Who we are

With a formidable reputation built on years of evidence-based and lived-experience research, the Social Work Innovation Research Living Space (SWIRLS) is a leading Australian social work research centre.

We design better prevention, intervention and services. We change policy and practice. We educate and mentor future social workers. And we help to empower and uplift individuals, families and communities.

What we do

SWIRLS dives deep into the whirlpool of information, theories, opinions and facts that make up our modern world. We take the spin out, concentrate on research that uses evidence and lived-experience, and create innovative solutions in and around social work.

We are an established centre that makes meaningful connections between research, practice and policy. Our research environment is informed by appreciative inquiry and participatory action research. We offer evidence that has the power to promote social justice values and shape our future workforce through knowledge, education, and professional development.

Work or study with us

Our research is supported through competitive external funding schemes and partnerships with community organisations and government stakeholders. All of our work is co-designed, theoretically driven and prioritises knowledge translation.  

We bring together researchers, practitioners, policy people, and anyone who engages with social work and related professions, to share in the excitement of research that makes people’s lives better.

We acknowledge the traditional owners and custodians of the lands on which we work and pay our respects to First Nations Elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty has never been ceded. It always was and always will be, Aboriginal land.

We recognise the past atrocities against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of this land and that Australia was founded on the genocide and dispossession of First Nations people. We acknowledge that colonial structures and policies remain in place today and recognise the ongoing struggles of First Nations people in dismantling those structures.

We acknowledge the intellectual property of our First Nations partners and recognise that our research would not be possible without their cultural authority and leadership.