Linda Martin

• Coventry University

An emerging global consciousness and rising attention given to international social work development has seen the recognition of comparative research within the profession. Understanding the functioning and organisation of social work within various country contexts is critical in order to formulate knowledge around its overall impact, successes an...

South African welfare policies, like those of many other countries in the world, are influenced by global economic trends directing neoliberal policy implementation. The adoption of neoliberalism in South African government policies has elicited criticism (Holscher & Sewpaul, 2006; Mindry, 2008). Although the literature (Abramovitz, 2012; Spolander...

South African welfare policy is influenced by global economic trends and has some indicators of neoliberal policy implementation. This paper discusses the indicators of neoliberalism before exploring the implications for child and family welfare services in post-apartheid South Africa, in relation to three key themes: the financing of welfare, stru...

In 2014, research was undertaken to examine social workers’ confidence, understanding and awareness of child sexual abuse (CSA) as it was suggested that a decline in numbers of reported incidents might be due to a decline in levels of understanding and awareness. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty-five first-line, middle and seni...

The near global implementation of public sector and social welfare reform as a result of neoliberal economic reform has impacted on social work and social inequality. State strategies to reduce social and economic inequality are being challenged and rolled back. This article uses the reflections from a six-country EU-funded social work research col...

Engaging students has been seen as the key to promoting their achievement in higher education institutions. However, there is an important stage prior to this: the development of a positive student identity which influences students’ motivation to engage. As the student body has evolved from full-time, on-campus students entering university straigh...

This article seeks to reflect on knowledge and experiences gained from an International Research Staff Exchange Scheme (IRSES). Challenges and opportunities inherent in the development and management of a large-scale international research project in social work are explored. Through a synthesis of conceptual frameworks a process model for internat...

Engagement is often seen as a reliable proxy for learning (Coates, 2005) but also in general abilities and critical thinking (Gellin, 2003), student satisfaction (Kuh et al, 2007), cognitive development (Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005) and improved grades (Tross et al, 2000). Whilst Coventry University have made significant efforts to support early e...