LOCUS - Labs of Contextualized Social Work

We have applied for this project because of the needs we identified of social work lecturers (and their institutions), social work students, and social workers, in combination with our ambition to...

With LOCUS we have aimed to enhance social work education, practice, research and policy by engaging social workers to support students in researching the lifeworld perspective of residents in urban neighbourhoods. Through collaboration with field partners, LOCUS has created relevant knowledge to support community building and democratic urban governance in European cities facing societal challenges. The project facilitates a community of practice in community-oriented social work and social work education. We do this by encouraging international exchange among students, professionals and academics. To strengthen educational quality we have trained lecturers and prepared students with integrated research and social work skills, and we will continue to do so after the project is finished. This fosters global to local understanding and supports public engagement. Ultimately we seek to improve students' and professionals’ inquiry and communication skills, embed co-produced knowledge in curricula, innovate through connecting education with social work practice, deepen understanding of residents' experiences, and use student-generated data to spark community dialogue.