Professor John Devaney
Job Title
Dean and Head of the School of Social and Political Science, and Centenary Chair of Social Work
Room number
1.05Building (Address)
Chrystal Macmillan BuildingStreet (Address)
15a George SquareCity (Address)
EdinburghCountry (Address)
UKPost code (Address)
EH8 9LDResearch interests
Research interests
ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8300-8339
My research focuses mainly on the broad area of family violence, with a particular focus on child homicide, child maltreatment, child welfare policy, domestic violence, intimate partner homicide, and the impact of adversity in childhood across the lifecourse. I have an interest in comparative social policy, evaluations of practice and interventions, and policy development. My research spans both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. I have undertaken a range of research studies in both the UK and internationally, funded by research councils, government departments and philanthropic organisations.
A full list of publications and other research activity is available at: https://www.research.ed.ac.uk/portal/en/persons/john-devaney(9c39099b-c491-4b0f-b8a6-56f862786840).html
Videos of Conference Presentations
Making a difference for children experiencing domestic violence, National Child Protection and Welfare Conference, October 2019 University College Cork, Ireland https://youtu.be/KuWLY3LW1po
Children bereaved by domestic homicide: The implications for home, relationships and identity, The Jaffe Annual Lecture on Ending Domestic Violence, 2022, Western University, Canada https://youtu.be/S-KZRy6rar
Recent Research Projects
2019-2024 Young people bereaved by domestic homicide: Understanding home, relationships and identity. Funded by the Australian Research Council.
2020-2024 Evaluation of the Child’s House for Healing – Scotland’s first Barnahus. Funded by the Children's Postcode Lottery.
2019-2023 Developing the evidence base for innovation in social care for children and families affected by domestic abuse. Funded by the ESRC.
2019-2022 Children living with domestic violence – understanding the effects on children’s wellbeing using longitudinal data. Funded by the Nuffield Foundation.
Topics interested in supervising
I am interested in supervising students who wish to pursue doctoral level studies in the areas of child maltreatment; child welfare; childhood adversity; domestic violence and abuse; social work practice; evaluations of practice and interventions; adolescent mental health.
If you are interested in being supervised by John Devaney, please see the links below (opening in new windows) for more information:
Background
I qualified as a social worker in 1988, practising in statutory services firstly with children and adults with learning disabilities, before moving into services for children and families, primarily in relation to child protection and cared for children. During this period I held practitioner and then management positions. In 2004 I was awarded a PhD from Queen's University Belfast for a study on chronic child abuse, and in 2006 I took up a lectureship in social work at Queen's University Belfast.
During 2012 I was awarded a Fellowship by the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust to study work in Norway and Canada with individuals who use violence and abuse within their intimate relationships. This formed the basis for a book with my colleague Anne Lazenbatt on Domestic Violence Perpetrators - Evidence informed responses.
Between 2012-2015 I was the chair of the Board of Trustees of the British Association for the Study and Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (now the Association of Child Protection Professionals https://www.childprotectionprofessionals.org.uk/). This is the largest multi-disciplinary body in the UK for professionals and academics working on issues related to the protection of children from maltreatment.
From 2012-2016 I returned to work part time in practice, alonsgide my academic appointment, when the Northern Ireland Minister of Health appointed me for four years to chair the Case Management Review Panel of the Safeguarding Board for Northern Ireland (https://www.safeguardingni.org/). The Panel reviews cases involving the death or serious injury of children through maltreatment.
In January 2018 I took up the position of the Centenary Chair of Social Work at the University of Edinburgh, and in 2022 was apppointed as Head of the School of Social and Political Science.
I am a member of the British Association of Social Workers, the Association for Child Protection Professionals and the Association of Professors of Social Work.
Teaching
I am very privileged to have the opportunity to teach both students who are new to the profession, and those who are returning to study while in practice. My teaching focuses specifically on issues relating to the exercise of professional duties around support and protection, child maltreatment, domestic violence and abuse, research methodologies, and leadership in social work. I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
Current Supervision of Doctoral Students
Charlene Chalmers - Social Work Education and Training: Working with fathers who perpetuate abusive behaviours towards intimate partners
Lauren Grundy - Measuring the effects of social isolation on children and young people
Iris Maxfield - LGBT+ Lives, Deaths and the Lessons to be Learned: How multi-agency Domestic Homicide and Suicide Riewss in Scotland represent queer identities, experiences and barriers to access domestic abuse support
Gill McKinna - The role of perpetrator programmes in motivating men to address their use of abusive behaviour within intimate relationships
Destiny Noble - Intimate Partner Violence in Young People’s Relationships – Care and Justice for Whom?
Chantelle Toner-Boyce - Exploring the role and influence of close friends and families on a survivors' decision to report, or not report, sexual violence to the police: a personal network analysis
Natalie West-Rogers - Barriers to the Criminal Justice System: A Comparative Analysis of Law Enforcement and Religious Domestic Violence Survivors’ Perspectives
Xiao Zhang - What Chinese Social Workers Can Do: A cross-national comparison of multi-disciplinary co-operation in child protection practice
Works within
Staff Hours and Guidance
By appointment