The HaSS Research & Impact Bulletin
PEOPLE & SOCIETY AUTUMN 2019 ISSUE NO.4
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Spotlight on Research
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Policy And Practice Impact
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Hass Impact Prize Awards
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Welcome
In this issue
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02
Spotlight on Research
04
Grant successes
07
Policy and practice impact
10
Student successes
12
Prestigious appointment
12
Publication awards
13
International collaborations
15
Public Engagement Events
18
Winning projects of HaSS Impact Prize Awards
elcome to the new issue of our People & Society magazine. I’m always pleased to write the introduction for this publication, with so much good work going on in all Schools. There is lots of research and events that we feature in this issue from across the Faculty, as well as teaching and KE successes. Perhaps timely, given recent news coverage on the environment and climate change concerns, the Spotlight on Research covers ocean governance, the focus of One Ocean Hub, an ambitious £20m global research programme led by Prof Elisa Morgera in the Law School’s Strathclyde Centre for Environmental Law and Governance. A second story looks at research on physical activity for young children, with new guidance from the World Health Organisation out now and contributions from colleagues in the School of Psychological Sciences & Health. This is a bumper issue after a busy summer, packed with stories of successful collaborations, events, student successes – including recent viva defences – and many more. The International Collaborations focus on our numerous links with Canada, Europe, the US and China. Lots of interesting projects happening, new grants starting – others finishing with great impact. See some photos from our excellent ‘Engage with HaSS’ event in June. Finally, find out who are the winners of the Faculty Impact Prizes competition. We asked each winner to tell us a bit about their project and what impact it has achieved – details in the last few pages of the magazine.
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Enjoy the issue!
Dr Daniela Sime, Associate Dean (Public Engagement & Impact) Follow us: @HaSSPEI
The HaSS Research & Impact Bulletin [ People & Society - Autumn 2019, Issue No.4 ]
t: 0141 444 8410 e: hass-faculty-office@strath.ac.uk www.strath.ac.uk/humanities/
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SPOTLIGHT ON RESEARCH Transforming Ocean Governance
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he ocean covers over 70% of our planet. It connects communities, countries and cultures in space and time. The ocean itself is a web of connected, inter-dependent systems and lifeforms on which we are entirely reliant: it produces over half the oxygen we breathe, absorbs over a quarter of global CO2, and contributes to freshwater renewal. From plastic pollution to over-exploitation of ocean resources, ocean acidification and rising sea temperatures, awareness of the crisis facing our oceans is increasing. So too is the pressure on governments and the international community to respond. But this response must mirror the interconnected nature of the ocean system. Responses must be coherent, connected across sectors (of ocean use and terrestrial activity), across scales (from local to international level) and informed by multiple knowledge systems, world views and values held by those closest to it: the communities, women and youth who are most reliant on the ocean, and most disproportionally affected by our failure to protect it. Transforming ocean governance, through connecting the current disconnects, is the focus of the One Ocean Hub; an ambitious £20m global research programme led by the Strathclyde Centre for Environmental Law and Governance. Bringing together law, marine and social sciences, arts and policy, its research seeks to integrate governance frameworks to balance multiple ocean uses with conservation, and investigate how to share fairly and
equitably the environmental, socio-cultural and economic benefits arising from the ocean.
intangible values of ocean resources, such as their potential for medical innovation or cultural purposes.
As a research-for-development programme, One Ocean will serve vulnerable coastal communities in South Africa, Ghana, Namibia, Fiji and the Solomon Islands. It aims to strengthen capacity within, learn from, and empower communities, women and youth to support the integration of community views, values and knowledge in scientific assessments, management practices and ocean decision-making processes. These communities’ ways of life are intimately connected with the ocean, yet their voice is largely unheard in decision-making at different levels that can negatively affect their lives.
Decision-making across sectors and scales should thus be based on evidence that also unveils ‘hidden’ trade-offs between more easily monetised fishing or mining activities and less-understood values of the ocean such as its cultural role, its function in the carbon cycle, or its potential in medical innovation.
For example, a small-scale fishing community requires access to natural resources and markets. But access to fishing grounds may be affected by regional and bilateral fishing agreements that favour international commercial fishing. Access to markets may be challenged by international trade liberalisation. Furthermore, the rights and knowledge of small-scale fishing communities may not be recognised at national level. At the same time, these communities are challenged by competing sectors. For example, offshore mining and unsustainable tourism may negatively impact small-scale fisheries, yet current decision-making process are not based on integrated cumulative impact assessments, leaving some communities food-insecure. These assessments could also benefit from the knowledge of small-scale fishing communities so as to also balance
With over 50 partners globally, the Hub brings together world-leading research centres, NGOs, community representatives, national and regional governments and multiple UN agencies to work towards a single vision: integrated ocean governance for equitable and inclusive sustainability. The One Ocean Hub is funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) through the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF).
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Contact Prof Elisa Morgera, PI School of Law elisa.morgera@strath.ac.uk Or Jo Pitt, Project Manager jo.pitt@strath.ac.uk Twitter: @OneOceanHub
Spotlight on Research
3 New Guidelines on Children and Physical Education
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hildren under five must spend less time sitting watching screens or restrained in prams and seats, get better quality sleep and have more time for active play, if they are to grow up healthy, according to new guidelines issued by the World Health Organization (WHO). The guidelines were drawn up by an international panel of 16 experts on childhood physical activity, including Professor John Reilly of the University of Strathclyde – its sole UK-based member. The panel assessed the effects on young children of inadequate sleep and time spent sitting watching screens or in chairs and prams. They also reviewed evidence around the benefits of increased activity levels. It produced recommendations for children in three age categories: under one year, aged one to two years and aged three to four years. Professor Reilly, of Strathclyde’s School of Psychological Sciences & Health, said: ‘These are the first global guidelines on physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep in the under-fives; these behaviours are important to child health and development and are major drivers of the obesity epidemic. ‘The new guidelines should be a landmark in the global response to the obesity epidemic. I look forward to future WHO materials which will help health and education professionals and families follow the new guidance.
‘The new guidelines confirm that it is never too early to start thinking about how much physical activity, sleep and sedentary behaviour – including screen time – we get. This matters from birth onwards.’
The recommendations include: Infants (less than one year) should:
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Be physically active several times a day in a variety of ways, particularly through interactive floor-based play; more is better. For those not yet mobile, this includes at least 30 minutes in prone position (‘tummy time’) spread throughout the day while awake Not be restrained for more than one hour at a time (e.g. prams/ strollers, high chairs, or strapped on a caregiver’s back). Screen time is not recommended. When sedentary, engaging in reading and storytelling with a caregiver is encouraged Have 14–17h (0–3 months of age) or 12–16h (4–11 months of age) of good quality sleep, including naps
Children one to two years of age should:
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Spend at least 180 minutes in a variety of types of physical activities at any intensity, including moderateto-vigorous-intensity physical activity, spread throughout the day; more is better Not be restrained for more than one hour at a time (e.g. prams or strollers, high chairs, or strapped on a caregiver’s back) or sit for extended periods of time. For oneyear-olds, sedentary screen time – such as watching TV or videos or playing computer games – is not recommended. For those aged two years, sedentary screen time should be no more than one hour; less is better. When sedentary, engaging in reading and storytelling with a caregiver is encouraged
The HaSS Research & Impact Bulletin [ People & Society - Autumn 2019, Issue No.4 ]
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Have 11–14 hours of good quality sleep, including naps, with regular sleep and wake-up times
Children three to four years of age should:
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Spend at least 180 minutes in a variety of types of physical activity at any intensity, of which at least 60 minutes is moderate-to-vigorousintensity physical activity, spread throughout the day; more is better Not be restrained for more than one hour at a time (e.g. prams or strollers) or sit for extended periods of time. Sedentary screen time should be no more than one hour; less is better. When sedentary, engaging in reading and storytelling with a caregiver is encouraged Have 10–13 hours of good quality sleep, which may include a nap, with regular sleep and wake-up times.
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: ‘Achieving health for all means doing what is best for health right from the beginning of people’s lives. Early childhood is a period of rapid development and a time when family lifestyle patterns can be adapted to boost health gains.’ Dr Fiona Bull, programme manager for surveillance and population-based prevention of noncommunicable diseases, at WHO, said: ‘Improving physical activity, reducing sedentary time and ensuring quality sleep in young children will improve their physical, mental health and wellbeing, and help prevent childhood obesity and associated diseases later in life.’
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GRANT SUCCESSES Exiled influences on German codetermination Dr Rebecca Zahn, Senior Lecturer in the School of Law, has been awarded £3,623 from the British Academy/Leverhulme Small Research Grants Scheme for her project entitled ‘Exiled Influences on German Codetermination’. The project provides a new perspective on the origins and shape of the German system of parity codetermination – equal worker and management representation on certain company supervisory boards – introduced by the British military command in 1947. The research undertakes a multidisciplinary, comparative analysis of German and British primary and secondary sources, focussing on plans developed by exiled German trade unionists in the UK during World War Two which are credited as being influential in designing postwar parity codetermination. By looking at German and British sources, the research also explores the interactions between exiled German trade unionists and British trade unions during the war with a view to analysing whether there
was cross-fertilisation of ideas on worker representation. Finally, the research considers whether the historical material is useful today in the context of contemporary UK debates on the introduction of worker representation on company boards. The grant will fund visits to four archives in Germany and the UK as well as a trip to the Institute for Social Movements at the RuhrUniversität Bochum, Germany.
How do voters perceive disabled candidates? Dr Stefanie Reher, Lecturer and Chancellor’s Fellow in the School of Government & Public Policy, has been awarded a New Investigator Grant worth £283,770 from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) for her three-year project ‘How do voters perceive disabled candidates?’. Whilst almost 1 in 5 people in the UK are disabled, the numbers tend to be
much lower among politicians. This under-representation might hamper the representation of the interests of disabled citizens and dampen their political engagement. It also indicates the existence of barriers to elected office, including potential negative attitudes of voters and parties. The project aims to generate new knowledge about the role of disability in electoral politics by investigating the stereotypes that voters hold about disabled candidates and politicians, and their potential influence on candidates’ electoral success. Through a set of original survey experiments conducted in the UK, Germany, and Finland, the project will explore how voters perceive the personality traits, policy positions and priorities, and competences of candidates with different kinds of impairments. It will also compare these perceived political preferences with candidates’ actual preferences, measured through candidate survey data. The research will generate valuable insights not only for academics but also for disabled (aspiring) politicians, political parties, and policy-makers seeking to address the under-representation of disabled people in politics.
Dr Rebecca Zahn
Grant Successes
5 Celebrating Grant Successes These are some of the awards we have secured in early 2019 (February to May 2019). Congratulations to all colleagues and teams involved. School of Education Name
Title of project
Funder
Value
Alastair Wilson
Mentoring research & development – extension
Intergenerational Mentoring Network CiC
£21,197
Susan Ellis
Diving Into Writing 2
Renfrewshire Council
£50,000
Susan Ellis
Primary Language Coaching Programme
Renfrewshire Council
£50,000
Susan Ellis
Training for classroom assistants 2019
Renfrewshire Council
£30,000
Jane Essex
An Evaluated Intervention to Raise Attainment with Secondary Science Teachers
Renfrewshire Council
£50,000
Alastair Wilson
Understanding the Challenges (Research & Development for Clackmannanshire Council)
Clackmannanshire Council
£40,000
Joanna McPake
Gaelic Immersion course for Teachers 19/20
Bord na Gaidhlig
£160,000
David Roxburgh
The Strathclyde/HaSS/China Partnership: Promoting Innovation in Outward Mobility
British Council China
£30,000
Yvette Taylor
Exploring issues of social equity and learner identities in the phenomenon of the ‘bottom reading group’ (Studentship)
Renfrewshire Council
£6,385
School of Government and Public Policy Name
Title of project
Funder
Value
John Bachtler
TRACER: Smart strategies for the transition in coal intensive regions
European Commission – Horizon 2020
£193,880
Stefan Kah
AKIS
Forschungszentrum Julich GmbH
£21,425
Fiona Wishlade
Regional Policy in Europe: A Comparative Assessment (EoRPA_Norway)
Ministry of Local Government & Regional Development, Norway
£78,366
John Bachtler
Regional Policy in Europe: A Comparative Assessment (EoRPA_Portugal)
Agency for Development and Cohesion
£78,924
John Bachtler
Regional Policy in Europe: A Comparative Assessment (EoRPA_Sweden)
Ministry of Enterprise & Innovation Sweden
£79,347
John Bachtler
CZ_Coordination
Ministry for Regional Development (Czech Republic) £13,123
Martin Ferry
EPITI
European Parliament
£8,500
John Bachtler
EoRPA_AT
Federal Ministry of Austria: Sustainability and Tourism
£62,111
Irene McMaster
North
European Commission
£12,750
John Bachtler
TA: Study on the use of technical assistance for European Commission - Other administrative capacity building during the 2014-2020 period
£228,077
Stefanie Reher
How do voters perceive disabled candidates (New Investigator Award)
ESRC
£240,766
Karen Turner
TIC LCPE Hydro-05 Developing a paper to inform government of the value of pumped hydro energy storage
Scottish and Southern Energy Plc
£22,528
Karen Turner
SP Energy Networks TO User Group
ScottishPower
£3,975
School of Humanities Name
Title of project
Funder
Value
Jim Mills
Building Shared Futures: Co-Developing Medical Humanities in China and the UK
Wellcome Trust
£923,235
Arthur McIvor
Diageo Oral History 2019 (Oban, Caithness, Speyside & Inverness)
Diageo Scotland Limited
£27,931
Arthur McIvor
Chivas Research Project 2019
Chivas Brothers Ltd
£17,281
Matt Smith
Troubling sport and health in historical and contemporary perspective
Wellcome Trust
£34,945
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Law School Name
Title of project
Funder
Value
Elisa Morgera
GCRF One Ocean Hub
NERC
£18,181,220
Mary Neal
Understanding the extent of and limitations to conscientious objection by health care practitioners (Transformative Research Call)
ESRC
£11,077
Francesco Sindico
Implementation of the Islands (Scotland) Bill
Scottish Government
£39,296
Cyrus Tata
Literature review of the academic and jurisprudential
Scottish Sentencing Council
£11,032
Elaine Webster
Dignity Engagement Space for Nurse Education using a Human Rights based Approach – DESNEHRA
Sir Halley Stewart Trust
£5,297
Rebecca Zahn
Exiled influences on German codetermination
British Academy
£3,623
School of Psychological Sciences and Health Name
Title of project
Funder
Value
William McGeown
Electrophysiological and genetic factors associated with hypnosis and suggestibility
Bial Foundation
£41,983
David Robertson
Onfido Partnership
Onfido Ltd
£2,749
Lynn Williams
A scoping review to ascertain the parameters for an evidence synthesis of interventions seeking to improve work and wellbeing outcomes among employees with chronic pain
Chief Scientist’s Office
£339
Mark Elliott
Improving parents’ driving behaviour
The Leith Agency Limited
£46,3650
Nicola Cogan, Xi Lui, The distinctive experiences of mental health, disclosure and Steve Kelly, Tony help seeking among Asian students Anderson
SMaRteN, King’s College
£11,031
School of Social Work and Social Policy Name
Title of project
Funder
Value
Louise Hill
Lifelong Links
Edinburgh City Council
£28,000
Louise Hill
Lifelong Links
Family Rights Group Ltd
£78,000
Laura Piacentini
Right to Health in Prison AHRC–MRC Global Public Health Partnership Call Oct 2017
AHRC
£3,848
Robert Rogerson
Research Networking bid – Future of the City Centre
AHRC
£8,296
Emma Miller
Talking Hope
Scottish Government
£32,889
Paul Sullivan
Care Experienced Young People Empowerment Grant
Life Changes Trust
£8,430
Anna Macintyre
Children and young people's mental health and wellbeing: Mapping universal and selective prevention/promotion interventions
Barnardo’s
£20,873
Name
Title of project
Funder
Value
Richard Bellingham
SFC GCRF Pump Priming – Cleaner Air for Kolkata
HaSS Scottish Government
£20,000
Richard Bellingtham Circle Glasgow
Glasgow Chamber of Commerce
£40,000
Michelle Stewart
Beijing Institution of Technology
£53,674
BITZ Summer Programme
Grant Successes
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POLICY AND PRACTICE IMPACT Evaluation of the European Union TRACER Kick-off meeting Solidarity Fund The European Policies Research Centre (EPRC) participated in The Final Report of the Ex-Post Evaluation of the European Union Solidarity Fund (2002–2016), by EPRC’s Professor John Bachtler, Dr Martin Ferry, Jayne Ogilvie and LSE’s Professor Iain Begg, has been published on the European Commission’s DG Region website. The European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF) was set up to respond to regional and major natural disasters within the EU, and to express European solidarity to disaster-stricken areas within Europe. The EUSF was set up in 2002 in response to the severe floods that affected Central Europe, and has since been used for over 80 disasters, including forest fires, floods, earthquakes, storms, drought and more, in 24 different countries throughout Europe. The Final Report describes the aims and operation of the Fund, its evolution over time, and provides answers to a series of evaluation questions concerning its effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, coherence and added value for the EU. In addition, it assesses evaluation questions relating to the contribution of the EUSF to solidarity in the EU The study presents the results of empirical work drawing on in-depth examination of documentation of all the applications to the EUSF from its inception in 2002 up to the end of 2016, fieldwork research for case studies of seven EUSF interventions and empirical investigation of the synergies of the Fund with other EU and domestic intervention for disaster risk prevention and management. The evaluation finds that the EUSF achieves its core aim of expressing the EU’s solidarity towards countries affected by severe natural disasters, but it is less obvious that it succeeds in the political aim of demonstrating the value of the EU for beneficiaries. The study assesses in detail the performance of the EUSF, drawing a series of conclusions and making recommendations for the future of the Fund.
the Kick-off Meeting of a new three-year project, TRACER, which is funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme for research and innovation. The TRACER project is coordinated by WIP Renewable Energies in Munich and the Kick-off Meeting was organised by FIB, the Research Institute for Remediation of Mining Sites of the Lusatia region. The project aims to support a number of coal-intensive regions in their design of research and innovation strategies that lead to a transition to sustainable energy. Each of the project partners presented their different responsibilities during the first day of the Kick-off Meeting. On the second day, the partners were joined by stakeholders from the local Lusatia region. The stakeholders presented the coal mining and energy history of the region and addressed current strategies to phase out coal mining and future economic development plans. On both days, EPRC facilitated knowledge exchange workshops, designed to create connections between the partners and to showcase potential approaches to stakeholder engagement in the regions. EPRC’s Dr Sara Davies led the workshops together with Dr Wilbert den Hoed and Rona Michie. The conference concluded with a project visit to several sites related to ‘new’ and ‘old’ energy. Two of the sites were viewpoints that oversee the large opencast lignite mines, which have a large history in Lusatia. The tour concluded with a visit to a test site for externally fired gas turbines and a floating houses project in a residual lake. TRACER focuses on nine European regions. Seven are located in EU Member States: South East Bulgaria, North West Bohemia (CZ), Lusatian Lignite District (DE), West Macedonia (GR), Upper Silesia (PL), Jiu Valley (RO) and South Wales (UK). The other two regions are located outside the EU: Kolubara in Serbia and Donetsk Region in Ukraine. EPRC is looking forward to working with the partner regions over the next three years!
https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/policy/evaluations/ec/ eusf2002_2017
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BE-Rural Kick-off meeting EPRC’s Sara Davies and Stefan Kah attended the BE-Rural kick off meeting in Berlin. The BE-Rural project aims to realise the potential of regional and local bio-based economies by supporting a wide group of stakeholders to participate in the development of bioeconomy strategies and roadmaps. The overall goals and structure of the BE-Rural project were introduced at the meeting. Following this, the regions that are the primary focus of the project were introduced. The five regions include Stara Zagora (Bulgaria), Szczecin Lagoon and Vistuala Lagoon (Poland), Strumica (Macedonia), Covasna (Romania) and Vidzeme and Kurzeme (Latvia). Each of these regions has strong potential in specific bio-based sectors (e.g. essential oils and herbs for cosmetics/ pharmaceuticals; small-scale fisheries; agricultural residues; and forestry).
Council for Allied Health Professions Research – CAPHR – Scottish Symposium 2019: Impacting Practice through Innovation and Evaluation Dr Wendy Cohen, School of Psychological Sciences & Health, spoke at the recent 2019 CAHPR Scottish Symposium where the theme was ‘Impacting Practice through Innovation and Evaluation’. Delegates attended from a range of Allied Health Professions across Scotland. Wendy gave a presentation on how Allied Health professionals can navigate the process of seeking permissions for evaluating and extending the evidence base for clinical practice. These procedures can often be seen as complex and burdensome for staff employed in a clinical service but Wendy demonstrated how people can approach this in a systematic and ‘bite-sized’ way. By doing this, NHS employed staff can be encouraged to work towards embedding research into their everyday clinical practice and work closely with their local Higher Education Institution in innovating and evaluating the important work achieved by Allied Health Professions in the NHS.
BE-Rural will stimulate learning and the co-creation of knowledge within each individual region, but also between the five regions, and at a wider European level.
Beyond the Headlines Briefing The Centre for Excellence for Children’s Care and Protection (CELCIS) has published a new ‘Beyond the Headlines’ briefing on the difficulties sometimes faced by young people who have been trying to secure housing. Young people with care experience are overrepresented in homelessness applications compared to their peers. There is a significant gap in the official data surrounding this issue, as well as wider challenges that moving from care to living independently without an adequate support can bring for young people. The briefing is available online at: https://www.celcis.org/news/news-pages/challengehomelessness-faced-scotlands-care-experienced-youngpeople/
Wendy is a co-leader of the CAHPR West of Scotland Hub and organised the symposium with Dr Chris Seehan (Glasgow Caledonian University CAHPR West of Scotland Hub Co-Lead), Dr Judith Lane (Queen Margaret University and CAHPR South East Scotland Hub Lead) and Dr Lyndsay Alexander (Robert Gordon University and CAHPR North of Scotland Hub Co-Lead).
Policy and Practice Impact
9 Service User Involvement Guide to support community justice innovation A practical guide to service user involvement in community justice that can contribute to service innovation, and help recovery and support desistance from offending, has been produced by the University of Strathclyde and the Centre for Youth & Criminal Justice (CYCJ). ‘Inclusive Justice: Co-producing Change’ is the result of a two year action research project, commissioned by Community Justice Ayrshire and written by Dr Beth Weaver, Senior Lecturer in Social Work at the University of Strathclyde, Dr Claire Lightowler, Director of CYCJ and Kristina Moodie, CYCJ’s Research Associate. The guide aims to support professionals and service users in working together to shape the design, development and delivery of criminal and community justice services. It builds on learning from the process of establishing three Ayrshire-based service user involvement groups, which involved people supported by services and those working in social enterprises, local authorities, third sector organisations and research, documenting the process of implementation from inception and distilling that learning into a practical ‘how to’ manual. Dr Beth Weaver said: ‘Service user involvement in the context of community justice has many benefits – not just for the individual but for services and society as a whole. It can support desistance and recovery, by altering the way people see themselves and their own potential, as well as how others see them and, by providing opportunities for those who have offended to shape change, it can enhance the effectiveness and credibility of services, and promote citizenship, social and community justice.
‘People were telling us that one of the biggest barriers to pursuing service user development was that they just didn’t know where to start. It is after all a complex and ambiguous concept, involving many different approaches, methods and expectations, and there is a lack of robust research into the development and outcomes of projects. We hope that this practical guide will address this, by giving a useful and accessible background and providing both service users and professionals with the rights tools and confidence to take that first step and from there, to work collectively and collaboratively to co-produce change and work in the direction of a more inclusive approach to justice.’ While guides on how to go about enlisting and engaging service users are now relatively commonplace, there are few documents that can be drawn on to inform the development, implementation and maintenance of a coordinated strategy for service user involvement in criminal and community justice. Research into organisations that have attempted to implement service user involvement, even to a small degree, is even more limited – especially in community justice where such practices remain comparatively scarce. The practice guide, informed by research, addresses this gap. As well as providing a background to the theory, principles, methods and approaches, the guide features practical step-by-step guidance on supporting service user involvement. It also considers common concerns and challenges, both amongst service users and practitioners, and includes an appendix on evaluation. If you would like to get in touch with any feedback or discuss in more detail, please email: elizabeth.weaver@strath.ac.uk
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STUDENT SUCCESSES Winner of the European Coalition for People Living With Obesity (EPCO) Best Poster Award at the European Congress on Obesity in Glasgow, April 2019 Final year PhD student in the School of Psychological Sciences & Health, Jenny Gillespie. Poster Title: Translating Healthy Habits Happy Homes: Feasibility of adopting a home-based pre-school obesity prevention intervention in a new country. Jenny’s PhD is funded by the Hannah Foundation. Her work is based on a promising early childhood obesity prevention intervention which was developed at Harvard – she worked with Harvard colleagues to adapt the intervention successfully for use with socioeconomically deprived families in Dundee (it is now known as the Dundee Family Health Study).
Students from Canada visiting our Faculty On Monday 20 May, Graham McPheat (Associate Dean Undergraduate) hosted a group of 43 UG Child and Youth Care Studies students from Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada. The students spent the day talking about the development of children’s services in Scotland and how they compared and contrasted with developments in Canada.
New internship with Castle Rock Matthew Smith, Vice-Dean Research, and Richard Jennings, Managing Director of Social Housing provider, Castle Rock Edinvar, have signed an agreement that will create a one-year paid internship for a Strathclyde MSc graduate based at Castle Rock Edinvar. The intern will have the opportunity to take up a co-funded PhD studentship (funded jointly by Castle Rock Edinvar and HaSS) upon completion of the internship. The group were in the UK as part of a study tour and they were also going on a range of agency and cultural visits whilst over here for 10 days. Ross Gibson, from the Centre for Youth and Criminal Justice, gave students a presentation on the youth justice issues facing Scotland.
Student Successes
11 Student-led conference: Transatlantic Conversations in Research on Inclusive Youth Literature Josh Simson (PhD student, Humanities) together with Breanna McDaniel (University of Cambridge) were co-organisers of the above conference, which took place at the Scottish Youth Theatre, 8-10 August. The conference sessions were attended by over 50 delegates from China, Australia, Canada, India, Europe, and the US. The organisers were really pleased that they could organise each panel to have both new/early career researchers and students partnered with established academics. The event involved leading academics in children’s lit presenting their work, including Phil Nel (who wrote Was the Cat in the Hat Black?) and Karin Westman (who edits The Lion and the Unicorn, one of the leading journals in the field) from the US, Lucy Pearson from Newcastle University, Karen Sands-O’Connor, who was just awarded a Global Professorship from the British Academy and Patricia Kennon, the president of the Irish Society for the Study of Children’s Literature. There was also a panel of authors talking about their experiences as writers of colour, including Dean Atta and Alex Sheppard, whose Young Adult novels were just released. Support from the local community included Lighthouse Books from Edinburgh acting as conference bookshop on Friday and Saturday, the Glasgow Women’s Library hosting the final keynote on Saturday, and Edinburgh Book Festival offered speakers entry to many events for free. If you’d like to see highlights and more photos, check out the conference hashtag #REIYL2019 on Twitter.
Viva Successes We’d like to congratulate the following students and supervisors for successfully defending their doctoral theses in the first half of 2019. Professional Doctorate (EdD) Marion Burns Early education with a specific focus on transitions Lee Coutts The relationship between the National Improvement Framework and Curriculum for Excellence Christine Smith Transformational/distributive leadership efficacy and impact PhD Counselling Alhimaidi Afnan The effectiveness of therapies provided in Abdulrahman PhD in English Erin Farley Poetry, Song and Community in the Industrial City David Rush Glamour, Celebrity and the Foreign in the Mid-Century Middlebrow Louise Logan Beastly Encounters: Human–animal relations in the illustrated police news and Victorian literature and culture 1864–1901 PhD in Law Auntika Na Pibul The Legal Issues in Cloud Computing Clowance The normalisation of surveillance and its impact on Wheeler-Ozanne the protection of privacy rights in modern society PhD in Physical Activity for Health Lauren McMichan ActiveChat project: The reduction of sedentary behaviour in adolescents making that transition from primary to secondary school PhD in Psychology Avril Jonstone Utilising active play interactions to improve physical activity PhD in Politics Fraser McMillan
The HaSS Research & Impact Bulletin [ People & Society - Autumn 2019, Issue No.4 ]
Mandates and accountability from the top down: Elite political culture and the programme to policy linkage
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PRESTIGIOUS APPOINTMENT Strathclyde Academic on the Research Committee of the Institute for Advanced Legal Studies Dr Rebecca Zahn, Senior Lecturer in the Law School, has been appointed to the Research Committee of the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, University of London. The role of the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies is to conduct research; to promote and facilitate, within London and nationally and internationally, research and scholarship at an advanced level across the whole field of law. The Institute has an inclusive approach to legal studies embracing the theoretical basis of law, the sources and documentation of the law, and the direct impact of law on human lives; to disseminate the results of such research and scholarship; and to provide to all those undertaking research in law a library facility with up-to-date technology, which is international in character and standing.
PUBLICATION AWARDS Prize for ‘best paper’ for Social Work colleague
Nomination for paper in Work– Family Research
The BASW Kay McDougall British Journal of Social Work Prize is awarded to the best article, as decided by the BJSW Editorial Board and in agreement with BASW, in one volume based on the following criteria:
Dr Markus Klein and his co-author, Dr Michael Kühhirt, had an article entitled ‘Early Maternal Employment and Children’s Vocabulary and Inductive Reasoning Ability: A Dynamic Approach’ selected as a nominee for the annual Rosabeth Moss Kanter Award for Excellence in Work–Family Research.
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Breadth of scholarship Sophistication of theory Rigour of research Relevance to practice International appeal
The 2018 Prize Winning Paper was Laura Steckley’s paper on catharsis, containment and physical restraint in residential child care. Laura is a Senior Lecturer in Social Work and her previous work has informed practice in residential care for many years. Her paper can be read online: Catharsis, Containment and Physical Restraint in Residential Child care
As a nominated article, this was one of 15 other articles that are now Kanter Nominees for the 2019 year. A joint project of the Center for Families at Purdue University and the Boston College Center for Work & Family, the international award raises the awareness of high quality work–family research among the scholar, consultant and practitioner communities. External nominations are not accepted. A rigorous process involving nomination and review by a committee of over 60 leading scholars determined this year’s nominees from over 2,500 articles published in 83 leading English-language journals from around the world.
Prestigious Appointment & Publication Awards
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INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS History at the heart of Diplomacy The British Embassy in Paris has appointed Dr Rogelia PastorCastro as Historical Adviser on its projects to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Liberation of Paris and the reopening of the British Embassy. On 25 August 1944, after four years of German occupation, Paris was finally liberated. Just over a week later, on 3 September, British diplomats arrived in Paris to reopen the British Embassy, which had been under Swiss protection, and formal diplomatic relations resumed. The British Embassy has invited Dr Pastor-Castro to present her research on Franco-British relations, and Embassy staff are reading her publication The Paris Embassy, which discusses British ambassadors to France post1944, in preparation for the event in September. The reception and dinner will also feature a document display from the UK National Archives, the French Archives and private papers.
Led by the Centre for Health Policy and involving staff and PhD students from Social Work and Social Policy, Education and Psychological Sciences and Health, this major international programme works New York University, Yale, the Illinois Institute of Technology, the Mental Health Foundation, Ulm University and the Finnish Association for Mental Health to tackle health and social inequalities for people experiencing mental ill health. This partnership project secured funding of over £400,000 and is one of the early successes of the strategic health partnership with NYU. It arose through workshops in 2014 with the direct support and engagement of The Principal Sir Jim McDonald. The conference was a powerful and engaging event. 6 Strathclyde PhD students had the opportunity to present their studies at a preconference symposium and impressed the audience with the quality of their ideas and research. On the day itself we brought together leading international academics that we collaborate with including Prof Michael Rowe at Yale University, Professor Sherry Glied from NYU Wagner, Dr Stanhope at Silver School and Ruth Shim from California Davis. We were joined by leading policy makers and were able to include people with lived experience of mental illness from Scotland and the US in our panels and presentations. Lee Knifton – in his opening address – highlighted what CRISP has achieved. Since 2016 we have led 80 international exchanges of academics, PhD students and policy makers; held 20 events including conferences, policy forums and public arts events. It has led to a series of publications, research funding proposals and policy reports and is making a major contribution to research, policy and practice in the U.S. and Europe on mental health and social exclusion.
Dr Pastor-Castro presenting The Paris Embassy to then Ambassador to France, Lord Ricketts
Neil Quinn then chaired an international policy session with Werner Obermeyer (Deputy Director of WHO at the UN), Dr Gary Belkin, from Thrive NYC the $1bn mental health programme and Dr Linda Irvine from Edinburgh City Health and Care partnership. The partnership has helped to develop a new approach to mental health in Edinburgh City – learning directly from New York.
Landmark international conference with New York University Strathclyde’s Centre for Health Policy held a major international conference in New York on 19th July 2019 to celebrate the achievements of the Citizenship, Recovery and Inclusive Society Partnership (CRISP). This transatlantic partnership is funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. It connects leading EU and US partners to share and build upon state-of-the-art knowledge and research in the key dimensions of social inclusion and mental health - citizenship, recovery, stigma and public policy.
The HaSS Research & Impact Bulletin [ People & Society - Autumn 2019, Issue No.4 ]
14 The project has considerable impact.
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We have helped to bring service users, practitioners and academics together to undertake joint research at national and international level. Colleagues at Strathclyde and Yale have secured funding complete research on citizenship that is shaping practice on the ground Our new centre for doctoral training in public health and health policy has enabled students to undertake comparative research and spend up to a year at NYU or Yale. This is being scaled up as we go forward.
The university was represented by Directors of its International Office and Dr Ghita on behalf of School of Education/HaSS. The visit was successful and has helped to promote HaSS and the university’s international profile.
Feedback on the day was powerful and can be accessed at #CRISP2019 but we were especially pleased that Dean Sherry Glied NYU Wagner, who is one of the world’s leading health policy academics, stated that the collaboration has significantly influenced her own and colleagues’ research agendas, including new projects around social inclusion.
Sustainable development and access to justice for children Professor Jennifer Davidson (CELCIS and Inspiring Children’s Futures) spoke at the ‘Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies: SDG 16 implementation and the path towards leaving no one behind’ conference in Rome, on a panel with Justice Albie Sachs (honorary graduate, visiting professor at Strathclyde, former Justice of the South African Constitutional Court and an inspiring, globally recognised champion of civil rights in South Africa during and after apartheid). The theme was ‘Sustainable Development and Access to Justice’.
BMI Global Scholarship Summit
Professor Davidson’s input focused on the key messages emerging from the international Justice for Children Initiative she has been commissioned to lead, which aims to support the global achievement the Sustainable Development Goal 16 – a project which CYCJ, CELCIS and Inspiring Children’s Futures are taking forward, with the Office of the UN Special Representative of the Secretary General on Violence Against Children, and the international non-government organisations forming the Child Justice Advocacy Group.
School of Education / HaSS joined other faculties (Engineering, Science, Business) and RIO from the University at the BMI Global Scholarship Summit 2019 – 29 & 30 April – in London. The event brings together scholarship organisations and leading educational institutions from across the world and offers all participants meaningful discussions for exchanging students and/or finalising training agreements. The event was well attended, with delegates from more than 66 different scholarship organisations and 60 leading educational institutions.
International Collaborations
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PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT EVENTS Engage with Strathclyde Researchers across the Faculty contributed to the ‘Engage with Strathclyde’ week. Our own ‘Engage with HaSS’ day on Friday 3 May was well attended by an enthusiastic audience from across the university and members of the public, including some young people. Visitors had the opportunity to learn more about youth justice and looked-after children in Scotland, engage in fun science or make a virus (out of plasticine!) Next, we hope to showcase our work at Explorathon on 28 September. Stay tuned!
Public Engagement Training Day On 19 June, students and academic colleagues from across HaSS attended a Public Engagement Training day. The programme covered a wide range of topics, from writing blogs and engaging with the media, to engaging policy and practitioners with research findings. Participants heard from experienced academics on their strategies of working collaboratively with others and engaging wider audiences. Neil Quinn (SWSP) presented on the use of the arts in making research on mental health accessible to wider audiences through a city-wide festival. Dr Beth Weaver (SWSP) shared her work with people who have a criminal record or are in prisons. Dr Niia Nikolova (PSH) talked about her work as STEM Ambassador in Schools. Dr Petya Ekler (Journalism) explained the ins and outs of media – and how to get journalists on board with a story, while Matt Smith shared his experience of being interviewed on radio shows. Finally, we covered social media and blogging – with great input from Jacqueline Young as Faculty Editor and Prof Tony McGann (GPP) and Dr Niia Nikolova (PSH) as bloggers for The Conversation. Those attending left the event more enthusiastic about public engagement and what it can achieve – we’ll aim to repeat the session next year for those interested.
The HaSS Research & Impact Bulletin [ People & Society - Autumn 2019, Issue No.4 ]
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New Series of Public Lectures Welcome to our new Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (HaSS) public lecture programme. CLL is delighted to be working with all of the academic schools within HaSS to showcase snapshots of some of the ground-breaking and innovative research which is ongoing within the Faculty. Through these short, lunchtime lectures, you will have the opportunity to hear from expert academics about research topics which have been selected due to their broad appeal to a public audience and which reflect the diversity of work which can be found in HaSS. Please register in advance for these lectures through: https://mycll.strath.ac.uk/
Law School
Another Person’s Poison: Using History to Understand Food Allergy
Nature and Human Rights
Prof Matthew Smith BA MA PhD
Prof Elisa Morgera LLM PhD
Tuesday from 22 October 2019
13.00-14.00
Code
Credits
Fee
Meetings
D040
0
£4
1
Location
Room GH330, Graham Hills Building
This seminar will focus on the latest science and the latest international legal developments on the deep connections between nature and human well-being (life, health, access to clean water and nutritious food). It will provide an opportunity to discuss why it matters (and why it remains politically controversial) that international law addresses the relationship between nature and human rights. It will also provide an opportunity to discuss current challenges to protect a healthy planet that, among other things, supports human flourishing.
School of Humanities The Piston and the Pen: Literature and Industrial Heritage Prof Kirstie Blair MA MPhil PhD
Tuesday from 26 November 2019
12.00-13.00
Code
Credits
Fee
Meetings
D041
0
£4
1
Location
Room GH330, Graham Hills Building
Building on Prof Blair’s research into working-class writers in Scotland and the North of England, and her collaborations with industrial heritage museums, this talk explores the little-known archives of poetry and prose by men and women working in Victorian industry. With a particular focus on miners, railway workers and factory workers, it investigates what their writings tell us about industrial labour in the period, and how the recovery of these forgotten voices can inform our engagement with industry, past and present.
Thursday from 19 March 2020
12.00-13.00
Code
Credits
Fee
Meetings
D202
0
£4
1
Location
Room GH227, Graham Hills Building
These days, most of us probably know someone with a food allergy. Food allergies are on the rise, prompting the banning of nuts and other allergenic foods in schools, airplanes and other public spaces. But have humans always been allergic to food? And if so, why? This lecture will use history to trace how food allergy has emerged as one of the most controversial health problems of today. Time will be set aside at the end of the session for students to ask questions and share their own experiences.
School of Government and Public Policy Barriers to Political Representation: The case of disability Dr Stefanie Reher DPhil
Wednesday from 22 January 2020
13.00-14.00
Code
Credits
Fee
Meetings
D200
0
£4
1
Location
Room GH753, Graham Hills Building
Candidates standing for election and representatives in parliament do not always reflect the make-up of society very well. For example, we do not see many disabled people in politics. This seminar explores the barriers to elected office that disabled people and other groups face in the UK and worldwide. We will look at factors including accessibility, public perceptions, and political parties. The aim is to develop a deeper understanding of the experiences of candidates in different stages of the election and representation process. We will also discuss a variety of methods used by social scientists. This seminar involves an interactive lecture and group activities.
Public Engagement Events
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School of Social Work & Social Policy
School of Psychological Sciences & Health
Divided Britain: Brexit, young people and who gets to belong in Britain
Stand-up for your bones
Dr Daniela Sime PhD
Wednesday from 17 June 2020
Thursday from 20 February 2020 Code
12.00-13.00
Dr Alexandra Mavroeidi BSc SRD MSc PhD
12.00-13.00
Code
Credits
Fee
Meetings
£4
1
Credits
Fee
Meetings
D302
0
D201
0
£4
1
Location
Room GH742, Graham Hills Building
Location
Room GH227, Graham Hills Building
This lecture will focus on the impact of Brexit on our society and how communities have been divided by the debate over Britain’s relationship with Europe. I draw here on research with young people aged 12-18 and their experiences of Brexit, with a particular focus on young migrants who were not born in the UK, but have lived most of their lives here. Their experiences of living in Britain during the Brexit Referendum show how some individuals have become marginalised or left behind. Many young people of migrant origin also said they have experienced more racism and xenophobia since the Bexit Referendum, with a direct impact on their sense of belonging and identity. We ask then who gets the right to belong in Brexit Britain and why the integration of new migrants should concern us all.
Why People Give Up Crime
Are you sitting down? Then you might want to stand up to read this. Did you know that you can simultaneously meet physical activity recommendations (150 minutes of activity per week) but if you remained sedentary for a significant amount of the day (e.g. travelling by car, sitting at work, watching TV) you could still be harming your health? Are you disheartened by this finding and already thinking ‘oh what’s the point of even trying’? This interactive seminar will discuss the topical issue of sedentary behaviour with specific reference to bone health (osteoporosis) and tackle any misconceptions that surround this area.
School of Education Scotland and the attainment challenge – any possibilities for change? Alastair Wilson, Katie Hunter and Kelly Stewart
Wednesday from 20 May 2020
Dr Beth Weaver BA MSW PgCert PhD
Tuesday from 21 April 2020
12.00-13.00
13.00-14.00
Code
Credits
Fee
Meetings
Code
Credits
Fee
Meetings
D301
0
£4
1
D300
0
£4
1
Location
Room GH742, Graham Hills Building
Location
Room GH330, Graham Hills Building
The media is rife with documentaries and films about crime, but we hear less about why people give up crime despite sometimes lengthy and entrenched criminal careers. If you want to learn about how and why people give up crime, and what supports it, and move beyond the rhetoric to engage with the realities, this interactive and informative seminar is for you. You will have the opportunity to engage with an expert in the field and to hear from someone with lived experience of giving up crime.
If you are working class or poor in Scotland, you are less likely to benefit from education in the same way as your middle class peers. Your overall earnings will be significantly less and you are much less likely to go to university or enter a profession. This research draws on case studies of local communities with school staff, third sector and statutory service providers, community development groups, local residents and representatives. It critiques the overall funding approach to tackle the so-called attainment gap, as one that negates the difficulties experienced in local communities and the effort that goes into addressing them during austerity. Time, patience and planning need to frame a more robust approach to tackling the attainment problem. An example of this is presented – you’ll have to attend to hear about it!
The HaSS Research & Impact Bulletin [ People & Society - Autumn 2019, Issue No.4 ]
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HASS IMPACT PRIZE AWARDS For the first time this year, the Faculty has awarded four prizes to recognise outstanding impact for society, policy and international policy and practice, including a prize for Early Career impact. Several nominations were received, all outstanding. The winners in each of the categories were asked to write a few words about their projects and why these are outstanding in terms of impact. The prize winners will receive their awards in a public ceremony in October 2019, to coincide with the launch of our new Faculty Public Lecture series, in collaboration with the Centre for Lifelong Learning.
Prize for Outstanding Impact for Society ‘Research that has made an impact, benefiting a specific group in society’ Winner: Dr Beth Weaver, SWSP; with Dr Claire Lightowler, Kristina Moodie Project Title: Coproducing Justice: Innovations in policy and practice with people who offend (Twitter: Coprod_Desist) Why is this project important for society? Current approaches to ‘rehabilitation’ in criminal justice are based primarily on a deficit model which aims to ‘correct’ people’s thinking and behaviour to reduce their risk of reoffending, rather than proactively enabling participation and supporting reintegration. Research into desistance (how and why people give up crime) emphasises the significance of citizenship, participation, relationality and employment to processes of change, but the extent to which this has influenced penal policy and practice is a moot point. This programme of research attends to this policy and practice gap by working collaboratively with policy makers, practitioners and people with convictions to explore, pilot and embed innovations in justice. What has changed as a result of the project? The first strand of this project influenced the establishment of the first social enterprise providing employment for prisoners in Scotland and through-the-gate employment opportunities post-release and a multi-disciplinary worker cooperative, led by a former prisoner, in Canada, both of which have resulted in the employment of people with convictions and the associated impacts and effects that participation in work engenders. It is shaping the national strategy for the development of social enterprises in justice contexts, and plans for its operationalisation are in progress. It has also led to the development of the Coproducing Justice International Social Economy Network comprising academics, policy makers and industry leaders across 10 countries.
The second strand, which I have led on, alongside Claire Lightowler and Kristina Moodie (CYCJ), has had an impact on people with convictions, practitioners and service approaches by initiating a shift in aspects of the governance of justice services towards an increased level of user participation, and the development of new approaches to supporting desistance. Three ‘co-productive community justice councils’ in the UK have been established, comprising professionals and people with convictions, to coproduce innovations in justice services. This not only represents a significant shift in governance approaches, but the councils have generated a diverse range of impacts which include concrete and measurable changes to service delivery and the implementation of new interventions, as well as individual outcomes for service users, and benefits for practitioners. Participating local authorities see this as a valuable way to support participants’ processes of recovery and desistance, and contribute to their social integration. How did you work with your partners in achieving the impact? I discovered that the Scottish Government had not realised its intention to develop social enterprise in connection with community justice. I applied for Scottish Universities Insight Institute funding and led on a programme of knowledge mobilisation to help me to establish a multi-disciplinary international network, in part to explore the evidence and opportunities to progress this.
HaSS Impact Prize Awards
19 The network has co-produced a model of work integration social enterprise for justice; we have set up a national steering group, and we have produced a national strategy, and a proposal for a national development social enterprise manager to help implement the strategy. Additionally, we have participated in a series of meetings involving senior policy makers and industry leaders who have confirmed their commitment to working with us to co-create an enabling policy environment as well as national organisations and local authority leads.
loopholes that can help you facilitate change. You can’t achieve impact on your own and so I have found having a planning or steering group useful, agreeing terms of reference, aims and vision, delineating milestones, deliverables and timelines – and agreeing roles and responsibilities to help keep everyone focused on the end goal.
We used techniques of Community Mobilisation to establish the coproductive councils. This is essentially a process for reaching out to different sectors of a community and creating working partnerships to focus on and address a key issue. It is oriented towards empowering those individuals and groups to take action to facilitate change. The key elements or our approach included identifying stakeholders and resources, producing and disseminating relevant information in a variety of formats and forms, generating support and fostering cooperation.
Our aim at this point is to get partners to sign up to and invest in the national strategy for social enterprises in justice contexts, and investment in the appointment of a National Social Enterprise Development Manager to progress this. A related aim is to pilot a distinctively Scottish model of cooperative/ enterprise for people with convictions, and to develop an effective ecosystem to support this. Our steering group will be coordinating this programme of work.
Were there any challenges in achieving the impact and how did you overcome these? Working with differently situated partners always brings challenges, not least because people have competing priorities and different demands on their time, there is often little resource available (both financial and human), and progress or impact can be slow. Patience and persistence and regular communication is key to maintaining impetus and interest, and you need to be creative about how you use existing resources, and identify
Where to next – how will you follow up? What else needs to change?
For the second strand, our priority is to share the learning further afield and encourage similar innovations. We have produced a Good Practice Guide to support others to support this and we have a robust multi-layered strategy in place to encourage people to access and utilise this resource. Our plan includes offering training to staff and service users in other areas, who have an interest in pursuing this approach and liaising with policy makers in Scottish Government and Community Justice Scotland to advocate for the inclusion of service user involvement in national policy guidance for the delivery of criminal justice social work services.
The HaSS Research & Impact Bulletin [ People & Society - Autumn 2019, Issue No.4 ]
20 Prize for Outstanding International Impact ‘Research that has achieved an impact at international level, in business, policy or society’ Winner: Dr Churnjeet Mann, English; with Preet Nagar Trust and CRCI, India Project Title: Beyond Borders: Designing inclusive heritage in post-Partition Punjab (Twitter: @creativeinterruptions) Why is this project important for society? The province of Punjab was split by the Partition of India. The Indo-Pak border is currently one of the most militarised borders in the world ,with the Indian state buying technology from Israel to monitor and police its borders. Our project worked to connect refugees and their descendants in India with the literature, culture, songs and memories of pre-Partition Punjab. This was a project to connect people to their lost home(lands), but also a project to resist populist nationalisms in India and Pakistan. What has changed as a result of the project? The research took place at Preet Nagar, a utopian intended community established halfway between Lahore and Amritsar in the 1930s. Preet Nagar was one of the most significant sites for literary and cultural expression in India and published a magazine (Preet Lari) which contained many original translations of European and Russian work. It was largely destroyed by the violence of Partition. Our project has supported new arts collectives and grassroots initiatives at Preet Nagar, inspired by the original vision of the collective.
have spent time living and working with the communities I’ve partnered with in order to build trust. Where to next – how will you follow up? What else needs to change? We will be working to secure more funding to re-run and develop the work from the past year. Many people are reported feeling valued, or feeling hope, or developing new skills. But the real success of the work is its sustainability. Local groups have come together to take ownership of the initiatives we developed, but some basic funding for transport, food and material is our next challenge.
How did you work with your partners in achieving the impact? I worked with Preet Lari, the literary magazine published from Preet Nagar, to develop new initiatives around preserving and celebrating the culture of Punjab with marginalised communities. These communities include women living in rural environments with few economic and social opportunities outside the home/ extended family, and young people struggling to find work (a serious issue in rural Punjab where most farming has been mechanised). By pairing people with established writers, artists and activists, we produced material for a festival which attracted over 1,000 attendees. Were there any challenges in achieving the impact and how did you overcome these? Punjab is currently facing a number of environmental and economic crises. Intensive farming has been destructive to water supplies and Punjab is projected to run out of water in the coming decades. The destruction of a secure future is keenly felt. There have been a number of research projects designed to aid people but a number of communities in Punjab, especially the most deprived, have become extremely cynical of interventions from the Global North. I’ve worked in Punjab for over six years and
HaSS Impact Prize Awards
21 Prize for Outstanding Impact for Policy ‘Research that has contributed to the development of public policy, at local, regional or national government level’ Winner: Nina Vaswani, Centre for Youth & Criminal Justice, with Dr Sally Paul, SWSP; Barnardo’s and Young Offenders Institution at Polmont Project title: Bereavement at the margins: Meeting the bereavement needs of marginalised young people (Twitter: @ CYCJScotland)
Why is this project important for society? Loss and bereavement is something that touches each of us – it is an inevitable part of life. However, the research first highlighted that children in contact with the justice system, especially young people in custody, experienced a higher rate of bereavement than the general adolescent population. The nature of these bereavements also differed from what might be typically expected in childhood, with high rates of parental, multiple and traumatic deaths. We also found that many of these young people had not been able to talk about their bereavements or get the support that they needed at the time that they wanted, that this unmet need was implicated in their coming into conflict with the law, and that dealing with bereavement in prison was complicated by many factors relating to the custodial environment. Understanding how and when to support bereaved children should therefore not only improve outcomes for individuals, but also wider society as a whole. What has changed as a result of the project? So much has changed, and I am so proud of the young men who shared their bereavement stories so openly with me in the first instance; I hope they know what a difference they have made. It has been really welcome to see loss and bereavement more firmly on the agenda and to be prioritised in national and organisational policies. There is also more awareness of loss and bereavement in the youth justice sector and beyond. Bereaved children and young people often don’t require specialist support: for many, just having someone to talk to and to help them understand and navigate grief is sufficient to help them make sense of and learn to live with their losses and bereavements. However, practitioners and families are not always confident in talking about bereavement to children and young people, either because of their own loss and bereavement experiences or for fear of causing further distress by saying the wrong thing. So to hear more people talking about bereavement and acknowledging the impact of bereavement on children and young people has been heartening. We also know that some children will require additional support with their bereavements, especially those who are already vulnerable or marginalised in some way. Since the initial report was published in 2014, we have seen 300 staff in a Young Offender’s Institution (HMP & YOI Polmont) attend
loss and bereavement awareness-raising training, and a specialist trauma, bereavement and loss service established by Barnardo’s Scotland in the YOI, which has provided a service to around 450 young men to date. The service has since been extended to work with more than 100 adult women in the establishment and the learning used to inform a pilot early intervention programme in three schools. How did you work with your partners in achieving the impact? It has been fantastic to work with partners who have taken the research findings seriously, reflected on what change is needed and then acted accordingly, and most of the credit for any impact must go to them. However, I think it did help that we focused on ensuring that the research reached the people who needed it most, that we supported their use of the research, and that we accompanied them on their journey of change. We produced a range of outputs from the research, including a journal article, practice-focused reports, lectures and seminars, bespoke training for practitioners, conferences, webinars, and we worked closely with the senior management team at HMP & YOI Polmont and Barnardo’s Scotland. All of the subsequent developments have also been monitored and evaluated, and so the research team has remained connected to the process. Were there any challenges in achieving the impact and how did you overcome these? One of the big challenges is in sustaining impact. We can demonstrate significant changes in staff knowledge and confidence as a result of attending the awareness-raising training at HMP & YOI Polmont. But the funding for the training was time-limited, and as the memory of training fades, staff move on, and organisational priorities change it can be difficult to keep the momentum going. The environment of the prison is also not the most conducive to addressing trauma, bereavement and loss and there were many practical, logistical and cultural barriers, despite the best of intentions from the establishment. We are continuing to produce outputs on this topic to help understand these barriers and shape ongoing discussions about practice and policy. Where to next – how will you follow up? What else needs to change? There are so many strands that we want to explore. I think developing our understanding of early intervention will be key in supporting children better, and earlier, long before the prison gates are reached. We are interested in unpicking the relationship between loss, bereavement and offending in a bit more detail, and are working with practitioners on a small exploratory study about this over the summer. Engaging with schools is also high on our agenda, given the important role that schools can play in not only supporting bereaved children, but also in educating all children about death, dying, bereavement and loss. We all want to protect children from the harsh realities of life, but with loss and bereavement a certainty it is our duty to ensure that children are equipped with age-appropriate knowledge, language and skills to navigate this challenge when it arises.
The HaSS Research & Impact Bulletin [ People & Society - Autumn 2019, Issue No.4 ]
22 Prize for Outstanding Early Career Impact ‘Research with impact achieved by social scientists in the early stages of their career, including PhD students’ Winner: Dr Sally Paul, School of Social Work & social Policy with St Francis Xavier Primary School, Falkirk Project title: Advancing education and support around death, dying and bereavement
Why is this project important for society? Death and bereavement are a normal part of the life course, yet it is argued that these experiences have been pathologised as something only specialists can deal with, leaving communities illequipped to respond, and to support each other when someone is dying or has died. Children in particular are seen as a group where conversation, education and support about death and bereavement is frequently avoided and this can have a negative impact on how they experience these issues. For example, children can find it harder to cope with a death if the people they know and trust don’t talk to them about these experiences. This PhD project thus explored the role of a specialist palliative care service (a hospice) in working with two primary schools to advance education and support around death and bereavement. What has changed as a result of the project? The research suggested a number of areas for practice and policy innovation, including:
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The Resilience Project: A loss and Grief Education Programme: A curriculum programme was designed to respond to the children’s questions about death and grief and is now a core part of St Francis Xavier’s Primary School’s (one of the participating schools) curriculum, for all 9–12 year olds. Bereavement training: A training programme was designed to develop the capacity of all school staff to respond to bereavement. The hospice participating in the research now delivers this training free of charge to all schools in their catchment area. Policy Development: To support the above innovations, the local authority’s policy team designed a ‘service circular’ on how to manage bereavement in schools, which was disseminated to all schools in the local authority area.
Were there any challenges in achieving the impact and how did you overcome these? The main challenge in developing practice and policy was ensuring that the voices of all stakeholders were included throughout the project. For example, the perspectives of children, whilst important to the original research, were often excluded in the impact developments and therefore my role was essential in challenging this power imbalance and making space for the children’s voices. For any of the changes to be sustainable it was also important that the whole school was on board – developing these relationships took a lot of time and this remains an ongoing process. Where to next – how will you follow up? What else needs to change? The different impacts have been positively evaluated and the next steps are to share these innovations more widely through a variety of knowledge exchange events, such as publication and campaigning. There is more to be done, however, as education and support around death and bereavement for children remains ad hoc and inequitable, and this can pose a real challenge for how some children understand and cope with loss. Accordingly, this project has much wider implications for policy and practice around death (and loss) education and bereavement support more broadly that require attention. For example, integral to the success of this work was ensuring that changes in how we educate, engage and support children about death and bereavement were supported at all levels, through training, practice and policy. Yet death is not mentioned in the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence and, given the sensitivity around this subject, it is therefore an easy subject to ignore.
How did you work with your partners in achieving the impact? The research was facilitated using collaborative inquiry within an action research methodology. Working with the hospice and schools, as partners in the research, was thus central to the research process, which specifically sought to engage in a process of change. School staff, children, parents/carers and hospice staff were included in both the research and in deciding and advancing models of practice and policy. This involvement was integral to developing impact.
HaSS Impact Prize Awards
Do you have a research story to feature in the next issue? Submit a ‘New story’ through Sharepoint or email: hass-marketing@strath.ac.uk