2024/25 Events

Upcoming: 

Call for Posters!

Innovating for Social Change: A University-Wide PGR & ECR Competition

The Centre for Social Work Innovation and Research (CSWIR) is pleased to announce a social change-inspired poster competition for Postgraduate Research (PGR) students and Early Career Researchers (ECRs) at the University of Sussex.

CSWIR is a unique research community driving the future of social work and social well-being. Recognising that complex social issues demand diverse perspectives and innovative solutions, this competition aims to showcase the impactful research being conducted by PGRs and ECRs across the University, in alignment with CSWIR's core vision for a more just and equitable society.

We welcome poster submissions from all faculties that demonstrate innovative approaches to:

• Understanding Social Problems in a Changing World
• Relationship-Based Social Justice
• Collaboration in Social Innovation
• Methodological Innovation & Decolonising Research

The prize:

Five prestigious awards, each with a £100 voucher, will be up for grabs!

We will also print the first 20 posters submitted, completely free of charge.

Deadlines:

• Deadline for Expression of Interest: Wednesday 23 April 17:00PM (Register intent via CSWIR@sussex.ac.uk with: Name, position, department, poster title, a brief (250-word) alignment explanation, availability, and PGR/ECR status)
• Poster Submission Deadline: Monday 26 May 9:00AM (Submit completed poster to CSWIR@sussex.ac.uk)
• Poster Display, Voting & Prizes: Tuesday, 17 June, 12:00-14:00 (in person on campus, location to be confirmed):
  • Poster display & public sticker voting (12:00-13:30)
  • Prize announcement & awards (13:30-14:00)

Full terms and details here, including eligibility and assessment criteria!

Past Events:  

• A European dialogue on Signs of Safety

With Anna Melke

When: Friday 11 April, 12-1pm

Where: Online via Zoom

In this seminar, Anna gave a presentation on her ongoing Signs of Safety research, with a specific focus on the Swedish context. This was followed by a 45-minute group discussion.

Dr Anna Melke is a researcher based in Gothenburg, Sweden. She primarily works at the Research and Development Unit of the Gothenburg Region, an association of thirteen local governments covering one million inhabitants. The unit brings together a multidisciplinary team of social science researchers and senior analysts. She is also affiliated with the Department of Social Work at the University of Gothenburg, where she organizes seminars on applied (practice-based) research. In recent years, Dr. Melke has led several research and improvement projects focusing on support for children and parents at risk, including out-of-home care. Currently, she is studying the potential impact of the Signs of Safety model in child protection investigations by comparing services that implement the model with those that do not.

• Kingston and Sussex Joint Departmental Social Work Conference 2025

Wednesday 26 March, 10AM-1PM 

Co-organised by the Department of Social Work and Social Care, Kingston University London and Centre for Social Work Innovation and Research (CSWIR), Department of Social Work and Social Care, University of Sussex

Community work is a longstanding tradition within social work, encompassing the early Settlement movements, radical community organisation and activism, rural development, and urban planning and renewal. In this online conference, jointly organised by the social work departments of Kingston University and the University of Sussex, we brought together a range of UK and international speakers to discuss the relevance and resurgence of community-based practice in contemporary social work.

On Valentines Day, we hosted 'Love in Motion 2025', a collaborative event with Relational Activism, alongside East Sussex County Council and Brighton & Hove City Council Council.

Our key themes were:
💓 Relationships that heal
💓 Sustaining lifelong relationships

This event brought together practitioners, academics, and lived experience changemakers to explore how relationships at the heart of social work and human services can create lasting impact.

 As a group, we explored love as a radical tool for transformation – because relationships are not just the means; they are the end.

Thank you to our co-organisers Tim Fisher and Kar-Man (pictured below)!

And a huge thank you to all who came and contributed their experiences of love in social care. 

Past Events Cont.:

Why the Affirmation Model is Important for Social Work Practice with Dr Colin Cameron (Northumbria University)  

Date: Friday 25 October 2024 

Time: 1-2:30pm

Location: Chichester 3 3R241 / Zoom 

Colin Cameron has been active in the disabled people's movement since 1992 in various roles in disability arts, inclusive living and collective advocacy organisations. He has had quite a few things published, including 'Controversial Issues in a Disabling Society' (2003, with John Swain and Sally French), 'Disability Studies: A Student's Guide' (2014), and 'The Routledge Handbook of Service User Involvement' (2020, with Hugh McLaughlin, Peter Beresford, Helen Casey and Joe Duffy). He is the vocalist in a punk band called Filth and has had his Stuckist nose-picking paintings exhibited at The Royal Academy. His first degree was in social administration from Brighton Polytechnic in 1986.

“In this presentation I shall explore the view, asserted by the Union of the Physically Impaired Against Segregation almost 50 years ago, that disability is a form of social oppression, and ask why much social work practice seems to have had difficulty with this understanding. I shall consider the disability definition in the 2010 Equality Act and why this establishes in law a way of looking and thinking which makes it difficult to think about disability other than as unfortunate individual limitation. I shall outline the affirmation model, an idea that has emerged from the creative practice of the disability arts movement, which offers a way of understanding disability rooted in ideas of pride and respect, and conclude by reflecting on the affirmation model in the light of a number of statements made by disabled people, drawing out its implications for anti-oppressive social work practice.”

Dr Cameron is currently based at the Department of Social Work, Education and Community Well Being, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. 

You can watch his presentation here: Why the Affirmation Model is Important for Social Work Practice.

Bridging Disciplines: Data-Driven Methodologies for Education and Social Work Research in Disaster Perception Studies with Dr Chia-Lee Yang  

Date: Tue 9 July

Time: 2:00 - 3:00 PM 

Location: CIE Room, Essex House  

This research seminar explored the integration of data-driven methodologies in education and social work research, focusing on disaster perception studies. Techniques such as big data mining, MCDM, and machine learning were discussed to understand public responses to crises like COVID-19 and environmental pollution. Emphasizing vulnerable populations, the session demonstrated the enhancement of social interventions and educational programs. Dr. Yang presented case studies on text mining for bibliometric analysis, social media analysis for public perception of environmental issues, and big data analytics for vaccine hesitancy.

Ethical Action in Challenging Times with Kimberly Strom 

Date: Wed 26 June 

Time: 9:30 AM - 11:00 AM 

Location: Arts A04 

During this session, we engage in dialogue about ethical action, the pressures of wanting to do “the right thing”, and how we can act with moral courage.

Vets, Pets, and Social Workers: Creating Veterinary Social Work in the UK with Rebecca Stephens 

Date: Tue 25 June 

Time: 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Location: Zoom

This session introduced the group to Veterinary Social Work and the four core areas of practice that supports human-animal relationships.

AMBIT/Mentalisation Seminar with Gema Hadridge and Carly Stockton (Brighton & Hove Adolescent Service)  

Date: Thurs 6 June 

Time: 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM 

Location: Zoom 

AMBIT is an open source approach and the Brighton & Hove Adolescent Service is focusing on becoming an AMBIT influenced service, with interest in extending this approach more widely. The Adolescent Service is made up of various teams - a Social Work team, RU-OK, Youth Justice Service, Functional Family Therapy and Extended Adolescent Service.

This interactive seminar introduced participants to AMBIT and how it can be used in social work practice across the life course to strengthen the support to vulnerable populations to promote improved outcomes. Participants also had the opportunity in the session to inform efforts to embed AMBIT locally.

Recording to follow soon! 

'Belonging: Tiger Bay Boxing Club' Film Screening, with documentary participants and Anna Gupta (Co-Power) 

Date: Mon 3 June 

Time: 4:30 - 6:00 PM 

Location: Pevensey I 1A6

After a project overview from Anna Gupta, we watched 'Belonging: Tiger Bay Boxing Club'. Afterwards, we asked founder of the boxing coach, Wasem Said, the director and producer, Florence Ayisi and two of the club's boxers about their experience of making the documentary. It was a privilege to also hear from the participants about their passion for their sport and how this links to feelings of community for them.

Emotional Labour in Child and Family Social Work Teams: A Hybrid Ethnography with Dr Sara Carder (UEA)

Date: Thu 23 May

Time: 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM

Location: Fulton 110 / Teams

At this seminar, Sara shared her research, which examined how everyday activities, relationships, and interactions across in person and online team settings either supported or hindered social workers in managing the emotional demands of child and family social work.

CSWIR Members Event 

Date: Thursday 25 January
Time: 3-4:30pm 
Venue: Jubilee G31 

At this event, we brainstormed about CSWIR engagement and did some forward planning for the year ahead.   

Thinking Through Family: Narratives of Care Experienced 

Date: Thursday 14 December 
Time: 4:30-6pm 
Venue: Woodland 3, The Student Centre, University of Sussex 

CIRCY and CSWIR celebrated the launch of Professor Janet Boddy’s new book: ‘Thinking Through Family: Narratives of Care Experienced Lives’. 

Discussants: Rosie Canning (University of Southampton) and Professor Ros Edwards (University of Southampton). 

PhD Seminar (with University of Melbourne and Helsinki Practice Research Centre)

Date: Wednesday 15 November, 2023
Time: 9-10am (BST), Online 

Hosted by the 5+1 Practice Research Collaboration, University of Melbourne, the Centre for Social Work Innovation and Research, University of Sussex and the Helsinki Practice Research Centre, Finland, three postgraduate researchers presented their recent findings and engaged in dicussions lead by centre leads, inlcuding CSWIR's Gillian Ruch. 

SWIRLS/CSWIR: The Importance of Lived Experience in Social Work,18 October

Date: Wednesday 18 October, 2023
Time: 9am (BST)

This public event, presented with the Social Work Innovation Research Living Space (SWIRLS) at Flinders University in South Australia was an ‘in conversation with’ style event, where we discussed how the voices of consumers in the health and welfare sector is well established and increasingly important in the implementation of services. There is a growing movement in hearing the voices of people with lived experience to influence social work practice, education and research. This webinar included panel members from the UK and South Australia to share their experiences and make recommendations for the way forward.

You can watch the dicussion on the SWIRLS YouTube channel: SWIRLS and CSWIR: The importance of lived experience in social work.