ECSWR 2024 saw the highest number of Poster submissions to date. 42 posters were exhibited showcasing innovative research and academic excellence. The participants put forward their most compelling work, translating complex ideas into visually engaging and intellectually stimulating posters. This year the vote for 'best poster' was held on line, we are delighted to announce the winners of the ECSWR 2024 are:
Fostering Sustainable Social Work Practice through the Development of an Online Grief Application : Nur Atikah Mohamed Hussin, Anna Liisa Aho, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
Abstract
The traumatic death of a child often leads to the most prolonged and intense form of grief. Parents coping with this kind of grief require comprehensive support that is both flexible and readily available. However, existing grief support options frequently lack accessibility and flexibility, creating challenges for parents seeking assistance. Existing literature suggests that parents attending grief interventions may experience public stigmatization. Consequently, it is proposed that online grief applications can provide valuable support for parents after the traumatic death of their child. Nevertheless, these applications must consider the perspectives of bereaved parents to ensure that their content is relevant and suitable. The primary objective of this project is to develop an online grief support platform designed to aid bereaved parents in Finland. The recruitment process took place in Finland through online advertisements on various peer support association websites dedicated to assisting parents and families experiencing grief. We created an electronic questionnaire using LimeSurvey software to gather insights into parents' preferences and the content they desire in online grief support. In total, 141 parents responded to the call and completed the questionnaire, with 138 parents responding to the Finnish-language survey and 3 to the English-language survey. Data analysis was performed using SPSS Statistics 28 (IBM Corporation, 2021). The results indicate that parents need comprehensive information about grief, coping mechanisms, different forms of support, services, practical arrangements, methods for self-assessment, ways to manage grief, and customized content to support their grief. This project is an innovative initiative that encourages multidisciplinary collaborations in social work practice and other professional domains. Its goal is to promote equality and establish a sustainable support system for bereaved individuals, enhancing their health and overall well-being.
The Shared Stories Narrative Model Dr Denise MacDermott, Caoimhe Harkin-MacDermott Ulster University, Derry City, United Kingdom
Dr Denise MacDermott Symposium Convenor
Abstract
The Shared Stories Narrative Model is an innovative tool for practitioners and social work educators to realise their commitment to co-production and service user involvement. The model focuses on service users’ involvement in social work education in Northern Ireland referenced in our publication MacDermott and Harkin-MacDermott (2019) Co-producing a Shared Stories Narrative Model for social work education with experts by experience. Practice, 32, (2), 89-108. This research focuses on first-year students and co-production with experts by experience from a voluntary sector agency in Northern Ireland. What emerged from this research was a wholly original, co-produced Shared Stories Narrative Model. The Shared Stories Narrative Model enables social work educators, students and practitioners to work alongside experts by experience through four stages: Engaging, Collaborating, Participating and Providing feedback.
The poster illustrates applying the Sharing Stories Narrative Model in practice. The model can be used by social work students and practitioners to enhance relationships through the meaningful inclusion and participation of service users and people with lived experience. This model was created alongside young people with a focus on interactive dialogue and discussion and devolving power by placing an emphasis on working collaboratively through ongoing consultation and participation. This collaborative model has the potential to shape curricula, not only within social work education, but across subject disciplines.
This type of collaborative pedagogic research can be located alongside what Beresford (2019) and Askheim et al. (2017) define as the “gap mending process”, which refers to strategies to promote service user involvement and inclusion in social work education. This collaboration for learning seeks to address the traditional power relations which exists between service users and social workers, locating students and service users as active participants in shared learning and understanding. The model is included in the Good Practice Guidelines for involving Service Users in Social Work Education in Northern Ireland (Northern Ireland Social Care Council, 2020).
Co-production and collaboration can help redress the power imbalance in social work education and academic publishing by creating a platform from which to promote, enhance and develop the potential in others. It is important for social work students and practitioners to observe the strength and resilience of people with lived experience; doing so challenges the potential that students (and others) have to construct identities for service users that pathologise them as powerless or as victims.
The Shared Stories Narrative Model offers insights and examples, from service users and students, on promoting the personal empowerment of underrepresented groups and individuals in social work education. This model moves beyond a ‘them and us’ dichotomy, acknowledging the multiple synchronised identities that social work students and social work educators occupy as service users.
Thank you for joining us in celebrating the pursuit of knowledge and innovation. Enjoy the competition and be inspired by the remarkable achievements on display.
