School of Social and Political Science

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 Lamberton - New challenges in mental health provision: e-mental health support

Luke Power - Health outcomes of care experienced young people

Ruibing Sha - Exploring short term foster carers’ experience of separation with foster children when the placements ends

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

Xiao Zhang - What Chinese Social Workers Can Do: A Cross-National Comparison of Child Abuse Intervention and Prevention Measures