ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a summary of previous chapters and a discussion of social work research and the use of research in the future of social work practice across a range of settings. We show that social workers are uniquely positioned to drive ethical social research that aligns with a vision for a more socially just world. We re-assert the values-laden nature of social research and reject the premise that research can ever be neutral, unbiased or objective. Such a belief is often used to maintain an inherently white, Western epistemological agenda and devalues the experiences, beliefs and voices of First Nations and other marginalised communities. We round out this chapter by considering research evolution into the future and the role that we, as active consumers and producers of research, can play in this process.
