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Summary This article considers the place of service-user knowledge and expertise within an evidence-based practice perspective. It makes a strong argument that client involvement is a core principle of Sackett et al.'s foundational approach in evidence-based medicine. In so doing, it draws on research on service-users' perceptions and experiences of evidence-based practice. Findings For service users, evidence-based practice lacks relevance and trustworthiness unless it explicitly factors in the expertise of service users themselves. Evidence-based practice is seen to have merit as a tool for enhancing accountability, but service users see a role for themselves at individual and representative levels in the process of evidence-based practice. They place a high value on the expertise derived from lived experience, and recognise that fluctuations in capacity and changes in circumstances of many service users require a flexible approach to their participation in decision making. A pragmatic approach to the conceptualisation of evidence is recommended, which not only maintains scientific rigour inherent in evidence-based practice but also more strongly emphasises the process of analysing evidence appropriate to a particular individual's preferences and circumstances. Applications For human service practitioners, this study emphasises the need to develop professional skills in assessing the capacities, circumstances and preferences of clients and analysing and applying evidence for practice in ways that conform to a client-centred approach. It also indicates a need for researchers and practitioners to recognise and value service-user expertise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A central question in the research utilisation literature is what happens to research evidence once it is produced. In social work, this has frequently translated to questions of whether and how social workers use research in practice. Despite these questions, relatively little is known about the ways in which research comes to be used in social work practice. This paper reports on a study of research utilisation in social work, which examined researchers' perceptions of the factors impacting on research use in social work. The specific focus of this study was on the impact of interaction between researchers and practitioners on research use in practice. The study replicated a scale used in prior studies on knowledge utilisation to collect data from 60 Australian researchers publishing in social work journals, all of whom reported some level of research use by practitioners. Key variables were coproduction, engagement, and research utilisation. Implications for future use of the survey instrument for the measurement and implementation of research use in social work are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on findings from a national survey (n = 364) of social workers' views on what impedes and supports evidence-based practice (EBP) implementation. In contrast to some prior research, support for EBP was found to be strong among the social workers surveyed. Open-ended responses, however, reflected some reservations a bout the formalisation, relevance, usability and applicability of EBP in social work. A range of barriers to EBP implementation for social workers were identified at individual and organisational levels, which is largely supportive of findings from prior research. An interesting distinction was discerned between those respondents who preferred to engage in the whole EBP process themselves (locating, appraising and applying research) and those who preferred to adopt practice guidelines based on appraisal of research evidence by other experts. This finding has implications for the way organisations and the social work profession approach the implementation of EBP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article addresses ‘the making’ of the Global Agenda in social work by situating the process of agenda-setting itself as an object of critical reflection. It discusses the way in which the agenda positions social work as part of a global civil society network somewhat removed from grassroots social work and raises concerns about its failure to address the causes of or possible solutions to social and economic inequality. The authors deploy recent empirical research relating to object-oriented politics, particularly the ‘no issue, no public’ debate on political mobilization as a more viable alternative in contributing to structural change. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article discusses the survey of Australian social workers about their attitudes towards evidence-based practice and the factors that affect its implementation in human service organisations. Majority of the respondents supported evidence-based practice (EBP) and reported changes in practice due to the influence of research. Support for EBP was highest among social workers in management positions. The complex dynamics of the transfer of research in social work and human services was noted.