their own vision for the journal, including:

• Contribution to the mission of the journal
• How to increase the quality, quantity and diversity of submissions
• The future of the journal
• How to work successfully with authors

Selection process

All applications will be considered by the Selection Committee. The members of the Selection Committee will be the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Editor of ESWR, the Chair of ESWRA and the Policy Press Journals Manager.

Please send your application via email by 30 September 2025 to Claire Prater, ESWRA Executive Manager: info@eswra.org

|2025-07-14|3|0|§411|ECSWR 2025 Munich Poster Competition winners|

It was wonderful to see so many poster at ECSWR 2025 in Munich, As usual ECSWR attracted many high quality posters  translating innovative, compelling research and complex ideas into visually engaging and intellectually stimulating posters.

We are pleased to announce the winning poster at ECSWR 2025 Poster Competition for the poster entitled: Introducing Professional Supervision into Social Services of Local Authorities in Italy: A Qualitive Study. The authors are 

• Valentina Calcaterra, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milano - Italy
• Maddalena Floriana Grassi, Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro - Italy
• Mara Sanfelici, Università degli Studi di Milano Bicocca, Italy

CONGRATULATIONS!
Download the PDF version here 

|2025-04-07|1|0|§410|ESWRA Annual Awards for Outstanding Publication in European Social Work Research|

We are delighted to announce that the winners of this year's Award for Outstanding Publication in European Social work Research  based on a Doctoral Thesis are Dr. Jonathan Berg and Dr. Diletta Mauri

Jonathan Berg, Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management, The Netherlands

Berg J, Oldenhof L, Putters K, van Wijngaarden J. Which client is worthy of using discretion? Analysing storytelling practices of Dutch street-level bureaucrats in inter-departmental settings. Journal of Social Policy. Published online 2024:1-20. doi:10.1017/S0047279424000199 

Jonathan says: I’m truly honoured to receive this prestigious award for our paper on how social workers use collective storytelling to determine who ‘deserves’ responsiveness when resources are scarce. The award means a lot to me, as it acknowledges our contribution to the field of Social Work (research), which I care about deeply. We owe the quality of our paper to the amazing efforts and contributions of social workers in Rotterdam, along with the inspiration we've drawn from both the Social Work Research community and the Narratology community. I firmly believe in the merit of interpretive research to support social workers in their roles as both policy practitioners and agents of change, and will continue to contribute to the field in the best of my ability.

Dr. Diletta Mauri, Trento University, Italy 

Constructing the ‘zero family’: Breaking the intergenerational transmission of maltreatment from the perspective of care-experienced parents, Child Abuse & Neglect, Volume 153, 2024, 106855, ISSN 0145-2134, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2024.106855,  www.sciencedirect.com  

Diletta says: When I received the award, I expressed my deep gratitude for this recognition from such an important organization as ESWRA. I thanked the committee for their trust in my work and everyone who has supported me throughout my research and PhD journey. In particular, I acknowledged my supervisor, Silvia Fargion, for her invaluable guidance, passion, and wisdom.

I also thanked my community of social work researchers, both in Italy and abroad, who make me feel part of a professional network that is a constant source of inspiration and encouragement.

Finally, I expressed my gratitude to the parents who participated in the research. Their stories of struggle, but above all, of courage and care for themselves and their children, have been the most meaningful and engaging part of my work. I also shared my hope that this comes through in the article that has received this important recognition.

|2025-04-07|6|0|§404|Potential New Special Interest Group on Linguistic Diversity|

Linguistic Diversity

I am Dr Sarah Pollock, a social work academic based at Manchester Metropolitan University, England, UK.  I would like to hear from anyone who would like to join a SIG focusing on linguistic diversity, initially to meet as a group online and develop the SIG proposal for ESWRA.  

My research interest is how linguistic diversity impacts all aspects of social work.  I am using linguistic diversity to refer to interactions and situations where social workers, or social care providers, and recipients or potential recipients of services do not share a spoken language, usually the language of the host country. I would like to start an ESWRA Special Interest Group to share and develop research and best practice in this area. 

The SIG could include research interests including but not limited to:

• work with interpreters 
• language brokerage
• language policy
• linguistic diversity as a form of discrimination
• comparative approaches to linguistic diversity
• Linguistic theory in application to social work
• Linguistic diversity and coloniality, history and the global movement of people

Do please contact me via email and share this information with any social work colleagues that may be interested.  I look forward to hearing from you, I’d be happy to answer any queries from interested parties– my email is S.Pollock@mmu.ac.uk

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