Projects
Creating change: A collaborative action inquiry approach for integrating creativity and community assets into Integrated Care Partnership responses to health disparities
(2022-23) UKRI-AHRC
Barry Percy-Smith (PI) with Rowan Bailey and Claire Booth-Kurpnieks (Centre for Cultural Ecologies, Huddersfield) Nicola Stenberg and Liz Towns Andrews (Huddersfield Business School), David McQuillan (SWYPFT), Deb Munt (Ministry of Others), Phil Walters (Creative Minds), Mike Doyle (Centre for Applied Research in Health, Huddersfield.
CHILL: Children’s lives in changing places
(2022-24) Nuffield Foundation
Barry Percy-Smith (Co-PI with Helen Lomax, SEPD, UoH), Kate Smith (Co-I) and Maria Jesus Alfaro-Simmonds (Research Fellow) with Leanne Monchuk as impact, in partnership with Open University and Lincoln University.
Domestic Abuse and Child Protection
(2022-24) Nuffield Foundation
Brid Featherstone with Sheffield (PI) and Kingston Universities, Safe Lives and Research in Practice.
Evaluating Models of Care, Best Practice and Care Pathways for Women Who are Dependent on Drugs
(2022-24) NIHR
Led by Kings College London, with Brid Featherstone
Refugee Integration in Yorkshire and Humber: Refugee Housing Pathways
(2021) European Commission’s Asylum and Migration Integration Fund/Home Office
Politics, Participation and Pandemics: Growing up under Covid-19
(2020-21) Nuffield Foundation
(Barry Percy-Smith and Leanne Monchuk with Ecorys UK)
Growing up under Covid-19 is a transnational participatory action research project that engaged young people in 7 countries to explore document and reflect on the impact of the Covid-19 public health crisis on young people’s lives and inform the development of strategies to safeguard young people’s wellbeing and rights during and beyond the pandemic. The project was conducted entirely online. For further information, reports and outputs go to: Growing Up Under Covid 19 (guc19.com) including final report: 18 months lost and found: Reflections from a transnational participatory action research project exploring young people’s lived experiences of the COVID-19 crisis.
Corona Chronicles: Children researching their everyday lives, education and relationships during the coronavirus pandemic (Cheer)
(2020-21)
Helen Lomax and Kate Smith
This research explores the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the everyday lives, education and relationships of primary school children aged 9-11.
Back Chat: Developing arts-based methods of knowledge generation and exchange with children during times of global crisis
(funded by the British Academy, 2021-22 grant number: SRG2021\211308)
Helen Lomax and Kate Smith
his project prioritises hearing directly from children about the continuing impacts of the pandemic through collaborative, socially distanced and in-person arts-based methods as well as exploring representations of children in policy and policy reporting.
Intersex: New Interdisciplinary Approaches (INIA) – a new Innovative Training Network
(2019-2023) Surya Monro
INIA is a new international research network which will train a cohort of 10 early stage researchers working collaboratively to develop knowledge that will inform policy making and practice across a range of key sectors.
Intersex/DSD Human Rights, Citizenship and Democracy
(2016-2019) Surya Monro, Tray Yeadon-Lee, Daniella Crocetti
This project investigates human rights framing and strategies used to address Intersex and DSD in Europe (specifically focusing on Italy, Switzerland and the UK). It utilizes a qualitative approach in order to gain an in-depth understanding of activist and policy perspectives.
The Relationship Between Poverty and Child Abuse and Neglect: New Evidence
This project, led by Professor Paul Bywaters and funded by the Nuffield Foundation is to carry out a critical literature review of international evidence about the relationship between poverty and child abuse and neglect (CAN) published in the last five years. It updates a previous review published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and draws conclusions about future directions for policy, practice and research on child protection.
Lowering the Voting Age in the UK
(2019-20) Leverhulme
Andy Mycock with Jon Tonge University of Liverpool and Tom Loughran
An evaluation of historical and contemporary debates on lowering the voting age: This research project analyses historical and contemporary debates concerning voting age reform, youth democratic participation, rights and responsibilities of youth and adult citizenship.
National evaluation of the de-Institutionalisation of children’s care in Bulgaria
(2012-2021) Oak Foundation
Barry Percy-Smith with The Know How Centre for Alternative Care, Bulgaria (Lead)
Now in its third phase and using an action research approach using findings working with key partners to influence a shift in thinking to inform child care reform to inform child care reform. This has involved dialogue with key stakeholders including Coalition for Childhood 2025, and National and International partners to preventing the chaotic placement of children and influence change in the law concerning the function of small group homes for children.
Contact: B.Percy-Smith@hud.ac.uk
Children, Identity and Citizenship Europe Association
Cicea is a European network with a focus on supporting citizenship education and identity formation in young people in Europe and the world.
For further information: A.J.Mycock@hud.ac.uk or www.cicea.eu
The Benefits of Modifying Social Enterprise within Higher Education’s Social Sciences Curriculum
(2017-2019), funded by UK-India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI)
Jamie Halsall and Mike Snowden
The overall aim of this project is to critically explore the impact that social enterprise has on students/graduates in the United Kingdom (UK) and India higher education sectors. The project was selected as one of the top 20 global case studies in the UKIERI Annual report 2018-19 and has resulted in a number of knowledge exchange outputs including:
- the development of a social enterprise model for Higher Education, certificated courses in Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship at University of Delhi and the University of Huddersfield delivered with key international stakeholders (e.g. United Nations Development Programme, The World Bank, KPMG) and third sector organisations (e.g. the Grameen Foundation, KUTIR, MESH, Reapbenefit).
- the development of a new global research centre for Innovation and Social Enterprise (ISE) that has been created at the University of Delhi, working jointly with the University of Huddersfield in 2020. The centre aims to promote and engage with social change through a process of innovation, fostering creative ideas and sustainable strategies for social change.
- design of a mentoring model with specific reference to social enterprise, published by invitation in the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
None in Three: Preventing domestic violence through pro-social gaming EU, University of Huddersfield, & RCUK Global Challenges scheme, 2016-2020
None in 3 is an award winning, ground breaking project involving the innovative use of prosocial games to generate awareness, empathy and non-adversarial conflict resolution skills among young people. (http://www.noneinthree.org/)
yOUTh project
Funded by the Brunswick Centre
Jo Woodiwiss
The yOUTh Project is funded by the Big Lottery Fund and works across all of Kirklees providing support to LGB&T young people, their parents and carers.
Feminist Spaces
funded by the University of Huddersfield
Kate Smith and Grainne McMahon
Feminist Spaces has built a collaborative network by pairing up UK and European-based projects of resistance with a range of allied projects in less economically developed countries. We are currently working on Making Spaces [https://feministspaces.net/making-spaces/ ] to explore feminist responses and survival strategies in the Covid-19 pandemic. Our projects partners include the Racial Justice Network (West Yorkshire) and RAPAR (Manchester).
Lived Experiences and Implications of FGM Safeguarding Policies and Practices in the UK
(2018-2020) Foundation for Women's Health Research and Development
Kate Smith
The International Coalition for Children with Incarcerated Parents
INCCIP network seeks to make a difference in the lives of children and parents whose lives have been affected by incarceration by providing information, resources and support to share experiences and provide peer support. In addition, the network provides good practice resources for professionals and organisations who work with children and parents affected by incarceration.
For further information contact: B.Raikes@hud.ac.uk
PARTISPACE: Styles and Spaces of youth participation
(2015-2018) EU H2020
Barry Percy-Smith and Grainne McMahon
The PARTISPACE project starts from the assumption that all young people participate though not always recognised in mainstream contexts. The study explores the different ways in which young people participate in decisions “which concern them and, in general, the life of their communities” in formal, non-formal and informal settings and how this is supported or inhibited by local youth policies and youth work? The project involves in-depth ethnographic research and action research with young people to explore existing and alternative forms of participation. PARTISPACE involves partners from: Bulgaria, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the UK.
Contact: B.Percy-Smith@hud.ac.uk and G.McMahon@hud.ac.uk
Participation Experiences and Empowerment of Roma Youth
(PEER) 2015-2016 EU DG Justice (JUST/2013/FRAC/AG/6230)
Barry Percy-Smith with Babes-Bolya University, Romania and UcLAN, UK.
The PEER project is concerned with supporting young Roma people (aged 12-18) to participate more fully in decisions that affect their lives as well as in social life. Funded by DG Justice (JUST/2013/FRAC/AG/6230) the project involved 12 organisations across 9 EU countries working with young Roma children in nine countries to actively engage as co-participants in action research processes. The goal is to explore and develop how they might become more empowered to participate in decisions and actions that shape their lives and bring about positive change at local, regional or national levels. Training was provided to Roma youth leaders and young people who were then supported in undertaking their own inquiries and developing actions for change.
Professional practice guide: (https://eprints.hud.ac.uk/31030/)
Contact: B.Percy-Smith@hud.ac.uk
The Role of the social worker in adoption
(2016-2017) BASW
The Centre’s research into the role of the social worker in adoption funded by the British Association of Social Work, combines research methods with public forms of enquiry including calls for evidence and hearings to maximise their outreach and stimulate public debate. As such, it has already attracted a great deal of political and professional attention so that an impact plan has been developed for a wide range of dissemination activities from June 2017 onwards.
Beyond the individual: Exploring approaches to supporting LGBT young people in the UK and Sweden
(2017-2019) British Academy / Leverhulme
Jo Woodiwiss with Dr Eleanor Formby (Sheffield Hallam University) in collaboration with Hans Olsson, Riksförbundet För Sexuell Upplysning (the Swedish Association for Sexuality Education).
Rapid ethnography of care leavers journeys through care
The purpose of this study was to better understand the needs and experiences of young people when they leave care. (2016-2017), PI: B.Percy-Smith@hud.ac.uk
Against a backdrop of concern about care leavers having poorer outcomes in terms of well-being and life chances (National Care Leaver Strategy for young people leaving care, Department of Education, 2013) this study was undertaken to better understand the needs and experiences of young people when they leave care. It involved a multi method approach including the use of a novel ‘river of experience’ visual narrative approach with young care leavers as well as participant observation and workshops with young people and professionals. The study involved a mapping of young people’s experiences into through and out of care, exploring the complexity of these journeys and impacts on young people; understanding their support needs and experience of professional, informal support and relationships and how these impact on young people’s journeys. (2016-2017).
Study of socio-cultural drivers of violence and positive change in Tanzania and Zanzibar
UNICEF Tanzania 2014-2016
Barry Percy-Smith PI
This study focused on exploring knowledge, attitudes and practices that give rise to violence against children in Tanzania and Zanzibar. The study was conducted in partnership with Mzumbe University in Tanzania and involved research in ten re-gions across Tanzania and Zanzibar.
The study of socio-cultural drivers of violence against children for UNICEF Tanzania is being used to inform National Plans for responding to violence against children in Tanzania as well as informing work on child multidimensional poverty assessment being undertaken by ODI working with the Tanzanian national bureau of statistics and government poverty department in the Prime Minister’s Office. The study report has also been used to inform an international workshop involving Unicef Innocenti Research Centre and Save the Children in Bangkok with practitioners and government representatives from across the world to understand Pathways and Evidence for Preventing Violence Against Children. The community-based action research approach used in this project was the focus of contributions to the Communication for Development conference in Addis Ababa 2016 and is being used to inform approaches adopted by UNICEF globally.
Stories of transnational mothering: International postgraduate students (2013-2015) Innovation Fund.
The aim of this research is to bring the gendered stories of transnational mothers engaged in postgraduate international education to the centre of discussion about migration. Contact: Kate.Smith@hud.ac.uk