The project team
Michelle Lefevre
Role: Principal Investigator
Michelle Lefevre is Professor of Social Work at the University of Sussex and Director of CIRCY – the Centre for Innovation and Research in Childhood and Youth. Her research primarily focuses on professional practice with children, young people and families where there are issues of risk and harm, and it is rooted in her background as a child protection social worker and arts psychotherapist.
You can learn more about Michelle here or contact Michelle at M.Lefevre@sussex.ac.uk.
Tammy McCann
Role: Project Co-ordinator
Tammy McCann brings a wealth of experience in programme management to her role as coordinator of the project. Working closely with the Principal Investigator she ensures the programme runs smoothly, meeting contractual and financial obligations. Tammy is based at the University of Sussex
Contact Tammy at T.L.McCann@sussex.ac.uk.
Kristine Hickle
Role: Co-Investigator, leading the Contextual Safeguarding strand, and providing thematic expertise on Trauma-Informed Practice
Prof. Kristine Hickle (known as Kristi) is a Senior Lecturer in Social Work at the University of Sussex. She originally trained as a social worker in the US. Her research has particularly centred on child sexual exploitation and human trafficking and she has been providing trauma-focused group interventions for victims of sexual violence for the last 12 years.
You can learn more about Kristi here or contact Kristi at K.Hickle@sussex.ac.uk.
Carlene Firmin
Role: Co-Investigator, leading the Trauma-Informed Practice strand, and providing thematic expertise on Contextual Safeguarding
Prof. Carlene Firmin is Professor of Social Work at Durham University. Since 2011 she has led the design and testing of Contextual Safeguarding as a theoretical and operational framework which could be used to draw attention to, and address, the social and cultural contexts in which extra-familial abuse occurs. She has overseen the integration of this framework into local children’s services departments and child protection guidance in England, Wales and Scotland, and is interested in the implications of Contextual Safeguarding for the ethics and legal frameworks underpinning social work practices globally. You can contact Carlene at:
Gillian Ruch
Role: Co-Investigator, leading the Transitional Safeguarding strand
Gillian Ruch is Professor of Social Work at the University of Sussex where she directs the Centre for Social Work Innovation and Research. Gillian trained originally as a social worker, practising in local authority child care posts in London and Essex before moving into academia. Her particular interests are in reflective and relationship-based practice and psychosocial research and reflective practice in social work.
You can learn more about Gillian here or contact Gillian at G.Ruch@sussex.ac.uk.
Nathalie Huegler
Role: Research Fellow, Transitional Safeguarding strand
Dr Nathalie Huegler originally trained as a social worker and social pedagogue in Germany and has since worked in a variety of research, academic and practice roles in the UK focusing on adolescents and young adults, with a particular interest in social work with young refugees. As well as fieldwork on the Transitional Safeguarding research strand, Nathalie is working on the policy documentary analysis in year 1 of the project.
You can learn more about Nathalie here or contact Nathalie at N.E.Huegler@sussex.ac.uk.
Roni Eyal-Lubling
Role: Research Fellow, Trauma-informed Practice strand
Dr Roni Eyal-Lubling is a social worker-sociologist whose research and practice are situated at the intersection of several bodies of knowledge – youth studies, feminist social work, poverty and social marginalization, labour market participation, and intergenerational relations. Roni has substantial research and practice experience with young adults at risk, particularly marginalized adolescent girls and young women, and she co-founded the Youth Studies Community under the Israeli Sociological Association.
Delphine Peace
Role: Research fellow, Contextual Safeguarding strand
Delphine Peace is a researcher in the Sociology Department at Durham University working on the Contextual Safeguarding research programme there. Alongside the ‘Innovate Project’, Delphine is also working on a project called ‘Contextual Safeguarding Across Borders’, which explores the applicability and feasibility of Contextual Safeguarding as an approach to protect adolescents from extra-familial harm in international settings.
You can learn more about Delphine here or contact Delphine at: delphine.peace@durham.ac.uk
Jeri Damman
Role: Researcher on the Transitional Safeguarding strand
Dr Jeri Damman has extensive experience from the US and UK in working with children, adults, and families in direct service delivery, providing front-line social work supervision, and strategic service delivery at a senior management level. Her research addresses how participatory practices with birth parents at multiple levels in the child welfare system can contribute to service improvements and more positive child and family outcomes.
You can learn more about Jeri here or contact Jeri at J.L.Damman@sussex.ac.uk.
Reima Ana Maglajlic
Role: Researcher, Trauma-informed Practice strand
Dr Reima Ana Maglajilc (known as Rea) trained originally as a social worker in Croatia, where she gained particular experience with refugees and displaced persons. She subsequently worked to support the development of the mental health system survivor movement in Bosnia and Herzegovina. She has a particular interest currently in reform processes in health and social care (particularly in post-conflict societies), and in theorisations of mental health.
You can learn more about Rea here or contact Rea at R.A.Maglajlic@sussex.ac.uk.
Jenny Lloyd
Role: Researcher, Contextual Safeguarding strand
Dr Jenny Lloyd is an Assistant Professor in the Sociology Department at Durham University. She is a social and cultural geographer working in the area of peer-on-peer abuse and extra-familial harm in adolescence. Prior to joining Durham she worked at Bedfordshire University in the Safer Young Lives Research Centre.
You can contact Jenny at jennifer.a.lloyd@durham.ac.uk
Rebecca Godar
Role: Analysis of Data Management Systems
Rebecca Godar works as an independent consultant and researcher with local authorities and local partnerships to develop data-informed strategy for children and families. Her interests are in developing capability to use data and intelligence for strategic decision making and building a culture of curiosity around data.
You can contact Rebeecca at Rebecca.Godar@researchinpractice.org.uk.
Susannah Bowyer
Role: Thematic expert for Transitional Safeguarding
Dr Susannah Bowyer is Assistant Director at Research in Practice, where she leads the children and families team on core delivery to the Partnership network, as well as a range of commissioned project activities. Susannah provides intel on emerging Transitional Safeguarding approaches and will support knowledge exchange on the project with the Research in Practice network as findings emerge.
You can learn more about Susannah here or contact Susannah here.
Dez Holmes
Role: Thematic expert for Transitional Safeguarding
Dez Holmes is the Director of Research in Practice. She is interested in knowledge mobilisation, systems leadership, adolescence, safeguarding and participative practice. She is a senior project advisor, supporting practice influence and impact building in the social care sector and providing intel on emerging Transitional Safeguarding approaches.
You can learn more about Dez here or contact Dez at Dez.Holmes@researchinpractice.org.uk.
Matthew Horne
Role: Lead innovation consultant
Matthew Horne is Deputy Chief Executive of Innovation Unit. He has extensive experience in working with local systems and places to grow and scale innovative solutions that improve outcomes and reduce costs. He currently leads Innovation Unit’s contribution to the Children’s Social Care Innovation Programme for the Department for Education – a multi-million pound programme to revolutionise children’s social care. Matthew has led national innovation programmes for the NHS and local authorities and spent the last 20 years developing new solutions to social problems that are asset based, grounded in coproduction, and build personal agency
You can learn more about Matthew here or contact Matthew at matthew.horne@innovationunit.org.
Juile Temperley
Role: Innovation expertise
Julie has been a Senior Associate at The Innovation Unit since 2010. Previous to this Juile was Associate DIrector at the Centre for Use of Research and Evidence (CUREE) and co-led research and learning for the Networked Learning Communities programme at the then National College for School Leadership (NCSL).
You can learn more about Juile here or contact Juile at Julie.Temperley@innovationunit.org.
Rachael Owens
Role: Researcher, Contextual Safeguarding strand
Dr Rachael Owens is a researcher in the Sociology Department at Durham University. As Social Work Practice Advisor on the Scale-Up project (at the University of Bedfordshire) she was involved in testing, creating, and embedding Contextual Safeguarding approaches to extra-familial adolescent harm. Alongside the Innovate Project, Rachael is leading a research project called ‘Sustaining social work’ which looks at how social workers experience Contextual Safeguarding. Rachael has been involved in participatory and relationship-based practice for over twenty years, with experience in the voluntary and statutory sectors, and within a range of settings including mental and physical health, family support, missing children, and youth justice.
You can learn more about Rachael here or contact at: rachael.owens@durham.ac.uk
Lisa Holmes
Role: Consultant on Cost Benefit Analysis
Lisa Holmes was appointed as Professor of Applied Social Science in the School of Education and Social Work at the University of Sussex in early 2022. Lisa was previously based in the Rees Centre at the University of Oxford. Over the past twenty years Lisa has undertaken a range of research projects and evaluations to inform child welfare policy and practice and carried out responsive studies for various government departments, including the Department for Education and Ministry of Justice. On the Innovate Project, Lisa’s consultancy will focus on methods and approaches to assess cost effectiveness and will be informed by her work to develop the Cost Calculator for Children’s Services.
You can learn more about Lisa here or contact Lisa at ljh54@sussex.ac.uk.
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