Heads Together have launched an online Brain Injury Social Work Education Platform. This is a dedicated space for social workers and social care colleagues to access information and resources about acquired brain injury to support their understanding and practice when working with adults with brain injury, their families, and their communities. The platform will also provide resources for families and individuals with acquired brain injury.
Heads Together was established through a research project funded by the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR202980) using funds from the UK Government to support research. The research team brought together academics, practitioners, and people with lived experience of brain injury. The project’s findings highlighted a lack of education, knowledge, and support for social workers working with people with a brain injury.
The Brain Injury Social Work Education Platform comprises several standalone modules. Each module covers key areas of knowledge, skills and practice offering links to classroom learning materials, community resources, and open access research. There will be a dedicated module for academics, practice educators, and on-site supervisors which will include curated content such as lesson plans, lecture slides, videos and case studies. A segmented and full recording of ‘Making Headway’, a play of real-life ABI stories created by Headway Essex, innovation award finalist 2023 will also be available.
In addition to new resources, the platform provides links to information produced by key organisations in the brain injury community, such as BrainKind, Headway UK, ABI Ireland and Anchor Point. It also links to relevant research areas which crossover with those specifically about brain injury, such as the NIHR Mental Health Research Incubator and Moving Social Work.
The platform is designed for maximum flexibility allowing access to what is needed, by whom at any time. The first four modules are now available and these will be followed by additional sections to support social workers and allied health and justice colleagues.
When accessing the platform you will be asked to register and so will then be informed about the release of future modules over the coming year.
Dr Caroline Bald, Lecturer in Social Work at the University of Essex and Chair of the Brain Injury Social Work Group who is also a researcher on the project said:
‘The need for specific educational resources for social workers and social care practitioners about brain injury was clear from the Heads Together research. Every social worker needs basic knowledge and understanding which is lacking on social work courses. One of our aims is to fill this gap and make the training and information freely accessible to all.’
Kate Mellor, who is part of the experts by experience group and a social worker by background supporting the project added
‘the lived experience part of the project has been instrumental in guiding the direction of this research. By including information and resources for families we hope that those unfortunate enough to be in this position can at least gain access to the information they need.’