General Objective:

To enhance the development of an active and participatory teaching and learning process based on the theory–practice–reflexivity framework, thereby contributing to the promotion of a space for critical reflexivity and encouraging the continuous professional development of Social Workers.

Specific Objectives:

• To design, produce, test, and evaluate new teaching tools;
• To stimulate a creative and participatory teaching and learning process through the use of pedagogical games in the classroom context, in individual and/or group formats;
• To provide Social Work students with diverse learning strategies;
• To enrich the Social Work teaching staff with creative and innovative teaching strategies to address an increasingly heterogeneous student profile.

• Centro Lusíada de Investigação em Serviço Social e Intervenção Social
• Instituto Superior de Serviço Social de Lisboa – Universidade Lusíada
• Instituto Politécnico de Leiria – Escola Superior Educação e Ciências Sociais
• Universidade de Coimbra – Faculdade de Psicologia e de Ciências da Educação
• Escola Superior de Tecnologia e Gestão de Lamego – Instituto Politécnico de Viseu
• Instituto Superior Miguel Torga
• Faculdade de Filosofia e Ciências Sociais da Universidade Católica Portuguesa de Braga.
• Edições Esgotadas

• Development of pedagogical materials, with a focus on pedagogical games, based on the core curricular unit contents of Social Work;
• Creation of the 2nd game in the Collection;
• Publication of a manual on active and participatory methodologies and the competencies to be developed by students in Social Work education.

1. SDG 4 – Quality Education

• Contribution: Pedagogical games make the educational process more active, inclusive, and participatory, fostering critical and reflective learning.
• Impact: They broaden access to innovative teaching methods suited for diverse student profiles, improving the quality of higher education in Social Work.

2. SDG 5 – Gender Equality

• Contribution: Through dynamics and simulations, the games address issues of gender, violence, and human rights, promoting awareness and empowerment of vulnerable groups.
• Impact: They encourage the training of professionals equipped to promote gender equality and combat discrimination.

3. SDG 10 – Reduced Inequalities

• Contribution: The games stimulate understanding of social structures and inequalities, preparing students to work in inclusive social policies.
• Impact: They foster professional practices aimed at reducing social inequalities and guaranteeing rights.

4. SDG 16 – Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

• Contribution: Simulations and games focused on ethics and social rights promote the ethical and critical formation of future social workers.
• Impact: They strengthen commitment to social justice, professional ethics, and the building of more transparent and democratic institutions.

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In Portugal, especially in Municipal Social Work and Community Health Care, there are no measurement tools that assess autonomy and empowerment in different life areas. The lack of a standard tool and the use of varied social indicators per territory hampers unified assessments. This tool aims to identify priorities, allocate resources based on needs, and enable thorough monitoring and intervention.

Adaptation Procedures

• Authorization request to SSM-ES author
• Translation and validation by 2–3 bilinguals
• Back-translation by a third bilingual
• Reconciliation by Social Work experts
• Pre-test of the Portuguese version in diagnostic social assessments (20 to 30 users) to evaluate item comprehension
• Implementation over 3 to 4 months in municipal social action services. The process will be submitted to CLISSIS Ethics Committee and Mafra City Council.

• Political, academic, organizational, and associative recognition of the framework as a guiding tool for professional practice
• Validation of an innovative tool for Social Work knowledge and professional practice that enables 
  • Unified criteria/language for social diagnosis
  • Early detection of complex social needs
  • Improved monitoring and user engagement
  • Better information sharing and coordination among teams
  • Prioritized public resource allocation
  • New resources to meet needs
  • Improved planning and group needs analysis
  • Greater equity in service provision
• A tool to stratify social complexity and guide tailored care plan

• Publication in a scientific journal
• International conference with Spanish authors
• Social media and strategic partner dissemination (Municipal Associations, Local Authorities, ULS, DE)

• SDG 3: Ensure health and well-being for all; SSM_PT enables holistic diagnosis and monitoring
• SDG 4: Knowledge and tools to promote social equity and sustainable resource use
• SDG 10: Empowers and promotes social, economic, and political inclusion