Tilda Goldberg was a pioneering social work researcher. She was the Director of Research at the National Institute for Social Work and carried out the first Randomised Controlled Trials in British social work in the 1960s and 1970s.
At the heart of Tilda’s work was a belief that there was little empirical research to guide policy and practice in social work. Sadly, that remains the case today.
The Goldberg Centre was set-up with core funding from Tilda Goldberg’s bequest to address this problem by developing excellent social care research and supporting the use of evidence-based approaches in practice.
The Centre is based at the University of Bedfordshire and will initially focus on research on substance misuse across the field of social care, but its broader remit is to carry out and support excellent research on what works across the whole of social work and social care.
The Centre is particularly concerned with evaluating social work interventions and in developing the capacity for experimental and quasi-experimental approaches to such evaluations.
However, our philosophy is that experimental approaches are only one element of rigorous evaluation and that they should ideally be combined with qualitative components and the involvement of users of services in research.
An important element of the work of the Centre is that it aims to support the development of research capacity in social work and social care across the United Kingdom. As such it will offer a programme of events and scholarships that will be of relevance to academics, policy-makers and practitioners.
We hope that the Tilda Goldberg Centre will contribute to a significant increase in the volume and quality of research evaluating social work and social care interventions. It aims to bridge the gaps between research, teaching and practice by contributing to the development of a range of effective ways of working across the field of social care.
Our intention is to fulfil Tilda’s vision by providing a strong empirical foundation for policy and practice development in social work and social care, and by doing so to improve the experiences and outcomes for those who use social care services.
At a time when social work is in crisis, the aim of the Centre is to develop a distinctive approach based on professional excellence in delivering evidence-based services.
