Service user involvement in teaching about conflict – an exploration of the issues

Abstract

Service user involvement is now a well embedded feature of social work education in the United Kingdom. Whilst many education institutions have fully embraced the involvement of service users in teaching, there is still work to be done in more fully engaging with service users who are seldom heard. This article highlights the opportunities and challenges associated with innovative work being piloted in Northern Ireland where victims and survivors of political conflict are routinely involved in teaching social work students about the impact of conflict on their lives.