School of Social and Political Science

Background

Paul Nixon is a registered Independent Social Worker a well-known international expert in Children’s Services, Child Protection, Family Decision Making and Kinship Care. He is a dual citizen of New Zealand and the UK with more than 35 years continuous experience in working in the field of Child Protection.    

Paul currently works internationally as a consultant with Government and Non-Government agencies and Universities in New Zealand, United Kingdom, Europe, USA, Canada and Australia. He is an Honorary Research fellow at Edinburgh University, Scotland and at Wellington (Massey) University, New Zealand. Paul is also Consultant in Social Work Research and Practice at the Kempe Centre, University of Denver, Colorado, USA.

Paul was the longest serving Chief Social Worker for the Government of New Zealand for 8 years, and prior to that was Assistant Director, Children’s Services, North Yorkshire County Council for 5 years. He worked in Government Children’s Services for 28 years, as a senior leader for 16 years, before setting up his own independent consultancy.

Paul has specialist interest in Relational Practices and Leadership, Family Group Decision Making, Kinship care, working with families, Children’s Participation and Evidenced Informed Prevention strategies. He has written and edited a number of books on Child Protection Social work, kinship care  empowerment practice and work with children and families, alongside numerous published articles and chapters. He has provided leadership coaching, strategic development,  training, practice and policy consultancy, research and evaluation across UK, Europe, USA, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and other parts the world. 

Publications

• Family Group Conferences: A challenge to the old order? pp. 117-146. Community Approaches to Child Welfare: International Perspectives, Ed. L. Dominelli, Ashgate Aldershot. 1999. With S Jackson.
• Empowering Practice? A critical appraisal of the family group conference approach, Bristol, Policy Press. 1999. With C Lupton.
• Family Group Conference connections: shared problems and solutions. pp. 93 –104: Family Group Conferencing: New Directions in Community-centred Child and Family Practice, Eds. Burford and J Hudson, Aldine De Gruyter, New York. 1999.
• Promoting Family Decision Making in Child Care Practice. pp. 308 -327: Childcare in Practice: Northern Ireland Journal of multidisciplinary ChildCare practice, Vol. 5, No. 4, Belfast. 1999.
• Building Community through Family Group Conferences: some implications for policy and practice. Pp 3-18: Family Group Decision Making: International Conference Proceedings, Seattle, Washington May 12-14, 1999, American Humane Association, Colorado, USA. 2000.
• Getting Family Group Conferences implemented in Hampshire: a retrospective analysis. pp. 39 –52: Moving Forward on Family Group Conferences in Hampshire: developments in research and practice. Ed. C. Lupton, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth. 2000.
• Learning from research and practice. pp. 163-178: Moving Forward on Family Group Conferences in Hampshire: developments in research and practice, Ed. C.Lupton, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth. 2000.
• An introduction to Family Group Conferences. Pp175-183: The Law and Social work, eds., LA Cull and J Roche, The Open University, Palgrave, Basingstoke. 2001.
• Making kinship partnerships work: the role of Family Group Conferences. Kinship Care: the placement of choice for children and young people. Ed. B. Broad, Macmillan Press, Basingstoke. 2001.
• How can Family Group Conferences become family driven? Some dilemmas and possibilities. pp. 22-33: Protecting Children, Vol. 16, No 3, American Humane Association, Colorado. 2001. With Merkel-Hoguin L, Sivak P and Gunderson K
• Family and Friends care: A Report Commissioned by the Department of Health. Hampshire County Council Social Services Department, unpublished research study, Winchester, Hampshire. 2001. With Doolan M
• Renforcer la communaute par l’organisation de Conferences Familiales – Quelques implications politigues et pratiques. Les Cahiers de l’Actif, November/ December 2002, No.318/319, pp. 73-94, La Grande Motte. 2002.
• Spanning, succes en kansen: Family group conferences as `best practice’ in England.  Pp 72 –89: Eigen Kracht: Family Group Conference in Nederland Van model naar invoering. Ed. R. Pagee, Uitgeverij SWP, Amsterdam. 2003.
• ‘The Importance of Kinship Care’ Social Work Now 25 - Wellington, NZ: Child Youth and Family pp12-20 with M Doolan 2003
• `Growing up in the Care of relatives or Friends: Delivering Best Practice for children in Family and Friends Care. London: Family Rights Group.  with Doolan M, Nixon P and Lawrence P (2004)
• A Survey of International Practices, Policy and Research on Family Group Conferencing and Related Practices, American Humane Association, Englewood, Colorado http://www.fdgm.org  with Burford G, Quinn A and Edelbaum J (2005)
• ‘Seen but Not Heard? Children and Young People’s Participation in Family Group Decision Making: Concepts and Practice Issues’.  Protecting Children, A Professional Publication of American Humane, Volumer 22, Number 1, (2007). 
• Relatively Speaking: Developments in Research and Practice in kinship care, Research in practice, Dartington, (2007)
• Family Group Conferences: Where next? Policies and practices for the future, Cathy Ashley and Paul Nixon (Eds) Family Rights Group, London, (2007)
• Improving Family Group Conferences to Achieve Better Outcomes for New Zealand’s Most Vulnerable Children, Office of Chief Social Worker, Child, Youth and Family, Ministry of Social Development, New Zealand (2012)
• Listening to experts: Children and Young People’s participation, with Kathleen Manion Social Work Now, New Zealand (2012)
• Ma matou ma tatou - working together to change young lives: Where to next with child protection in Aotearoa New Zealand? (2013) Paul Nixon, Child Protection in New Zealand.
• Social Work Workload and Casework review; A Qualitative Review of Social Worker Caseload, Casework and Workload Management, Office of Chief Social Worker, Ministry of Social Development ,New Zealand (2014)
• Strengthening Relationships: Children’s Participation in a Family Group Approach to Family Violence (2024) Joan Pennell, Kristen Basque, Ruth Najenson, Paul Nixon and Sharon Inglis, Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services, 1­ –12, Sage Publications
• If you want to change outcomes for children, change the way decisions are made: Family Group Conferences and Restorative approaches redefining relationships in Child Protection practice (2026 Forthcoming) International Handbook on Radical, Ethical Social Work, Morgenshern M and Schmid J (2026) Routledge Publications