ORCID
- Alyson Norman: 0000-0002-4332-6049
Abstract
Acquired brain injury (ABI) is the leading cause of adulthood injury-related death and disability worldwide. Despite ABI’s prevalence, little is known about the extent to which social workers are prepared for brain injury working and specifically pre-qualifying brain injury curricula. This study employed a nine-item survey regarding brain injury social work knowledge (Appendix 1). The survey asked about curricula inclusion within social work pre-qualification via multiple education providers to understand the extent to which brain injury training is incorporated within UK courses. This included a series of open-ended questions. Data from 36 survey respondents identified that 1) there was an acknowledged gap in ABI pre-qualifying curricula inclusion and educator knowledge; (2) ten respondents had personal experience of brain injury, (3) the majority of respondents believed brain injury social work education should be mandatory pre-qualifying; (4) there were pockets of good practice prompted by personal or local interest; and, (5) there was no mention of interprofessional learning. The study highlights a need for the inclusion of brain injury training within pre-qualification social work curricula across the UK which may relate to a wider lack of knowledge about brain injury social work among educators.
DOI Link
Publication Date
2026-09-03
Publication Title
Social Work Education
ISSN
0261-5479
Acceptance Date
2026-07-30
Deposit Date
2026-08-19
Funding
This project is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) under its Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB) Programme [Grant Reference Number NIHR202980]. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care. The funders did not play any role in the design, data collection, analysis, decision to publish or preparation of this manuscript.
Keywords
Brain injury, social work education, curriculum, acquired brain injury, traumatic brain injury
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Bald, C., Norman, A., Amediegwu, A., Spirit, T., Ademakinwa, T., Linden, M., Holloway, M., Clarke, M., & Bateman, A. (2026) 'Hidden in plain sight: UK social work educator views of preparedness to work with individuals and families affected by ABI.', Social Work Education, . Available at: 10.1080/02615479.2026.2726367
