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Movement, wellbeing and social justice

To mark Social Work Week, the Moving Social Work manager at Disability Rights UK's talks about how this programme funded by us is helping social workers encourage disabled people and carers to move more.

18th March 2025

by Amarjit Randhawa
Moving Social Work programme manager, Disability Rights UK

One of the central views of social work is the key value and importance of everyone having access to the same opportunities to live full, active and healthy lives, regardless of anyone’s circumstances and background.

In the spirit of this rights-based approach and as we celebrate Social Work Week, I wanted to highlight the Moving Social Work (MSW), a training programme that harnesses the skills and values of social workers to support the health, wellbeing and human rights of people with disabilities.

MSW focuses on increasing physical activity and the benefits this generates for the mind and body, actively creating resources and co-produced strategies for new and established social workers to adopt as part of their practice.

The initial research findings (our study will continue through 2025 and until the end of next year) indicate that disabled people want to have more conversations about physical activity with health and social care professionals, including social workers.

Our ongoing analysis also indicates that social workers are trusted because they are empathic, a reliable source of information and knowledgeable of individual circumstances.

They also tend to spend more time with the people they support and are best placed to advocate for the upholding of their human rights.

That said, our research showed that conversations in relation to improving physical activity can be lacking, so this is where MSW can and has helped.

What kind of programme are we talking about?

MSW is an education programme designed to encourage social workers to speak about physical activity to disabled people and other groups.

The programme is evidence-based and has been co-produced with multiple partners – including Sport England's funding and Durham University, who's leading on the training delivery and research – while always keeping disabled people’s needs at the front and centre of it all.

Moving Social Work is embedded in the Government Disability Strategy (2021) and is a real opportunity to tackle health inequalities.

Listening to the research

Social workers are highly trusted professionals and disabled people welcome conversations with them about physical activity.

Organisational leaders also agree that these key workers can play a vital part in advocating physical activity – but why?

We know that physical activity improves wellbeing and mental health, but on top of that it’s also an excellent way of upholding the Care Act (2014) about the care and support for adults and for those looking after vulnerable people.

Another benefit associated with being physically active is that moving helps tackle health inequalities and social challenges, including loneliness, substance abuse, crime, unemployment and community involvement (to name just a few!) showing the adaptability of the training throughout social work practice.

Initial research findings indicate that disabled people want to have more conversations about physical activity with health and social care professionals, including social workers.

Along with these benefits, our ongoing research showed a need to improve the knowledge, skills and confidence of social workers in physical activity.

The goal of MSW is to do just that and the quantitative and qualitative results show that it works!

Echoing the evaluation from those who’ve attended the training in the past, the MSW proposal is considered “interesting, insightful and valuable” with people coming out of it feeling “enthused and energised” by what they learnt.

Many considered MSW as more than just learning about physical activity or disability, but as a facilitator that opened up conversations to help understand the Care Act and that helped guide conversations about mental health, drug and alcohol use and prevention, adult and child social work, strength-based working or community wellbeing.

And the fact that many consider they’d “100% recommend” MSW to their peers is a great cause for pride for those behind the training.

Is physical activity really part of social workers' role?

As we mentioned at the start of this blog, social work is about improving people’s lives by helping them with social difficulties, upholding human rights and promoting wellbeing, and one way to do this is by empowering people to be more active, so we could say the answer to the above question is yes.

But does that mean a social worker should tell everyone to play sport or go the gym every day? No, really.

Research tells us that small amounts of movement, such as gardening, walking to the shops and making a cup of tea are equally good for people, and this analysis also highlights that physical activity is safe for nearly everyone when done at a level that works for them.

MSW aims to ensure social workers can confidently promote physical activity and recognise the benefits for disabled people and themselves making everyone a winner.

We continue to roll out MSW nationally, in universities, county councils, for the NHS and elsewhere in the health and care sector.

So if you’d like free physical activity training and education to support wellbeing, promote social justice and tackle health inequalities, or want to learn more about us and our goals, please get in touch.

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