DARE Conference 2026

Department of Social Work presents a lecture and workshop at an international conference on decision-making, risk assessment, and evidence-informed practice

In early summer, the DARE Conference (Decisions, Assessment, Risk, and Evidence in Social Work) took place at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) in Switzerland. This conference brings together researchers and practitioners in Social Work to exchange ideas on decision-making, risk assessment, and evidence-based practice, to strengthen existing networks, and to initiate new research projects. The focus is on further developing knowledge, skills, and competencies in these key areas. The overarching goal of the conference is to use evidence to improve support for clients and vulnerable groups in society. Three keynote presentations set the tone for the conference: Donald Forrester (Cardiff University) discussed the opportunities and limitations of artificial intelligence for Social Work; Karmen Toros (Tallinn University) spoke about participation, dignity, and decision-making in child protection; and Tonino Esposito (Université de Montréal) presented a spatial approach to justice that focuses on support structures even before crises occur.

Moritz Reisberger, research & teaching assistant and TNF project manager in the MCI departments of Social Work and the Center for Social & Health Innovation (CSHI), presented two papers at the conference.

Moritz Reisberger: “DARE 2026 is one of the leading international conferences in the field of practice-based Social Work research on decision-making, risk assessment, and knowledge transfer on a global scale. Renowned scholars share their insights in keynote addresses, panels, and workshops. It is a great honor for us as a project team to be able to make two small contributions to this event and to present our analyses of Social Work in Tyrol on this stage - and, above all, to be able to discuss them critically! This is precisely what the field of Social Work is all about - critical questioning, productive insights, and a shared goal: evidence-based improvement of practice outcomes for Social Work clients today, and a long-term, collective journey toward a more socially just world grounded in ethical and professional values and universal human rights.”

In the panel “Professionals’ Knowledge, Experience, and Attitudes,” Moritz Reisberger presented findings on aspects of professional practice and decision-making processes in Social Work during times of multiple crises. Part of the data set for this presentation was based on findings from the research project “Social Problems & Social Work in a Time of Transition,” which was supported by the Tyrolean Young Researchers’ Funding Program and carried out in collaboration with Lena Rolvering as a project collaborator. Among other methods, the project used daily journals as well as semi-narrative and focused interviews with social workers from three practice areas across Tyrol to examine how professional practices and intervention methods change in the face of accumulating problems.

In addition to this presentation, the TNF project team organized a joint methods workshop as part of an international collaboration with Felicity Morrow of London South Bank University. This “peer-to-peer” workshop focused on the topic of “ethnographic research” in the context of Social Work practice. In particular, the possibilities and limitations of ethnographic-accompanying methods were discussed with the professional community. This is because, when successful, such study designs make it possible to methodologically access even those aspects of everyday practice, decision-making, and assessment that tend to remain hidden in conventional data collection methods, such as interviews. Some methodological considerations on this topic have already been published in an article in the journal “soziales_kapital” (Reisberger & Rolvering 2026).

For the TNF project team, the conference also marked the joint conclusion of the two consecutive research projects led by Moritz Reisberger. The second TNF project, “Quality & Innovation in Social Work,” will be completed by the end of the summer. Using a sequential methodological design, this project examined the current state of quality in Social Work practices under present-day conditions and the role that innovative ideas play in addressing and preventing challenges. The findings from both TNF projects that have already been published (see above and Reisberger 2025) will be followed by further articles in international journals. Immediately after the project funding ended, Lena Rolvering joined the Center for Social Investment and Innovation (CS) at the Max Weber Institute of Heidelberg University as a research associate.

Our participation in the DARE conference in Zurich not only allowed us to present and discuss local evidence from Tyrol with the international research community, but also marked the completion of several years of intensive project work. We hope to continue this wonderful collaboration in the future through joint publications, presentations, and potential follow-up studies that extend beyond our respective national borders!