Paula Doherty
Thesis Working Title
Defining significant harm: Children Act 1989
Research Interests
My PhD research is an ethnographic study which aims to o answer the research question 'How are edge of care proceedings cases decided?'. These are cases that local authority social workers and managers consider to be borderline for care proceedings under Section 31 (care orders) of the Children Act 1989. I aim to complete my PhD during 2012.
I am also involved in the CAFCASS: Pre-proceedings Pilot with Dr Karen Broadhurst and Ms Kim Holt and Dr Nancy Kelly from Bradford University. This study examines the role of the Children's Guardian in public law pre-proceedings work. Funded by the Child and Family Court Advisory and Support Services, 2011-2013 The interim report from the Coventry and Warwickshire Pre-Proceedings Pilot is now available in full.
I am Editorial Assistant to Sue White (Editor in Chief, Child and Family Social Work Journal) and I am also Book Review Editor for Child and Family Social Work Journal.
Publications
Doherty, P., & White, S. (2012). Knowledge for Reflexive Practice (Chapter 13) in Stephen Webb, & Mel Gray (Eds.) Handbook of Social Work, London, Sage.
Hall, C., Makitalo, A., Slembrouck, S., & Doherty P. (forthcoming, 2012). 'Pursuing trust in child protection meetings: familiarization and informality, in C. N. Candlin, C. N. & J. Crichton (Eds.) (2012). Discourses of trust. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Broadhurst, K., Holt, K., Kelly, N., & Doherty, P. (2012). 'CAFCASS Plus': Coventry and Warwickshire Pre-Proceedings Pilot Inclusion of the Guardian in the pre-proceedings process in Public Law cases.
Broadhurst, K., Holt, K.E., & Doherty, P. (2011). Accomplishing parental engagement in child protection practice? A qualitative analysis of parent-professional interaction in pre-proceedings work under the Public Law Outline, Qualitative Social Work, June 30, 2011. DOI 1473325011401471.
Book Reviews
Child Law: Essential Court Materials (2010) by His Honour Judge John Mitchell, Family Law: Jordan Publishing Limited.
Professional Decision Making in Social Work Practice, (2010) by Brian Taylor, Exeter: Learning Matters.
Family Values and Family Justice, (2010) by Michael Freeman, Surrey: Ashgate.
Peer review for
British Journal of Social Work
Associated research centres: Child Welfare Research Unit CWRU
Bowland North, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YN, UK
Tel: +44 (0)1524 594116 Fax: +44 (0) 1524
592475