The project team

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 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.

Dr 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.

Dr 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:

carlene.e.firmin@durham.ac.uk

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.

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.

Dr Carlie Goldsmith is a social researcher who has worked in higher education and the not-for-profit sector for the past fifteen years. She has designed and conducted a range of national and local research and evaluation projects in the fields of crime and justice, suicide prevention, human trafficking and modern slavery, and trauma-informed practice. Carlie is really interested in research that works with people and that aims to make a tangible and positive difference to their lives, especially those living in the most insecure and challenging circumstances. Carlie is working on a review of innovation theory and practice in year 1 and conducting interviews on innovation practice with professional expert informants.

You can learn more about Carlie here or contact Carlie at cg477@sussex.ac.uk.

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

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.

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

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.

Martha Hampson is an Associate of Innovation Unit. She has built up expertise in innovation across public services, having worked on a range of projects in health and social care, education, complex families and probation services, including included three years in the Innovation Unit team delivering the DfE’s Children’s Social Care Innovation Programme, Martha is working on two research reviews in the first year of the project: a critical interpretive synthesis of existing knowledge on innovation in children's social care, and a documentary analysis of policy and guidance on approaches from around the UK to addressing complex safeguarding risks in adolescence.

You can learn more about Martha here or contact Martha at martha.hampson@innovationunit.org.

Hannah Jackson is an Innovation Consultant at Innovation Unit. She has experience with social entrepreneurship and scaling across a variety of sectors including health, education, environment and poverty. She has also led and run programmes in youth development, employability and mentoring.

You can learn more about Hannah here or contact Hannah at hannah.jackson@innovationunit.org.

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.