Social Work

Jane is Director of Social Work Studies at Keele and has a longstanding association with the University. She completed her social work training at Keele returning to undertake a Masters in Child Care Law and Practice. Jane joined the social work team in 2004. She is a qualified and registered social worker; her professional career was in local authority social work. Jane brings her practice and research experience to her teaching at qualifying and post qualifying levels.

An enduring research and publications focus has been advocacy and the participation of children and young people.  She has written widely and researched in the field of looked after children’s participatory rights and the role of advocacy.  Her PhD examined the role and impact of advocacy in the statutory reviews of children and young people in care.

Jane is a member of the Research Institute for Life Course Studies and supervises doctoral students. Jane is involved with Making Research Count (MRC), a national organisation directed to the dissemination of research and the development of research capacity among practitioners. She currently leads the MRC at Keele.  In 2009-10 she was funded as a practitioner research mentor by the national, Making Research Count /Children’s Workforce Development Council Practitioner Led Research Programme. Jane has presented papers at a wide range of national and international conferences, has extensive links with academics in other countries and has  lectured by invitation at Universities in the UK and in the United States and Romania. Jane is a member of Staffordshire Safeguarding Children Board Workforce Development and Training Sub-Group.