Social Work and Social Development Research Alliance (SWASDRA)

Research in the Social Work and Human Services discipline is centred on social justice, environmental justice, human rights, social development, and wellbeing. This is reflected in the Discipline’s vision statement:

Informed action for social justice and human rights.

This vision permeates the group’s approach to teaching, community engagement, and research activity.

Social Work and Human Services researchers are committed to discovering and disseminating knowledge that:

• Enhances the well-being of individuals, families, organisations and communities at local, regional, national and international levels by promoting human dignity and worth, human relationships, and social and environmental sustainability.

• Deepens understanding of complex human needs and problems, with a human rights lens, addressing these challenges within dynamic contemporary contexts including rural communities, local-global interconnections, and broader societal and ecological systems.

• Informs the development and implementation of effective, efficient policies, plans, and programs that tackle social and economic inequalities and environmental injustices across local and global scales.
• Strengthens pedagogical models, learning and teaching practices, and professional development within the field.

The research outputs and outcomes of the Social Work and Social Development Research Alliance mainly fall within Field of Research Code: 4409 (Social Work)

The alliance is structured around the following research streams: