Social Work Research Centre

We develop knowledge and methodologies in cooperation with people with lived experience as well as the social work field. To us, they are indispensable and equal partners. We design interventions that lead to sustainable social change. This is how we shape research as an emancipating and connecting practice. As a research centre in Brussels, we are a reference point for urban social work.

Our current projects and future research are organised along three thematic lines which connect research projects and allow us to develop targeted expertise. These are:

Diverse narratives: We connect to people’s lived realities  and aim to validate their knowledge and expertise. In this way, we  break through established frames of mind and innovate the social work canon.

Citizenship:  Citizenship is a complex and contested concept. We support and develop a range of practices that build on inclusive, urban forms of citizenship as alternatives to often inadequate (formal) conceptions of citizenship.

Learning communities:  We learn from and with each other and aim to involve all stakeholders as co-researchers. Thus, we strive for the co-creation of knowledge in inclusive learning communities and constantly negotiate our role as researchers.