An interactive process model of knowledge transfer for social work through university–agency collaboration: Subjective experiences of the agency social workers in Hong Kong

Abstract

Abstract This article reports on the outcome of an exploratory study on a university–agency collaboration in a Chinese context for transferring social work knowledge from academia to the field and beyond. A six-stage process characterised by interactive contributions from the university and the agency in question was identified from the trainees’ narratives of the content, process and their subjective experiences with the three-year collaboration. The two parties co-constructed and adapted knowledge oriented for a specific clientele and agency context, and they implemented the intervention together with underlying theories and ways of thinking. Through interactive practising and coaching, knowledge was indigenised and disseminated into and beyond the agency. The study highlighted the trainees’ active participation, the deep collaboration between the two parties and the trusting relationship within the changing power dynamics, and the comprehensive planning at the organisational level for a fully sustainable transfer of social work knowledge with tacit characteristics. Multiple implications for continuing professional education in social work are drawn.