Robin Sen | School of Social and Political Science

Dr Robin Sen

Lecturer in Social Work

rsen@ed.ac.uk

https://twitter.com/@robin_23_99/

2.02

Chrystal Macmillan Building

15A George Square

Edinburgh

EH8 9LD

Research interests

Children and families Children, families and relationships Governance & Democracy Identities & Inequalities Race and decolonial thought

My research interests principally connect to areas of child and family social work and children's services more broadly. I am also interested in how racially minoritised and LGBTQ+ identities are manifested/not manifested in social work practice, teaching and thought. During my time working in England I became concerned about the governance of children's service and in 2023 I co-edited, with Christian Kerr of Leeds Beckett University, a collection related to these issues The Future of Children’s Care: Critical Perspectives on Children’s Services Reform, published by Policy.

Background

University of Edinburgh Staff Profile: https://www.research.ed.ac.uk/en/persons/robin-sen

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3090-8250

I am the Postgraduate Research Advisor for the Social Work subject area - please see here for details on studying for a PhD in Social Work at Edinburgh.

I previously taught at the Universities of Strathclyde, Sheffield and Dundee.

I am currently co-editor, with Dr Michaela Rogers, of the University of Sheffield, of Practice: Social Work in Action, a journal of the British Association of Social Work. The journal receives contributions from a range of authors at all career stages but we are particularly keen to encourage newer and first time authors (people with experience of social work services, practitioners, students and early career social work researchers) to submit articles to the journal. Initial prospective queries about submission to the journal for anyone in those categories are welcome.

I currently volunteer at LGBT Health and Wellbeing in Edinburgh.

Current PhD Students

Donna Shields Exploring Unmarried Mothers’ Experiences of Closed Adoption in Northern Ireland between 1967 and 1987 (supervising with Dr Eve Mullins and Dr Gary Clapton)

Rhoda Jiang Youth Homelessness in Scotland (supervising with Prof. Sarah Johnsen)

Past PhD Students

Dr Rosemary Furey Social work child protection practice and the home visit: Interaction within context.

Dr Claire Brown EnGendering inclusive practice: exploring trans people’s experiences of adoption and fostering in England and Wales.

Dr Ahmed Alageili The Role of Self-help Groups in Overcoming Challenges Faced by Mothers of Autistic Children.

Dr Permala Sehmar Exploring Restorative Practices in Social Work with Families where there is Domestic Abuse and Child Welfare concerns.

Topics of Interest for Supervision

Experiences within / of state care
Family support practices
The political governance of social work and related 'helping professions'
Activism and social change connected to social work policy and practice
Diverse social identities and social work practice

Works within

Social Work

If you are a student who wishes to meet with me please contact me by email to set up a meeting time.

Publication	Research Explorer link
McCulloch T, Grant S, Daly M, Sen R, Ferguson G. Embedding learning as a practice of value: Learning from the experiences of early career social workers in Scotland. The British Journal of Social Work. 2024 May 24;1-19. bcae072. doi: 10.1093/bjsw/bcae072	View
Sen R. Being a looked after child. In Clawson R, Fyson R, Warwick L, editors, The Child Protection Handbook. 4th ed. Elsevier. 2024	View
Sen R, Daly M, McCulloch T, Grant S, Clarke D, Ferrier C. Ontological (in)security in early career social work during COVID-19: Experiences in Scotland. The British Journal of Social Work. 2024 Apr;54(3):995-1013. Epub 2023 Jul 6. doi: 10.1093/bjsw/bcad165	View
Sen R, Ulybina O, Holmes L. Charting the 21st century rise of for-profit residential child care. Youth. 2024 Feb 17;4(1):272-287. doi: 10.3390/youth4010019	View
Sen R, Kerr C. New writers in 2024. Practice: Social Work in Action (Practice). 2024 Jan 18;36(1):1-2. doi: 10.1080/09503153.2023.2300895	View
Maglajlic RA, Sen R, Stevens O. Beyond binaries? A call for improved understanding of diverse identities of social work students and practitioners. Critical and Radical Social Work. 2023 Nov 27;1-18. Epub 2023 Nov 27. doi: 10.1332/20498608Y2023D000000010	View
Sen R, Kerr C. Conclusion: Children's services reform looking back and forwards. In Sen R, Kerr C, editors, The Future of Children's Care: Critical Perspectives on Children's Services Reform. Policy Press. 2023. p. 194-213 doi: 10.46692/9781447368274.012	View
Kerr C, Sen R. Introduction: Critical perspectives on children's services reform. In Sen R, Kerr C, editors, The Future of Children's Care : Critical Perspectives on Children's Services Reform. Policy Press. 2023. p. 1-13 doi: 10.46692/9781447368274.002	View
Sen R, Kerr C. Reclaiming social work, the social work complex and issues of bias in children's services. In Sen R, Kerr C, editors, The Future of Children's Care: Critical Perspectives on Children's Services Reform. Policy Press. 2023. p. 60-84 doi: 10.46692/9781447368274.005	View
Sen R, (ed.), Kerr C, (ed.). The Future of Children’s Care: Critical Perspectives on Children’s Services Reform . 1st ed. Bristol: Policy Press, 2023. 208 p. doi: 10.2307/jj.5274085	View
Drew I, Pierre R, Sen R. Exploring and re-imagining children's services in England through a decolonial frame. In Sen R, Kerr C, editors, The Future of Children's Care: Critical Perspectives on Children's Services Reform. Policy Press. 2023. p. 101-121 doi: 10.51952/9781447368274.ch006	View
Kerr C, Macintyre G, Sen R, Quinn-Aziz A. Responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. In Livingston W, Redcliffe J, Quinn-Aziz A, editors, Social Work in Wales. Bristol: Policy Press. 2023. p. 255-270	View
Sen R. Exploring aspects of care systems in different contexts and reflecting on practice in child protection social work, and in social work education. Practice: Social Work in Action (Practice). 2023;35(2):99-101. Epub 2023 Mar 27. doi: 10.1080/09503153.2023.2183606	View
Sen R, Kerr C. Premobile bruising, kinship networks and further evidence of the impacts of COVID-19. Practice: Social Work in Action (Practice). 2023;35(4):277-279. Epub 2023 Aug 18. doi: 10.1080/09503153.2023.2241278	View
Sen R. The End of 2022. Practice: Social Work in Action (Practice). 2022 Dec 1;34(5):325-327. Epub 2022 Nov 8. doi: 10.1080/09503153.2022.2130523	View
Sen R. [Review of] A Political History of Child Protection: Lessons for Reform from Aotearoa New Zealand by Ian Kelvin Hyslop. Critical Social Policy. 2022 Nov 1;42(4):744-747. Epub 2022 Oct 14. doi: 10.1177/02610183221120547b	View
Sen R. The Global Deinstitutionalisation of Care, No Recourse to Public Funds and Self-Care for Social Workers. Practice: Social Work in Action (Practice). 2022 Jun 1;34(3):169-170. Epub 2022 Apr 27. doi: 10.1080/09503153.2022.2059956	View
Sen R. [Review of] Working Across Difference: Social Work, Social Policy and Social Justice by Donna Baines, Bindi Bennett, Susan Goodwin and Margot Rawsthorne. Critical Social Policy. 2022 May 1;42(2):350-352. Epub 2022 Feb 9. doi: 10.1177/02610183221078282	View
Smeeton J, Sen R. After ending the National Assessment and Accreditation System, leave us to identify our own learning needs. Professional Social Work Magazine. 2022 Feb 4;30-31.	View
McCulloch T, Clarke D, Ferrier C, Daly M, Grant S, Sen R. Newly qualified social workers in Scotland: Experiences of practice during COVID-19. Dundee: Scottish Social Services Council, 2022. 64 p.	View
Sen R, Smeeton J, Thoburn J, Tunstill J. Social work with families who are homeless or who have housing needs: A reflective guide for social workers and social work managers. Birmingham: British Association of Social Workers, 2022. 36 p.	View
Sen R, Smeeton J, Thoburn J. A safe place of one’s own? Exploring practice and policy dilemmas in child welfare practice with families waiting for adequate and secure housing. European Journal of Social Work . 2022;25(6):982-994. Epub 2022 Jun 9. doi: 10.1080/13691457.2022.2083084	View
Sen R, Nylund M, Hayward A, Pardasani R, Rivera W, Kaila M. The Living Library in social work education. In Driessens K, Lyssens-Danneboom V, editors, Involving Service Users in Social Work Education, Research and Policy: A Comparative European Analysis. Policy Press. 2021. p. 73-84 doi: 10.51952/9781447358350.ch007	View
Sen R. The End of the Second Year of Covid-19. Practice: Social Work in Action (Practice). 2021 Dec 1;33(5):335-337. Epub 2021 Nov 23. doi: 10.1080/09503153.2021.1996122	View
Sen R. Social Work Roles and Tasks in the 2020s. Practice: Social Work in Action (Practice). 2021 Sept 1;33(4):251-252. Epub 2021 Aug 24. doi: 10.1080/09503153.2021.1958599	View
Field A, Sen R, Johnston C, Ellis K. Turning 18 in Specialised Residential Therapeutic Care: Independence or a Cliff Edge? Children & Society. 2021 Sept;35(5):784-798. Epub 2021 Mar 25. doi: 10.1111/chso.12450	View
Sen R, Kerr C, MacIntyre G, Featherstone B, Gupta A, Quinn-Aziz A. Social work under COVID-19: A thematic analysis of articles in ‘SW2020 under COVID-19 Magazine’. The British Journal of Social Work. 2021 May 20;bcab094. doi: 10.1093/bjsw/bcab094	View
Sen R, Kerr C, Grimm D. Special Edition Editorial. SW2020 Covid-19 Magazine. 2021 Apr 28.	View
Sen R. Frameworks, decision making, pathways and social work practices. Practice: Social Work in Action (Practice). 2021 Feb 12;33(1):1-2. doi: 10.1080/09503153.2021.1882787	View
Sen R. Where now? Social work and social work education in the slipstream of the Black Lives Matter movement. In Maclean S, Reid W, editors, Outlanders, Hidden Narratives from Social Workers of Colour. Kirwin Maclean Associates. 2021. p. 55-63	View
Sen R, Featherstone B, Gupta A, Kerr C, MacIntyre G, Quinn-Aziz A. Reflections on social work 2020 under Covid-19 online magazine. Social Work Education . 2020 Sept 17;39(8):1116-1126. doi: 10.1080/02615479.2020.1823364	View
Sen R, Smith R. Who’s Guarding our Guardians? Professional Social Work Magazine. 2020 Sept.	View
Sen R, Kerr C. Privatisation, Profit Making and Children’s Services – A Tangled  Web? 2020.	View
Sen R. Entitled to special protection and assistance? SW2020 Covid-19 Magazine. 2020 May 18;3.	View
Sen R. First Edition Editorial. SW2020 Covid-19 Magazine. 2020 Apr 9.	View
Sen R. Politics, social work and Covid-19. SW2020 Covid-19 Magazine. 2020 Apr 9;1.	View
Sen R. Is there a 'confluence of interests' in social work? Professional Social Work Magazine. 2019 Nov.	View
Sen R, Webb C. Exploring the declining rates of state social work intervention in an English local authority using Family Group Conferences. Children and Youth Services Review. 2019 Nov;106:104458. Epub 2019 Aug 7. doi: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.104458	View
Sen R. We must speak out in Shamima Begum case. Professional Social Work Magazine. 2019 Apr.	View
Sen R, Morris K, Burford G, Featherstone B, Webb C. ‘When you're sitting in the room with two people one of whom… has bashed the hell out of the other’: Possibilities and challenges in the use of FGCs and restorative approaches following domestic violence. Children and Youth Services Review. 2018 May;88:441-449. Epub 2018 Mar 21. doi: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2018.03.027	View
Sen R. Effective Practice with Looked after Children. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2018. (Practical Social Work Series).	View
Featherstone B, Sen R, Gupta A. Why policy on contact with children and birth families needs a rethink. 2018.	View
Sen R, McClelland N, Jowett B. Belonging to the library. In McLaughlin H, Duffy J, McKeever B, Sadd J, editors, Humanising the Space for Social Work Education. Routledge. 2018	View
Field A, Sen R, Johnston C, Ellis K, Mason W. Turning 18: Independence or Cliff Edge? Sheffield: University of Sheffield, 2018.	View
Sen R. Why Champion got it wrong. Professional Social Work Magazine. 2017 Nov.	View
Mason P, Ferguson H, Morris K, Munton T, Sen R. Leeds Family Valued Evaluation Report. London: UK Department for Education, 2017.	View
Sen R. Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE): Awareness, identification, support and prevention. University of Sheffield, 2017.	View
Sen R, McClelland N, Jowett B. Belonging to the library: Humanising the space for social work education. Social Work Education . 2016 Jul 29;35(8):892-904. doi: 10.1080/02615479.2016.1211098	View
Sen R. Not all that is solid melts into air? Care-experienced young people, friendship and relationships in the 'Digital Age'. The British Journal of Social Work. 2016 Jun;46(4):1059-1075. Epub 2015 Feb 5. doi: 10.1093/bjsw/bcu152	View
Churchill H, Sen R. Introduction: Intensive family support services: Politics, policy and practice across contexts. Social Policy and Society. 2016 Apr;15(2):251-261. Epub 2016 Mar 10. doi: 10.1017/S1474746416000026	View
Sen R. Building relationships in a cold climate: A case study of family engagement within an 'Edge of Care' family support service. Social Policy and Society. 2016 Apr;15(2):289-302. Epub 2015 Nov 17. doi: 10.1017/S1474746415000615	View
Sen R, Churchill H. Some useful sources. Social Policy and Society. 2016 Apr;15(2):331-336. Epub 2016 Mar 10. doi: 10.1017/S1474746416000014	View
Sen R, Chasle C, Jowett B. Video enhanced reflective practice with social workers. In Kennedy H, Landor M, Todd L, editors, Video Enhanced Reflective Practice. Jessica Kingsley Publishers. 2015. p. 160-172	View
McClelland N, Sen R, Jowett B. The Living Library Project. In Engaged Learning Sheffield. Sheffield: University of Sheffield. 2015. p. 48-49. (Engaged Learning Sheffield Publications).	View
Sen R. Working with looked after children. In Webber M, editor, Applying Research Evidence in Social Work Practice. Palgrave Macmillan. 2014. p. 127-142	View
Sen R, Lister PG, Rigby P, Kendrick A. Grading the graded care profile. Child Abuse Review. 2014 Sept;23(5):361-373. Epub 2013 Feb 27. doi: 10.1002/car.2257	View
Brown L, Sen R. Improving outcomes for looked after children: A critical analysis of kinship care. Practice: Social Work in Action (Practice). 2014 May 7;26(3):161-180. doi: 10.1080/09503153.2014.914163	View

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