Short CV

Present post:

Professor of Child & Family Welfare (Emeritus), University of Sheffield

2006 - 2009

2004 – 2007

Dean of Social Sciences (3 year appointment)

Secondment to Institute of Primary Care, Primary Care Research and Development (3 year external grant)

My research work throughout my academic career has been empirically based and policy-related, securing external funding of over £3 million.

It has generally explored new solutions to long-standing problems within child welfare, often via innovative action research projects and evaluation of new developments. As appropriate to the research focus, I have given a high priority to accessible ‘’non-traditional’ dissemination to Government, key policy makers, and practitioners. The research has covered three broad themes: families and welfare policy, rights and social care practice, professionalism and professional education in health and social care.

SELECTED RESEARCH GRANTS FROM 2000

2004 – 2010   Research in Practice — Developing a platform for research and practice dialogue: An A.D.S.S. Initiative at Sheffield and Dartington

Aims: To maintain a programme designed to support evidence-based practice and policy in children’s services in 56 member social services and large voluntary child care organisations, and design a platform for continuing involvement of the research community.

Method: Research and development projects, evaluated seminars and conferences, and review with Directors.

Funded by: 56 SOCIAL SERVICES, AND THE ASSOCIATION OF DIRECTORS OF SOCIAL SERVICES — sole grant holder: £513,000

2002 – 2004 The Experience of Teenage Parenting For Ethnic Minority Parents

Aims: To examine the experiences of ethnic minority (dual heritage) teenage parents.

Method: Focus groups and individual interviews with teenage mothers and fathers, virtual panel of teenage pregnancy co-ordinators.
Funded by: DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH — joint grant holder: £65,000

With G. Higginbottom (Institute of Primary Care, University of Sheffield)

1998 – 2004 Research in Practice — Building a research implementation network: An A.D.S.S. Initiative at Sheffield and Dartington
Aims: To develop evidence-based practice and policy in children’s services by a range of different methods in 50 member social services and large voluntary child care organisations.

Method: Action research projects, including work with directors and elected members, and web based directories for research, evaluation of training.

Funded by: 50 SOCIAL SERVICES, AND THE ASSOCIATION OF DIRECTORS OF SOCIAL SERVICES — sole grant holder: £520,000

2000 Developing Social Care Research at the Health and Social Services Interface in Primary Care

Aims: To examine the opportunities and constraints for developing social care research at the health and social services interface in primary care.

Method: Telephone interviews with Social Services Primary Care Group members, social services operational managers, and Health Authority managers. Policy document analysis and focus groups for practitioners.

Funded by: TRENT FOCUS PRIMARY CARE SUPPORT NETWORK — sole grant holder: £10,000

RESEARCH AND POLICY
Much of my research output has been designed to inform national polices in social welfare. A substantial commitment to ‘non-traditional’ dissemination in many areas, including targeted publications, presentations, research summaries, and strategic research development, has played a key part in this work. The most significant outcomes have been in new legislation, implementing that legislation, and in the development of research priorities and a research culture within policy and practice. For over twenty years I have been engaged in work to improve the research infrastructure in social work, initially via my role as Governor of the National Institute for Social Work, and in recent years via the Social Care Institute for Excellence, and as chair of the National Board for the electronic Library for Social Care.

SOCIAL WORK RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT UNITS
From 1980 to 1990 I worked for one day per week as a Senior Social Worker with Sheffield social services, linking my research and social work practice. From 1984 I planned, implemented and jointly directed an action research and development unit in social work, and in 2003 I began work in a new Primary Care Development Unit, which won a three year £350,000 NHS contract to research and support the role of research within multi-disciplinary practice development with South Yorkshire Primary Care Trusts.

INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT

I have been engaged with a variety of international research developments, for example as key-note speaker to launch the international Norwegian Institute of Child Welfare Research in Oslo in 1987, as the only invited speaker from outside Scandinavia at the Biennial Scandinavian Child Welfare Research Congress in 1994, and as consultant to the New Zealand Government on child welfare research in the same year. Since 1999 I have been a member of an expert group of research institutes, six of them in Europe and one at Columbia University in New York, studying research utilisation and development within social work practice. In 2003 I began work on a European and Worldwide University Network initiative which will initially be conducting an international research, policy and practice review, covering such areas as multi-disciplinary teams, and shared decision making between professionals and patients/users.

SELECTED RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Summary: 30 major research-based publications, with 11 books and monographs in print or in press, and 18 research reports. One edited book, 23 chapters in books and 15 articles. Over 40 research reviews in professional journals, and a range of specially produced dissemination summaries, with many available over the web.

Books
‘The Task-centred Book’ with M. Doel, London: Routledge, 2005.

‘Leaving Care in Partnership’ with M.Peel, London: The Stationery Office, 1999.

‘Family Group Conferences in Child Welfare’ with G.Crow, Oxford: Blackwell Science, 1998.

Research
‘Supporting Pupils, Schools and Families: An Evaluation of the Hampshire Family Group Conferences in Education Project’ with G. Crow and E. Holton, University of Sheffield, 2004.

‘An Exploration of the Teenage Parenting Experiences of Young People of Bangladeshi, African Caribbean, Pakistani and Dual Ethnic Origin in England’ with G. Higginbottom, N. Mathers, M. Kirkham and J. Owen, London: The Department of Health, 2004.

‘New Strategies to Address Youth Offending: The National Evaluation of the Pilot Youth Offending Teams’ with S. Holdaway, N. Davidson, J. Dignan, R, Hammersley, and J. Hine, London: The Home Office, 2001.
‘Developing Research at the Health and Social Services Interface’ with H. Smith, J. Owen and J. Cooke, University of Sheffield, 2001.

‘Family Group Conferences in Youth Justice: A Study of Early Work in Two Pilot Projects in Yorkshire’ with G. Crow, University of Sheffield, 2000.

Research Monographs
‘Family Group Conferences—A Training Pack’ with K. Morris and J. Wiffin, London: Family Rights Group, 1998.

‘Empowerment, Assessment, Care Management and the Skilled Worker’ with G. Smale, G. Tuson and N. Biehal, London: H.M.S.O.,1993.

‘Good Intentions— – Developing partnership in social services’ with M. Fisher, York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 1992.

Research Findings
‘Summary of Findings – Supporting Pupils, Schools and Families: An Evaluation of the  Hampshire Family Group Conferences in Education Project’ with G. Crow and E. Holton, Family and Welfare Findings Series, 7, University of Sheffield, 2004.

‘Family Group Conferences in Youth Justice’ with G. Crow, Family and Welfare Findings Series, 6, University of Sheffield, 2000.

‘Leaving Care in Partnership’ with G. Crow, Family and Welfare Findings Series, 5 University of Sheffield, 1998.

‘Developing Research at the Social Services and Health Interface’ with H. Smith, J. Owen and J. Cooke, University of Sheffield, 2001.

Contributions
‘Task-centred Social Work’ in M. Davies (ed) The Blackwell Companion to Social Work, Blackwells, Second Edition, 2002, pp106-113.

‘Restorative Justice and Family Group Conferences in England: Current State and Future Prospects’ with J. Dignan in A. Morris and G. Maxwell (eds) Restorative Justice for Juveniles: Conferences, Mediation and Circles, Oxford: Hart Publishing, 2001 pp 85-101.

Articles in Refereed Journals
‘Identity, Race, Religion and Adoption: The Public and Legal View’ with T. Patel and C. Williams, Adoption and Fostering, 28(1), 2004, pp6-15.

‘Social work research and the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise: an initial overview’ with M. Fisher, Social Work Education, 22(1), 2003, pp71-80.

‘School Nursing — costs and potential benefits’ with L. Cotton, J. Brazier, D. Hall, G. Lindsay, L. Polnay and T. Williams, Journal of Advanced Nursing, 31(5), 2000 pp1063-1071.

‘Leaving Care and Extended Families’, Adoption and Fostering, 22(4), 1999, pp6-14.

In Press
‘Promoting Children’s Welfare by Interprofessional Practice and Learning in Social Work and Primary Care’, Social Work Education

Research Implementation
‘The Primary Care Service Evaluation Toolkit’ with R. Glendenning, Leeds: National Co-ordinating Centre for Research Capacity Development, 2005, pp46.

‘Learning organisations: A self-assessment resource pack’ with G. Rosen, S. Bairstow and User Development Group, London: Social Care Institute for Excellence, 2004, pp67.

‘Leading Practice: A development programme for first line managers’ with G. Rosen, London: Social Care Institute for Excellence, 2004, Book and CD.

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
These include a ten year practice based research project in social work, representation of academic social work on a wide range of Governmental and strategic planning bodies, extensive referee work for the Department of Health, E.S.R.C, Nuffield Foundation and others, membership of Editorial Boards of Managing Community Care and Child and Family Social Work, and engaging in national developments in social work education, including the development of new degree structures.

TEACHING AND ADMINISTRATION

I have taught across a wide range of programmes, and in particular engaged in course development, which has been particularly characterised by a continuing series of innovations. These include a particular emphasis on the theory-practice link within social work in order to provide high quality, research-based, professional training, and also new approaches to teaching, including skills workshops, and open learning approaches.

I have been head of the social work teaching group, course director of the MA in Applied Research and Quality Evaluation, and have supervised to successful completion many M.Phil and PhD. Students.

DEPARTMENTAL ADMINISTRATION AND DUTIES

A wide variety of Departmental administration. This has covered a full range of course-based work, including Convenorships of taught modules, Examinations Officer, and admissions, as well as strategic developments in video and personal computing. Member of the Departmental Policy (Executive) Group 1994-9 and co-ordinator of the Children and Family Research Group.

Head of Department for a three year appointment from 1999 to 2002.

UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATION AND DUTIES

Substantial periods as a member of Social Sciences and Law Faculty Boards, on the Audio-visual and Television Committee, on Regional Office Groups, on Computing Committee and on Senate, as well as on a range of working parties and task forces.