This ongoing program of research and curriculum development explores how people with lived experience of social work services, also commonly referred to as service users or experts by experiences, can meaningfully shape social work education.
The initial project, led by Dr. Keith Adamson (University of Toronto), involved service users and families as co-developers and co-instructors of an MSW-level course focused on disability and social work practice. Participants were involved in every stage of course design: identifying learning objectives, developing course content and activities, determining assessment strategies, and co-facilitating classroom sessions.
Dr. Ami Goulden is doing ongoing work in this area, including the development of national and international resources to support service user involvement in social work curricula.
Specialized Curricular Guide on Service User Involvement
Dr. Goulden is a contributing member of the international task force developing the Specialized Curricular Guide on Service User Involvement in Social Work Education, coordinated by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).
This guide will support accredited programs in implementing service user involvement across the nine competencies outlined in the 2022 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS). The guide highlights best practices for including lived experience in classroom and field settings, with a focus on equity, accessibility, and transformative pedagogy.
Media:
Aksenovich, A. (January 29, 2020). Community in the classroom. ReThink – University of Toronto.
Ontario Hospital Association (n.d.). Family as faculty teaches client-centred care at University of Toronto.
Publications Related to This Project
Ho, C., Goulden, A., Hubley, D., Adamson, K., Hammond, J., & Zarem, A. (2024). Teaching and Facilitation Course for Family as Faculty: Preparing families to be faculty partners in healthcare education. Clinical Social Work Journal, 52, 23-36.
Adamson, K., Goulden, A., Logan, J., & Hammond, J. (2024). Service user involvement in social work education: A scoping review. Social Work Education: The International Journal, 43(2), 374-392
Presentations Related to This Project
1 Ho, C., & Goulden, A. (2023, May). The family as faculty program: A social justice approach to collaborative social work education (oral paper). Canadian Association for Social Work Education. Toronto, Ontario.
Adamson, K., Goulden, A., & Khazanchi, P. (2020, November). Academics and clients co-teaching in a social work course: A critical reflection (oral paper). Council on Social Work Education (Virtual).
Adamson, K., Goulden, A., & Karbasi, N. (2020, November). Partnering with clients and families in social work education: A critical conversation (oral paper). Council on Social Work Education. Denver, Colorado (Virtual).
Adamson, K., Goulden, A., & Hammond, J. (2019, October). Towards a pedagogy for client and family involvement in social work education (oral paper). Council on Social Work Education. Denver, Colorado.
2 Adamson, K., Goulden, A., & Logan, J. (2019, October). Client and family collaboration in social work education: A scoping review (poster presentation). Council on Social Work Education. Denver, Colorado.
Invited Talks
Adamson, K., & Goulden, A. (2022). Nominated Emerging Work Talk: Involving clients and families in transformative education. Teaching for Transformation: Annual Conference+, Centre for Advancing Collaborative Healthcare and Education (University Health Network) and The Centre for Faculty Development (Unity Health Toronto and the University of Toronto’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine).
Adamson, K., Goulden, A., Hammond, J. (2021). Centering disability & accessibility in curriculum design. National Accessibility Week 2021, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario.