ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the contributions and insights that qualitative methodologies have made to practice research in social work. In this chapter, ‘practice research’ denotes research that relates closely to social work practice. There have been four statements on practice research in social work; these contain very little guidance specifically in relation to qualitative (or quantitative) research. The use of visual methodologies is increasing in social work research. Social workers in England mainly use their cars to visit families in their homes; thus, a large car park is practical for this purpose. In contrast, the social workers in Belgium see families in their own individual office and each office door has a large caricature designed to represent the traits of that professional. The analysis of the artwork and the accompanying narrative showed that organisational culture affected both the social workers themselves and also the families they worked alongside.
