Service user involvement in countries of conflict

This chapter examines service user involvement in the context of countries affected by conflict. The author writes from the perspective of Northern Ireland, a country that has emerged from a protracted period of violent political conflict, but wherein creative opportunities for meaningful service user involvement in social work education have developed in the context of a more peaceful societal milieu following the Peace Agreement of 1998. Northern Ireland will therefore be highlighted as a case study example of service user involvement occurring against a challenging contextual backdrop, one which can point the way forward for other countries experiencing political adversity to consider the development and implementation of similar initiatives.