School of Social and Political Science

Background

Current research, teaching and practice interests

My interests and specialties are children and family social work practice; adoption and fostering; and fathers and fatherhood . 

Latest publication: “The Past Is Never Dead. It’s Not Even Past” (Faulkner, 1919 Requiem for a Nun p. 85): Mapping and Taking Care of the Ghosts in Adoption. Genealogy 8 (2), 37 2024 https://www.mdpi.com/2313-5778/8/2/37

Career History

I have been a qualified social worker since 1977 and worked in Edinburgh and London in the children and families, community care and criminal justice fields.  My most recent social work practice was in after-adoption counselling with adopted adults and birth parents.  I continue to practice privately in after-adoption work, particularly in facilitating contact between adopted adults and their birth parents.  

I retired in 2022 as a Reader in Social Work.  I have continued to research and publish and as an active Honorary Fellow I remain involved with the subject area, including delivering tutorials and supervising students in their fieldwork placements. 

Some Recent Publications

Adoption

2023 ‘Birth Fathers in Adoption:  Into the Light’, (chapter) In D. Bertocci, C. Deeg, and L. A. Mayers (eds) Routledge Handbook in the Clinical Treatment of Adopted Adolescents and Young Adults.

Children and Family Practice/Child Protection

2022 ‘Beyond Intention. The Draft National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland (2020): a Case Study of a Scottish Policy Document’, Scottish Affairs. 

2022 ‘Contact between children absent in state care and their families: The parents’ perspective’, Adoption & Fostering.

2021 ‘Thoughts on Files’, Qualitative Social Work.

2021 Thinking Family Acting Family: a case study of ‘the whole family’ approach, available at: https://circle.scot/wp-content/bibliography/ThinkFamilyActFamilyArticle…

2021 ‘Uncovering The Pain: Parents’ Experiences of Child Protection’, available at: https://www.pfan.uk/uncovering-the-pain/ 

2020 ‘The Tyranny of Outcomes’, Practice.

2020 Child Protection Anxieties and the formation of UK child welfare and protection practices. In L Tsaliki and D. Chronaki (eds.), Discourses of Anxiety.