Research engagement can support a social work clinician, manager and educator in the complexity of everyday practice however in the hospital setting social workers find themselves challenged by the range of potential research questions and methodologies that do not align with their daily experience, professional values or ways of collaboratively working. Four metropolitan hospitals and a university partner worked together to explore the impact of a collaborative capacity building model on the ability for social workers to engage in research activity. Using a Participatory Action Research framework, the research team identified the elements that contribute to a non-hierarchical and successful research dynamic, as well as the challenges that committing to research activity brings in the clinical role. Through reflecting on and articulating the pracademic, or practitioner-researcher, model used and the dominant values that contribute to social work research this study is transferable to other similarly challenged hospital social work departments and health settings.

Social workers who are based in hospitals regularly participate in on-call services whereby they respond to crisis or emergency presentations outside of usual working hours. A social work research team across four metropolitan hospitals in a Local Heath District in Sydney, Australia, investigated the experience of participating in an on-call service and the impact this had on the wellbeing of the social workers involved. By utilising a Participatory Action Research methodology that included in-depth interviews and reflective co-analysis, the findings showed evidence of risk for on-call social workers, as well as two key protective factors that mitigate the anxiety associated with night time and crisis work. These factors are preparation for participation in an on-call service, and timely and effective support whilst working outside of normal working hours. This research offers suggested strategies for translation into other hospital social work departments who undertake on-call services.