It's not just about where someone lives: educating student social workers about housing related matters to promote an understanding of social justice

Peter Simcock, Richard Machin

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    Abstract

    The links between housing and wellbeing are well established, and yet failings of current UK policy and practice can result in severely limited and inappropriate accommodation options for those in greatest need. Access to appropriate and affordable housing should therefore be a key area of concern for social work professionals: such access is closely linked to social justice and the promotion of human rights. Nevertheless, there is a paucity of detailed research on the links between housing and social work practice, and practitioners have reported feeling ill-equipped to support service-users with housing related needs. This paper draws on the illustrative example of a teaching session developed by the authors to argue that educating social work students about housing related matters not only reduces this reported practice knowledge gap, but may also develop their understanding of social justice. In addition to supporting calls for further research, the authors therefore encourage those involved in social work education to ensure that practice in the context of housing related needs is covered clearly within the curriculum.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)1041-1053
    Number of pages13
    JournalSocial Work Education: The International Journal
    Volume38
    Issue number8
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished (VoR) - 6 May 2019

    Keywords

    • Housing
    • social justice
    • problem-based learning
    • case studies

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