The Kent Research Partnership is delighted to celebrate Lisa Richey, who has been awarded the Silver Award for Practitioner-Led Research at the 2025 Social Work Awards held in Manchester.
Lisa’s award recognises her outstanding research on Neurodivergence in Social Workers, a project supported by the Kent Research Partnership. Her study explores the experiences of neurodivergent social workers and highlights how greater awareness, inclusion, and organisational understanding can improve wellbeing and practice within the profession.
I’ve had a lovely few days in Manchester at the Social Work Awards,” said Lisa. “It was an honour to be nominated and shortlisted, but it was amazing to win the Silver Award for Practitioner-Led Research for my research on neurodivergence in social workers. Kent Research Partnership have supported me throughout the research, and I couldn’t be more thankful — particularly to Wenjing Zhang, my fantastic supervisor. Thank you to East Sussex County Council and Sharon Leaver for nominating me for this award and for their continued support.
Lisa’s success reflects the growing impact of practitioner-led research in adult social care — one of the core aims of the Kent Research Partnership. By supporting social care practitioners to engage in research that informs real-world practice, KRP helps bridge the gap between evidence and frontline experience.
Dr Wenjing Zhang, Lisa’s mentor and research supervisor, said:
“I am delighted to support you as you embark on your practitioner researcher journey, Lisa. I’m confident you have great things ahead.
The Kent Research Partnership extends heartfelt congratulations to Lisa for this well-deserved recognition and looks forward to following her continued contributions to research and practice in social work.