Enhancing the visibility of early career researchers in social work

In my recent Editorial for Qualitative Social Work (Morriss, 2018), I argued that it is vitally important to support social work doctoral students and early career researchers (ECRs). In summary, I argued that the decisions that we make as social workers are life changing and have lifelong impacts, and therefore it is crucial that there is a strong research base to inform our decision-making. Yet, doctorates in social work are still relatively rare. In addition, the picture is complicated by the existence of three different doctoral routes in social work in the UK, each bringing different challenges: the ‘traditional’ doctorate; the professional doctorate and the PhD by publication. Unlike neighbouring disciplines, there are no professional bodies in the field of social work that provide support for doctoral students and ECRs in social work. The support that does exist is ad hoc and on an individual basis, depending on the particular institution or the local Doctoral Training Partnership. Often, we remain isolated, working alone. Thus, the picture is complex: there is no typical doctoral student or ECR in social work. However, what we are highly likely to have in common is this lack of generalised support