History

The Social Work Innovation Research Living Space (SWIRLS) was established as a Flinders University Research Centre in March 2019.

SWIRLS aims to be a national leader in social work
research that results in evidence-based contributions
to practice, and therefore benefits the profession and
the community.

SWIRLS is committed to ‘speaking with’ rather than
‘speaking at’ industry partners. SWIRLS projects
prioritise co-design and knowledge translation, with
researchers and stakeholders learning from each
other through continuous collaboration, to build
practice evidence bases. It is a research environment
informed by appreciative inquiry and participatory
action research. Such an environment allows for teams
(including researchers, managers, policy makers,
practitioners, and clients) to engage directly with
and learn from each other. This encourages shared
learnings across the life of the project and maximises
the pertinent impact of all research outputs.

Since SWIRLS was launched, it has been highly
successful. The SWIRLS approach is valued by
government and practice communities, with SWIRLS
attracting significant research funding and working
with multiple human service agencies to build an
evidence base for practice and policy, particularly in
the fields of family and domestic violence and child
protection.

Our research partnerships and funding have enabled
PhD scholarships, and the employment of postdoctoral
researchers, research assistants, and engagement with
First Nations leaders and communities.