Social Work and Social Innovation: Emerging Trends and Challenges for Practice, Policy and Education in Europe

Written by leading experts from across Europe, this book provides a grounded exploration of innovation in the practice, research and education of social work. It focuses on the role of participation, collaboration and co-creation as key drivers of social innovation within these fields, providing practical examples of social entrepreneurship, people-centred design and participatory led innovation.

The positive outcomes of local social innovations are analysed in the wider European framework, with reflections and recommendations for advancing innovation in policy, service provision, education and research.

Susan Baines (156-2023) was Professor of Social Enterprise at Manchester Metropolitan University. Her research spanned social policy, innovation, enterprise and civil society, and she published extensively on these themes.

Lena Dominelli holds a chair in Applied Social Sciences in the School of Applied Social Sciences and is Co-Director at the Institute of Hazards, Risk and Resilience Research at Durham University, UK, with particular responsibility for work on vulnerability and resilience.

Kristel Driessens is professor of Social Work at the University of Antwerp and Head of the Centre of Expertise Strength-Based Social Work of the Karel de Grote University of Applied Sciences. She is coordinator of Bind-Kracht, a collaboration between service users living in poverty, lecturers and researchers, providing educational programmes for social workers.

Chris Fox is Professor of Evaluation and Policy Analysis at Manchester Metropolitan University.

amsterdam university of applied sciences