Research Clusters

Rethinking Child Protection

Cluster Lead: Brid Featherstone (B.M.Featherstone@hud.ac.uk)

The Centre has over 20 years of experience in child protection research and has developed an extensive portfolio of cutting-edge research. Much of this work has been conducted in projects working closely with policy and practice partners. Current research priorities focus on Rethinking Child Protection, Politics of Child Protection and Social Work, Child Care Policy and Practice, Adoption, Fathering, Parental Support, Child Neglect and Abuse, Social Work Education, the experiences of Children Looked After and Leaving Care, Welfare Inequalities; Child and parents living apart.

 

Current and recent research projects

Domestic Abuse and Child Protection (2022-24) Nuffield Foundation, partnership between Sheffield (PI), Huddersfield and Kingston Universities, Safe Lives and Research in Practice (Contact: B.M.Featherstone@hud.ac.uk)

Evaluating Models of care, best practice and care pathways for women who are dependent on drugs (2022-24) NIHR, Led by Kings College London, (Contact: B.M.Featherstone@hud.ac.uk)

Review of Children’s Services Formulae research project. DCLG, (2017-2019) with LG Futures, (Paul Bywaters, Co-I)

Identifying and understanding the link between system conditions and welfare inequalities in statutory children’s social care services. Nuffield Foundation, (2018-20) (Paul Bywaters, Co-I)

Child welfare inequalities project (2015-2017) Nuffield Foundation with Universities of Coventry (lead), Cardiff, Nottingham, Queens Belfast, Stirling & Edinburgh. Project aim was to establish child welfare inequalities as a core concept in policy making, practice and research in the UK and internationally. The project has had major impacts with policymakers in all four countries of the UK and Ofsted including the development of joined up policies across government departments, changes in local authority policies in relation to supporting families in poverty, changes in the data collected by Ofsted and changes to mapping of area-level deprivation and its links with child protection practices.
(PI: P.Bywaters@hud.ac.uk; Co-I: B.M.Featherstone@hud.ac.uk)

The Role of the social worker in adoption, (2016-2018) British Association of Social Work, combined research methods with public forms of enquiry including calls for evidence and hearings to maximise their outreach and stimulate public debate. As such, it attracted a great deal of political and professional attention.
(PI: B.M.Featherstone@hud.ac.uk)

National evaluation of the de-Institutionalisation of children’s care in Bulgaria (2012-2021) Oak Foundation, with The Know How Centre for Alternative Care, Bulgaria (Project 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

 

Publications and research outputs:

Please visit research profiles for: Brid Featherstone, Kate Wood, Paul Bywaters

 

Current & recent PhD projects

• The care system and education: A phenomenological approach to care leavers' experiences of university, Belinda Bluff

• Excluded from fatherhood: How do young men of the British care system experience parenthood? Elizabeth Gilmartin

• An inquiry into the contextual barriers to the process of deinstitutionalisation of childcare in Bulgaria, Evgenia Ivanova

• Exploring the use of coaching in child protection, Suzanne Triggs

• Domestic Abuse and Child Protection: A intersectional approach, Greig Ferguson

• Birth mothers’ understandings of mental distress, Siobhan Beckwith

• Exploring staff perceptions of young people in Secure Children’s Homes, Paula Phillips

• Black children, skin, hair and social work, Zoe Thomas

Creativity, Health and Wellbeing

Research lead: Barry Percy-Smith (B.Percy-Smith@hud.ac.uk)

This cluster involves a collaboration with Creative Minds and the Centre for Applied Health Research and focuses on the development of understanding and alternative approaches to support mental well-being. We are interested in working with service users and community partners to develop alternative non-medical approaches for supporting well-being. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of creative and community-based approaches and how these can be integrated into mainstream health care systems.

 

Current and recent 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). 

Understanding young people’s experiences of creative provision, (2021-22) Creative Minds and SWYPHT Barry Percy-Smith and Eric Greenwood.

What works in creative provision for young people to improve wellbeing (2021-22). Evoke Kirklees Creative Health Partnership (KCHP) Barry Percy-Smith and Eric

Evaluating soft outcomes (2018-2019) with Creative Minds and People’s Voice Media, Health Foundation Q Exchange. Barry Percy-Smith and Amanda Edmondson

We are unbeatable (2020-21) Kirklees Council, funded by Sport England, Nicola Stenberg and Hira Younas (Huddersfield Business School) with Barry Percy-Smith

Young Creative Minds: developing creative approaches with children and young people for managing their mental health, (2017-2018) SWYPFT, (Barry Percy-Smith, Sarah Kendall and Mike Lucock

 

Current & recent PhD projects

A realist evaluation of how community-based arts activities influence the identity change process in recovery from serious mental illness, Louisa Peters

Young people, mental health and transition; Exploring the role of creative arts. Stacey Durham

Promoting learning of lived mental health experience through the use of selected media resources, Gary Morris 

Child & Youth Participation and Democratic Engagement

Cluster Leads: Dr. Andy Mycock (A.J.Mycock@hud.ac.uk) and Prof Barry Percy-Smith (B.Percy-Smith@hud.ac.uk)

This research theme is concerned with the theory and practice of children and young people’s participation as active citizens. The particular focus of current research is on participation, empowerment and social and political engagement of young people. Current projects are focused on ‘alternatives’ to mainstream approaches and new forms of participation, in particular expressions of young people’s participation in everyday life settings, young people’s own understandings and expressions of meaningful participation, online participation, and explorations of participation and empowerment for marginalised groups. We have considerable expertise in participatory and action research approaches also provide support for organisations and services who seek to integrate and embed children and young people’s participation in ongoing learning and development processes.

 

Key recent research projects

PARTISPACE: Styles and Spaces of youth participation (2015-18) EU - H2020

The PARTISPACE project focused on analysing ways in which young people participate in formal, non-formal and informal settings and how this is supported or inhibited by local youth policies and youth work? The project involved partners from: Bulgaria, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the UK. For further information go to: http://partispace.eu/

Contact: B.Percy-Smith@hud.ac.uk and G.McMahon@hud.ac.uk

'Lowering the Voting age in the UK' (2019-20) Leverhulme, 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. For further information: A.J.Mycock@hud.ac.uk 

Children, Identity and Citizenship Europe Association  www.cicea.eu

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 

Participation experiences and Empowerment of Roma Youth (PEER) (2015 -2016) EU DG Justice (JUST/2013/FRAC/AG/6230)

PEER (Participation and Empowerment Experiences) for Roma young, with Babes-Bolya University, Romania and UcLAN, UK. Involving young Roma in 9 countries exploring how they might become more empowered to participate in decisions and actions that shape their lives. www.peeryouth.eu (Professional practice guide: (https://eprints.hud.ac.uk/31030/).

Contact: B.Percy-Smith@hud.ac.uk

 

Current & recent PhD projects

• An examination of the impact of young people’s participation in local authority decision-making, Josh Harsant
• Embedding children’s participation in Health services, Louca-Mai Brady
• An inquiry in the role of youth workers in the democratic socialisation of young people, Roy Smith
• Looked after children with learning disabilities: experiencer of participation in care decisions and reviews, Leeanne Olivant
• Exploring young people’s active citizenship, voice and political participation: A study of understandings of participative youth work practice, Carol Pugh

Migration, Displacement and Resettlement

Cluster Lead: Kate Smith (K.Smith@hud.ac.uk)

The Just Futures Centre provides a home for scholars concerned with issues of migration and the causes and consequences of the movement of people across international borders. With a particular focus on how migration is experienced by children, young people, women and families, research takes a variety of empirical approaches, including qualitative and participatory methodologies as well as often being applied and practice based. Underpinning this work is an agenda to ensure our research makes a difference and improves the well-being and lives of children, rights, fundamental freedoms and inherent dignity and worth.

 

Key projects

Refugee Housing Pathways, (2021) European Commission’s Asylum and Migration Integration Fund/Home Office (Phil Brown)

Refugee Integration in Yorkshire and Humber, (2019-20) European Commission’s Asylum and Migration Integration Fund/Home Office (Phil Brown)

Feminist responses and survival strategies in the Covid-19 pandemic: Precarities and strategies for surviving/coping. (2020-21) Rapid response COVID-19-related research, UoH (Kate Smith)

Making space in Covid-19: Online mixed-methods, mapping needs, resilience and visions for change with marginalised women in UK. (2020-21) CV19 URF fund (Kate Smith)

Feminist Spaces: Occupying Hostile Environments. Five European-based projects and allied global projects, (2019-2020) (Kate Smith)

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)

‘Everyday Objects of Carceral Spaces’. (2019)  Researching with women held in immigration detention facilities and prison, (Kate Smith)

 

Publications and research outputs:

For key publications please go to profiles for:

Kate Smith and Phil Brown

 

Current & recent PhD projects

Postgraduate study in this area includes work on: women and/or children seeking asylum and refugees; asylum and immigration policy and practices – including detention, asylum housing and access to public services; transnational migration processes of inclusion, exclusion and expulsion dynamics.

Current projects include:

• Construction of Non-monosexual Narratives in the Persian Speaking Communities in the Context of Seeking Asylum based on Sexual Orientation in Turkey. Zeynab Peyghambarzadeh.
• Occupational Identity: An exploration of the shifting identity of people seeking asylum in the UK’. Vikki Barry.
• Understanding Reintegration of the Returnee Labour Migrants of Nepal: A Longitudinal Study. Hem Raj Neupane.
• Relationships and health of non-migrating spouses of international labour migrants in Nepal: A mixed-methods study. Shraddha Manandhar.
• Awareness of Emotional Abuse among Remittance-making Migrant Students in the United Kingdom. Joy Osifo.

Young People, Place and Wellbeing

Research leads: Barry Percy-Smith (B.Percy-Smith@hud.ac.uk) and Kate Smith (K.Smith@hud.ac.uk)

The focus of this cluster is on understanding the everyday experiences of children and young people in their communities and local environments. We are interested in the ways in which young people engage with, and are influenced by, ‘place’ and the impacts on their wellbeing and lifechances.

 

Key recent projects

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.

The project aims to understand the changing significance of local neighbourhoods in young people’s lives (10-15 years old) from their own perspectives and identify priorities for change.

You can visit the project website here

Politics, participation and Pandemics: Growing up under Covid-19 (2020-21)
Nuffield Foundation, with Ecorys, Barry Percy-Smith and Leanne Monchuk, see Growing Up Under Covid 19 (guc19.com)

Corona Chronicles: Children researching their everyday lives, education and relationships during the coronavirus pandemic (Cheer).
(funded by the School of Education and Professional Development, University of Huddersfield) This research explores the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the everyday lives, education and relationships of primary school children aged 9-11 
https://blogs.hud.ac.uk/hudcres/20-21/oct/corona-chronicles/ (Helen Lomax and Kate Smith)

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), our follow-on research that 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.
For further information: https://research.hud.ac.uk/institutes-centres/hudcres/projects/backchat/ (Helen Lomax and Kate Smith)

Ni3: Preventing Gender-Based Violence

One in three women and girls is subject to physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. Dedicated to changing this reality, None in Three is an innovative global research initiative for the global prevention of gender-based violence. Ni3 is pioneering new ways to tackle gender-based violence (GBV) across the globe with the following aims:

• Investigate forms of violence against women and children in our study countries (currently India, Jamaica, Uganda, the UK and Brazil).
• Develop serious prosocial computer games to change attitudes and behaviours relating to GBV.
• Evaluate the games’ effectiveness as educational interventions to prevent violence.
• Develop a policy hub to inform and guide actions at the strategic and operational levels across our study countries.
• Underpin and reinforce social and behavioural change.

For further information about the work of None in Three please go to: www.noneinthree.org

Gender & Sexuality

Members of this research cluster have over 30 years’ experience and expertise in the broad intersecting areas of Gender and Sexuality and contribute to key national and international debates in these areas. This includes theories of gender and sexuality; Gender and gendered identities; Sexuality and sexual identities including heterosexual and non-normative sexual identities; lgbt+ identities, with a focus on supporting lgbt+ young people; (a)sexual cultures; childhood, children and young people’s sexuality; constructions of childhood / sexual innocence.

We recognise links between gender, sexuality and sexual abuse and therefore a key aspect of much of the work within this research cluster also relates to Interpersonal (sexual) violence; child sexual abuse and exploitation; historic child sexual abuse; homophobia / transphobia and abuse.

Our work involves collaborations with academics and others beyond the university including: University of Dundee, Edinburgh University, Sheffield Hallam University, Durham University, University of Sunderland, Helsinki, Orebro, and Lund.

 

Key current and recent research projects

Evaluating 5 years of an LGBT+ youth support service, Funded by the Brunswick Centre

Media representations of child sexual abuse, University of Huddersfield

Beyond the individual: exploring approaches to supporting LGBT+ young people in the UK and Sweden – Funded by BA/Leverhulme

Teaching future professionals about child sexual abuse / exploitation, in partnership with Durham University, University of Huddersfield QR funds.

 

Key recent / current PhD / Masters research projects

Young boys and sexual exploitation, Stacey Maher

Exploration of gay cisgender young men’s negotiation and presentation of

their (sexual) identities, Russell Oxley

Learning about sex: young people, sexuality and the internet, Elena Golemeeva

Learning about sex: Adolescent girls and sexuality in Nigeria, Peter Azende

Child sexual exploitation and professionals’ decision making, Sarah Lloyd

Community perceptions of child sexual abuse in Kenya, Helen Shipman

Decision making in the context of child sexual abuse in the Caribbean, Ena Trotman Jemmott

Intersecting domestic violence and abuse: A mixed-methods analysis of victim representations in public awareness campaigns Natasha Smith

We welcome applications from anyone interested in undertaking post graduate research (PhD or Masters) in these broad areas.

 

For key publications:

Please visit research profiles for Jeff Hearn and Nick Fox

Healthy Housing Initiative

Research lead: Phil Brown, P.A.Brown@hud.ac.uk

Housing is a key social determinant of health with a growing body of research amplifying this connection in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant challenge to public health more broadly. The Healthy Housing Initiative is an exciting development bringing together a cross-disciplinary group of academics together with a number of key external partners to undertake research and inform policy on this critical agenda. Research focuses on a range of projects including: the impact of housing on the wellbeing of children and families and the health impacts of decarbonisation. This Initiative is linked to the University’s National Health Innovation Campus, a transformative project which will improve health outcomes and lead innovation in healthcare for the North of England.

 

Key projects

Social Research and Engagement (Decarbonisation) (Knowledge Transfer Partnership) Innovate UK, (2021) PI: Phil Brown

COVID-19: The effectiveness of mutual-aid groups and their lessons for post-crisis community care, AHRC (2020) Co-I: Phil Brown

Lockdown and the impact of poor-quality housing on occupants, Northern Housing Consortium and Nationwide Foundation, (2020) PI: Phil Brown

Tackling homelessness through co-production, Greater Manchester Combined Authority/HEIF. (2019) PI: Phil Brown

 

Publications and research outputs

Please visit research profiles for: Phil Brown

Social Enterprise

Cluster leads: Jamie Halsall (J.P.Hallsall@hud.ac.uk ) and Mike Snowden (m.a.snowden@hud.ac.uk)

Social enterprise is complex and dynamic; it is a multifaceted change process through which social entrepreneurs offer economic inclusion and social engagement to different global communities and social groups through creative, solution-orientated strategies. Social enterprises provide communities, groups, individuals and families with a sense of purpose; they are a key tool that can develop skillsets in challenged groups and are key to responding to social and economic injustice in a context of global uncertainty. The focus of this cluster is on high-quality and multi-disciplinary research that can inform the development of Social Enterprise and Social Entrepreneurship as a strategy for enhancing social inclusion, transitions and the holistic health and wellbeing of communities.

 

Key projects:

The Benefits of Modifying Social Enterprise within Higher Education’s Social Sciences Curriculum (2017-2019), funded by UK-India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI). 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.

Development of a Social Entrepreneur Avatar model, funded by QAA. This pedagogical research project will explore the development of a unique social entrepreneurial skill acquisition framework for the development of social enterprise within the higher education curriculum. We will be working in collaboration with the University of Bolton and City College Plymouth.

Integration of social enterprise into economic development in Ghana (2021-22). Funded by the British Council Innovation for African Universities Programme (IAU). This project examines how social enterprise can be better integrated into economic development in Ghana from a higher education policy perspective. In this project, we are partnering with Accra Technical University (ATU) and a number of third sector organisations including Achievers Ghana Education, Social Enterprise Ghana. The project funding is split into three phases, and we secured the third phase in March 2022. In terms of international research impact, the project team have just been asked to write a policy brief on the transferable skills of entrepreneurship and innovation in the youth education sector for the Government of Ghana. 

The Teaching Partnership and Mentoring Course (2022) Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council on behalf of Yorkshire Urban Teaching Partnership

 

Impact

Developing social enterprise is implicitly about bringing change to social and economic futures. Impact from the UKIERI Social Enterprise and Higher education project with University of Delhi 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 (including United Nations Development Programme, The World Bank, KPMG) and third sector organisations (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.