Doctoral dissertations

PhD student: Soline Balet
Summary: The structural exclusion of illegalised migrants from Belgian society, their limited rights and restricted access to social services render it difficult for social workers and volunteers to provide more than just material support, situated in the present. This research project aims to gain a deeper understanding of structural social support practices and specific approaches to socio-legal and psycho-social support through ethnographic research methods. Therefore, the project focuses on local and municipal initiatives that link conditional welfare services, namely shelter, to intensive social counselling towards certain future perspectives for illegalised migrants. At the same time, the research endeavours to encompass how social workers, volunteers and illegalised migrants themselves construct informal forms of social support.
PhD in Social Work
Promoter(s): Robin Vandevoordt, Ine Lietaert (Social Work, Ghent University)
Periode of time: October 2021 - October 2025

PhD student: Marianne Bruhn Kjeldsen
Summary: In Denmark municipalities have chosen to apply the Integrationsuddannelse (IGU) policy with a focus on recruiting new employees to the field of elderly care. The IGU policy embodies an education and integration strategy in Danish policy and provides an integration training course for refugees. The rationale behind this approach is that many of the refugees, and mainly women, are experienced in taking care of older family members in their home countries. The aim of the doctoral research is to investigate the stereotypical underlying assumptions at stake in these recent policy strategies. Based on interpretative and retrospective biographical research, the efforts made by the various educational actors in this program are examined in how they relate to, and interfere with, the diverse life histories and educational backgrounds of the refugees, and in how this program affects their possibilities in commencing a vocational education or achieving employment on the Danish labour market.
PhD in Educational Sciences
Promoter(s): Griet Roets
Periode of time: June 2019 - June 2024

PhD student: Céline Cannaert
Summary: Today, definitions of parenthood are mainly limited to the classical image of the Western middle-class family where biological, social and legal parenthood coincide. Foster care is a challenging case to question that dominant idea given its complicated nature and the ambition to realise ‘shared parenthood’ in order to meet the child's right to parents and family. However, within the existing body of (inter)national foster care research, shared parenthood is mainly defined as a procedural and divided concept and each perspective of the various actors in foster care involved is always studied separately. This project aims to contribute to the international framework of shared parenthood knowledge by 1) theorizing the concept of shared parenthood from a holistic family resemblance approach and 2) empirically examining the different ways in which all various actors in voluntary foster care trajectories involved actually negotiate, perceive and fulfil their (parenting)role in the long run.
PhD in Educational Sciences
Promoter(s): Lieselot De Wilde
Periode of time: October 2021 - October 2025

PhD student: Dries Cautreels
Summary: De-institutionalization (DI) is framed and recognized internationally as a lever for the realisation of inclusion for citizens with disabilities. In research, policy and practice, DI has historically been framed as the dismantling of residential care to pursue the creation of community-based living, housing, and working environments. Nevertheless, the circulation of a controlling and oppressive culture and institutional logics in a variety of settings remains and a lack of inclusive social relationships still prevails in many situations. DI thus refers not only to the location and nature of the architectural and spatial embedding, but also to autonomy, an institutional culture and… professionalism. In my research, I will therefore focus on processes of ‘professionalisation’ to reconsider ‘institutional professional cultures and logics’ as a central theme and conceptualise a de-institutionalised (individual and collective) professional orientation as a vital prerequisite to realise DI.
PhD in Social Work
Promoter(s): Griet Roets , Rudi Roose
Periode of time: March 2022 - March 2026

PhD student: Lore Dewanckel
Summary: The central objective of this research project is to gain insight into and deepen the current knowledge about the complex and dynamic processes that are at play in the non-take-up of social rights of people in poverty. We adopt a dynamic rather than a static definition of non-take-up, that perceives non-take-up as a complex process. Research shows, for example, that there can be a lack of take-up of social rights due to the non-knowledge, the non-claiming and the non-reception of people according to their rights. Of great importance here is looking at the reasons behind this lack of take-up. Moreover, we define non-take-up as a lack of material as well as immaterial resources, and focus not only on the individual but also look at the relationship between the individual and the structural level.
PhD in Social Work
Promoter(s): Griet Roets, Koen Hermans (Centre For Sociological Research, KU Leuven)
Periode of time: April 2019 - April 2023

PhD student: Melissa Dierckx
Summary: Social cohesion as a theoretical concept is challenged by various social changes such as globalization and an increasing cultural diversity. In this context, child and family services are presented as services that can promote social cohesion in our society. Despite the renewed interest in social cohesion, the lack of conceptualisation inhibits its operationalization and thus jeopardizes the study of evidence based practices, as it is hardly possible to gain insight into the impact of child and family services on social cohesion. Through a triangulation of results obtained through a variety of research methods, this research contributes to the conceptualisation and operationalisation of social cohesion in social work practices for families with young children in contexts of increasing diversity.
PhD in Social Work
Promoter(s): Michel Vandenbroeck, Jochen Devlieghere (Department Of Social Work And Social Pedagogy , Ghent University )
Periode of time: October 2019 - October 2023

PhD student: Gretl Dons
Summary: The last decades, transparency in social work became a guiding framework. Both in social policy and social work practices. Transparency is a complex and multidimensional concept that takes on different meanings depending on who it is about, who is using it, or the context in which it is used. In this action research, together with practitioners in the various sectors of youth care, the focus is on what pedagogy is being developed in social work practices when it comes to transparency as in the interactions between professionals and service users. We want to explore how child and family social workers make transparency as a basic attitude explicit in their daily practice and what dilemmas they face in this context. The aim is to change practice itself. The setup is a change process in collaboration with those involved with the purpose of theory building.
PhD in Social Work
Promoter(s): Rudi Roose, Jan Naert (Social Work, Ghent University)
Periode of time: October 2020 - January 2025

PhD student: Nele Feryn
Summary: (Social) health care systems are faced with different challenges: an ageing population, demographic changes, inequalities, complex health care needs, etc. The complexity and multidimensionality of health and social problems requires a better coordination between the health and welfare sector and the professionals within these services. While the assumption that complex social and health issues are better managed cooperatively is widely endorsed in literature and by policy makers in Belgium, there is no clear insight in the realisation of the right to social services. Therefore, this study aims to examine how the transition of primary care in Flanders takes place at the intersection between social work and health and how (and if) inter-professional collaboration contributes to the realisation of social rights. Additionally, the purpose of this study is to map out the factors associated to the potential learning effects of inter-professional collaboration.
PhD in Social Work
Promoter(s): Rudi Roose, Joris Decorte (Department Of Social Work and Social Pedagogy , Ghent University)
Periode of time: March 2019 - March 2025

PhD student: Gaëlle Le Pavic
Summary: Processes of globalization seem to cause the blurring of (country) borders and increase interconnection, but at the same time new (country) borders are continuously drawn. The collapse of the Soviet Union created new countries, but also regions that declared independence but are not recognized within the international community. These are called de facto states. This research brings together insights from three disciplines - Social Work, International Relations and Border Studies - to explore the interaction between de facto borders and people's access to social welfare services. We do this by focusing on the role of civil society organizations (CSOs). Although CSOs provide crucial welfare services in the Post-Soviet region, their role and the interaction between their actions and the de facto borders has never been explored. The Post-Soviet de facto states Abkhazia and Transnistria are ideal empirical cases to uncover these interactions.
PhD in Social Work
Promoter(s): Ine Lietaert, Fabienne Bossuyt (Department Of Social Work And Social Pedagogy , Ghent University)
Periode of time: October 2020 - January 2024

PhD student: Marie-Lou Libbrecht
Summary: The reintegration of prisoners is an ongoing social problem. From the academic discipline of Social Work, knowledge gaps emerge; such as the lack of knowledge from an insider's perspective; lack of knowledge about a variety of life domains deemed meaningful by the person in question, such as sports; lack of research beyond the functionalist approach to reintegration, reducing integration to prevention of recidivism, etc. Within this research, the expressive dimension of reintegration is foregrounded. Through case studies of sports programmes in different prisons across Flanders and Brussels, a programme theory on the meaning and working mechanisms of sports for (ex-)prisoners is developed on the basis of participatory observations, interviews with (ex-)prisoners and actors involved in the implementation of the sports programmes, as well as longitudinal follow-up interviews with ex-prisoners.
PhD in Social Work
Promoter(s): Rudi Roose, Pascal Delheye (Faculty Of Political And Social Sciences, Ghent University)
Periode of time: November 2021 - October 2025

PhD student: Maud Martens
Summary: By drawing on ethnographic research in Northern France, this study examines the legal challenges faced by migrants in European transit zones and the various strategies they use to navigate them. It explores diverse forms of socio-legal support offered by a broad range of actors, including government agencies, civil society organisations, and migrants along with their informal social networks. Through this analysis, the research emphasises the heterogeneity and fluidity of migrants' legal statuses and trajectories, as well as the variety of responses to the legal obstacles encountered by migrants in transit.
PhD in Social Work
Promoter(s): Robin Vandevoordt, Ellen Desmet (European, Public And International Law)
Periode of time: February 2022 - February 2026

PhD student: Eveline Meylemans
Summary: This research focusses on the place of children in society and in research. The study suggests a social-pedagogical approach to scrutinize young children’s (9-12 years) actual (lived) citizenship experiences in relation to their social, cultural, economic and spatial environments through a qualitative child-driven approach, in which children are enabled as co-researchers throughout the whole research design. In doing so, this study will contribute to (1) the international body of empirical and theoretical knowledge on young children’s actual citizenship; and to (2) the emerging academic field of participatory research with children as co-researchers, aiming to deepen the methodological and ethical dimensions of this approach.
PhD in Social Work
Promoter(s): Lieve Bradt, Lieselot De Wilde
Periode of time: November 2021 - November 2025

PhD student: Luc Notredame
Summary: The objective of the project is the elaboration of a critical theory of social work, based on the assumption of the realization of social rights as a prominent mission of social work. As a principle of social justice, social rights are set off against other principles, such as (basic) needs and merit. Methodologically, we use the triadic approach as a knowledge and action strategy. The background for the elaboration of the theory of social work is the development and functioning of the Belgian welfare state since the Second World War, and the relation between the public and private sector. Empirical references are two key moments: the Organic Act of 8 July 1976 on the Public Social Welfare Centres (1976) and the First Flemish congress on well-being (1990).
PhD in Social Work
Promoter(s): Maria De Bie, Rudi Roose (Department of Social Work and Social Pedagogy, Ghent University)
Starting date: July 2014

PhD student: Dieter Oorlynck
Summary: An important pillar of Child Welfare & Protection (CWP) is the knowledge base that underpins these practices. It provides practitioners with theoretical frameworks, research and practical skills necessary to adequately address the challenges faced by individuals, families and communities. Historically and currently, CWP has been significantly shaped by clinical, psychological and individual approaches, which risk narrowing the focus to individual behavior and order thinking. This tendency is reinforced by neoliberalism, Evidence-Based Practice, treatment concepts and risk thinking. However, this approach has proven inadequate for addressing the many challenges and issues encountered in practice, leading to the potential marginalization of broader social concerns and ambiguity. This doctoral research seeks to explore which theoretical social-pedagogical knowledge base can serve as an inspiration for CWP practices.
PhD in Social Work
Promoter(s): Rudi Roose
Periode of time: November 2023 - November 2029

PhD student: Matthias Remmery
Summary: To improve the inclusion and citizenship of youngsters in residential youth care in society, recent research focuses on the development of a positive living group climate. However, this concept limits itself to interpersonal rather than socio-spatial relations and socio-spatial relations and treatment motivation rather than capacity to aspire of youngsters. Therefore, the of the research project is to acquire theoretical and empirical knowledge on the development of a socio-spatial citizenship climate. A socio-spatial lifeworld orientation theory is used to examine how youngsters experience and shape their freedom of movement and their capacity to aspire, related to the question how residential youth care can hinder or enable them to reveal this. A qualitative research approach is used, combining ethnography, mental mapping, biographical interviews and focus groups.
PhD in Social Work
Promoter(s): Griet Roets, Rudi Roose (Department Of Social Work And Social Pedagogy, Ghent University)
Periode of time: November 2021 - October 2025

PhD student: Marina Rota
Summary: This study is part of the ERC CHILDMOVE project and takes place in Greece which is, along with Italy, one of the main entry points in the EU. The research focuses on Unaccompanied Minors who have entered EU via Greece only to find themselves stranded in the country or in a continued effort to leave for other EU countries using different paths. The mixed methods collection of information has as a main goal to increase knowledge of the impact of experiences the children face while on flight on their psychological wellbeing. Their stories are being collected in various points in time and space in order to demonstrate the evolution of their efforts in order to find a place they can call home.
PhD in Social Work
Promoter(s): Ilse Derluyn, Ine Lietaert (Department Social Work and Social Pedagogy, University Of Ghent)
Periode of time: April 2017 - April 2021

PhD student: Sevinj Samadzade
Summary: This research investigates the ways in which social work practices both reflect and reinforce geopolitical dynamics, focusing on the interplay between global and local influences in social welfare provision. Specifically, it examines the social services provided by Georgian civil society organizations that support women. The study aims to map the landscape of global and local actors, funding sources, gender and feminized labor discourses, and target groups involved in these services. Through direct observation and participation in the daily operations of selected Georgian civil society organizations, the research seeks to gain first-hand insights into these dynamics.
PhD in Social Work
Promoter(s): Ine Lietaert, Fabienne Bossuyt (Political Science )
Periode of time: March 2024 - March 2028

PhD student: Sophie Samyn
Summary: The research wants to capture trajectories of homelessness among migrants in Ghent through ethnographic methods, i.e. observations and informal interviews. We will examine how they experience their homelessness and how they relate to different services and voluntary organisations in the city. Some of these homeless individuals face particular challenges because the access to basic social rights is dependent on their residency status. However, the right to housing is a human right that should be realized for all people. The goal of the doctoral project is: (1) To capture trajectories of migrants homelessness in Ghent (2) Gain insight into the efforts and responses of (local) social policy and social work in dealing with homelessness in people's lives (3) Co-creating knowledge with the homeless as allies in social work's pursuit of social justice.
PhD in Social Work
Promoter(s): Griet Roets, Koen Hermans
Period of time: 2020 - 2024

PhD student: Juno Tourne
Summary: Early school leaving (ESL) is at the forefront of current educational policy, research and practice. In these current policies and practices, a clear human capital approach can be identified, which leads to ‘strong education’. Seeing as this current approach to ESL is neither vastly reducing the amount of early school leavers nor the inequality in our education system, but rather reproducing and contributing to it, this research puts forward The Capability Approach as an alternative approach. This research aims to investigate how much space youngsters still have in the current education landscape in Flanders for ‘meaning-making’ and ‘exit’ and how this is reacted to. In this case, ‘exit’ refers to the chances that youngsters have to (temporarily) escape education, for example through unmotivated behaviour, truancy, (temporary) dropout, and early school leaving, at a reasonable cost. By reasonable we mean, for example, by having an opportunity to re-engage at a later time.
PhD in Social Work
Promoter(s): Lieve Bradt , Rudi Roose (Department Of Social Work and Social Pedagogy , Ghent University )
Periode of time: October 2018 - October 2022