The York Research Database

This article reports what may be the first systematic mapping and review of practitioner research studies in social work. We reflect on the difficulties of identifying such studies and outline the review and mapping processes adopted in the study. The paper categorises the kinds of research undertaken, drawing on a recently developed framework; it also reports and assesses the research against its contribution to knowledge, its methodological standards and its pursuit of due ethical research process. Finally, the paper explores what is known regarding the utility of the research, its contribution to capacity building and its value for people, and closes with a discussion of the issues raised by the review.