Professor David Ward

Job: Professor of Social and Community Studies

Faculty: Health and Life Sciences

School/department: School of Applied Social Sciences

Address: De Montfort, University, The Gateway, Leicester, LE1 9BH.

T: +44 (0)116 257 7705

Research group affiliations

Centre for Social Action
Community and Criminal Justice
Participation and Social Justice Research Group

Publications and outputs

Self-directed Groupwork: social justice though social action and empowerment
Self-directed Groupwork: social justice though social action and empowerment Fleming, Jennie; Ward, David, 1946- Self-directed Groupwork and its values and methodology have taken root in a range of disciplines and in peer, volunteer and professionally facilitated groups addressing a diverse range of issues and across many countries. It has promoted and sustained the mind-set and practices needed for achieving social justice through social action and community empowerment. Addressing in particular the theories which have informed Self-directed Groupwork, we show that Self-directed Groupwork is alive and well, but argue that it is vital to re-engage with the core vision and mission and to re-energise open and honest collaboration with community members and users of services as partners in change. . The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.
Working with Parents of Gender Independent Children: using social action as an emancipatory research framework
Working with Parents of Gender Independent Children: using social action as an emancipatory research framework Pullen Sansfacon, Annie Marie; Ward, David, 1946-; Dumais-Michaud, A. A.; Robichaud, M-J.; Clegg, A. This article examines and reflects on the methodology used in a research project that involved group work activities with parents of gender-variant children. Gender variance in children remains a topic people talk little about. Discussions about people who express themselves differently from the social norms attached to their birth sex, to a large extent, remain rarely discussed. They challenge a society organized largely on the basis of a binary understanding of identity, one that belongs to either male or female. This article discusses the concept of oppression as being central to the experiences of gender-variant children and young people and their parents, and it proposes social action research as a compatible and appropriate research framework for exploring their experiences. We describe the research process, identify its achievements, and explore issues that had to be confronted. We suggest that traditional research structures may benefit from being revisited in order to allow emancipatory research to more fully achieve its potential for both research and social action. The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.
One method, two worlds: An Exploration of Group Work across Two Jurisdictions in North America
One method, two worlds: An Exploration of Group Work across Two Jurisdictions in North America Pullen Sansfacon, Annie Marie; Roy, V.; Ward, David, 1946- Looking at practices in different locations is benefi cial since it helps challenge assumptions that we may take for granted. Groupwork, as a method of social work, is specifi cally interesting to explore in the light of different contexts since, like social work, it may or may not translate well across cultures. This paper draws from data collected in the context of a research project that aimed to describe the current state of social work with groups in Quebec and to explore trends within social work with groups elsewhere in the world. Specifi cally, it focuses on the exploration of practices in Quebec and discusses them in relationship to those found in the USA, as a counterpoint. Our fi ndings highlight some differences and similarities between Quebec and the USA with regard to groupwork, which leads us to discuss a range of factors that may impact on groupwork in the different contexts. Of these, the differences of organisational context and organisation of services have emerged as particularly noteworthy, which echoes fi ndings in general social work literature with regard to the importance of local contexts on the defi nition of practice itself. This article is in an Open Access journal
Facilitation and groupwork tasks in self-directed groupwork
Facilitation and groupwork tasks in self-directed groupwork Fleming, Jennie; Ward, David, 1946-
Making Inter-professional Working Work: Introducing a Groupwork Perspective
Making Inter-professional Working Work: Introducing a Groupwork Perspective Pullen Sansfacon, Annie Marie; Ward, David, 1946- Teams are an established part of organisations and are, by definition, ‘groups’—but the business discourse within which they are conceptualised, and within which teamwork takes place, discounts key aspects of groupwork, essentially related to its values. Hence, we argue, the true potential of teamwork is stifled. This is compounded in relation to interprofessional ‘teams’, by the top-down, prescriptive, policy drivers which have led to their setting-up and because of ‘new managerialism’ embedded in their operation. In other words, they are essentially ‘business’ teams and, as such, constricted. Groupwork, we argue, has the potential, first, to liberate interprofessional teams to function more successfully and hence, second, to deliver better to the service user and, third, we believe, to contribute to reducing the risks of failure in interprofessional working as exhibited in recurring ‘tragedies’. Social workers, with their values, knowledge and training in groupwork, have potentially a special role to play in facilitating interprofessional teamwork. In turn, this role, if they carry it out well, might help improve their status in the interprofessional team, where currently they often feel marginalised. The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.
Making Interprofessional Working Work: Introducing a Group Work Perspective
Making Interprofessional Working Work: Introducing a Group Work Perspective Pullen Sansfacon, Annie Marie; Ward, David, 1946- Teams are an established part of organisations and are, by definition, ‘groups’—but the business discourse within which they are conceptualised, and within which teamwork takes place, discounts key aspects of groupwork, essentially related to its values. Hence, we argue, the true potential of teamwork is stifled. This is compounded in relation to interprofessional ‘teams’, by the top-down, prescriptive, policy drivers which have led to their setting-up and because of ‘new managerialism’ embedded in their operation. In other words, they are essentially ‘business’ teams and, as such, constricted. Groupwork, we argue, has the potential, first, to liberate interprofessional teams to function more successfully and hence, second, to deliver better to the service user and, third, we believe, to contribute to reducing the risks of failure in interprofessional working as exhibited in recurring ‘tragedies’. Social workers, with their values, knowledge and training in groupwork, have potentially a special role to play in facilitating interprofessional teamwork. In turn, this role, if they carry it out well, might help improve their status in the interprofessional team, where currently they often feel marginalised.
Probation education and training: An overview of the research.
Probation education and training: An overview of the research. Knight, C. H.; Ward, David, 1946-
Empowerment and oppression: An indissoluble pairing for contemporary social work.
Empowerment and oppression: An indissoluble pairing for contemporary social work. Ward, David, 1946-; Mullender, A.
How to use a consortium-working approach
How to use a consortium-working approach Fleming, Jennie; Ward, David, 1946-; Yates, Scott
Self directed approach.
Self directed approach. Mullender, A.; Ward, David, 1946-

Click here to view a full listing of David Ward's publications and outputs.

Research interests/expertise

Groupwork
Social action
Empowerment and user involvement
Social exclusion and inclusion
Young people and social policy
Social work in the voluntary sector
Probation, prisons and police.

Honours and awards

2010: International Honoree, Association for the Advancement of Social Work with Groups (North America). Award for ‘life-time’ contribution to the theory and practice of social group work.

2011: Professeur invite, Ecole de Service Social, Universite de Montreal, Canada.

Membership of external committees

Health Professions Council (2012 ongoing) Appointed as Partner-Visitor.
Member HM Prisons HR Directorate Learning and Development section (2009 – ongoing), co-opted member of Quality Assurance Board.
Ministry of Justice, Nottinghamshire Probation Trust, (2007 continuing) Board member (Home Sec. Appointment): Chair of Practice Quality Assurance and Serious Further Offending subcommittee.
Cooperative Financial Services (Cooperative Bank and Britannia Building Society) (2010-2012) Member of Customer Consultative Council.
Annual Joint Social Work Education and Research Conference (2008 – 2011) Planning Group.

Membership of professional associations and societies

British Association of Social Workers

Professional licences and certificates

University of Nottingham MA Applied Social Science / Certificate of Qualification in Social Work 1972.

General Social Services Council Registered Social Worker Reg. No. 1027815

Conference attendance

32nd Annual Symposium of the Association for the Advancement of Social Work with Groups, Montreal, Canada, June 2010.

20 Years of Self- Directed Groupwork: Lessons for Participation and Empowerment in the 21st Century’ (presentation by invitation).

Consultancy work

University of Montreal and Concordia University, Montreal, Canada (2011 – 2013 at first instance).

Consultant to Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council funded research project on the Social, Educational and Activist Worlds of Gender Nonconforming Children in Canada.

Currently, member of Quality Assurance Board of HM Prisons HR Directorate, Learning and Development Section. Attend and advise on prison service’s internal inspections of prison training departments.

Home Office, Police Leadership and Powers Unit (PLDPU) (2004 - 2006): Consultant on the development of a new Initial Police Learning and Development Programme (IPLDP), a training programme for newly recruited police officers.

Current research students

1st Supervisor for Ausrine Bremner

2nd Supervisor for: Charlotte Knight, Ika Ruddock, Annette Crisp, Andrew Hill, Sofia Rista

Externally funded research grants information

National Childrens’ Bureau on behalf of ‘Participation Works’ (2008 – 2010) (Project Director). Evaluation of Participation Works, a scheme to develop capacity of voluntary organisations effecting children to involve children in all aspects of the organisation’s functioning and activity. Publication: Fleming J, Ward D and Yates S (2010) How To: use a consortium-working approach, London: National Children’s Bureau.

Howard League for Penal Reform (2010-2012) National Lottery (Co-researcher). Evaluation of URBoss, a participation-based scheme to provide legal support services to and influence, through evidence, services for young people sentenced to custody.

Professional esteem indicators

Editorial Boards: Managing Editor: British Journal of Community Justice;

Editorial Board Member: Groupwork.

Journal Reviewing:

Social Work Education;
Journal of Social Work;
British Journal of Social Work;
Groupwork;
British Journal of Community Justice;
European Journal of Social Work;
Practice.