Lee Sobo-Allen is a Senior Lecturer in Social Work with previous experience as a qualified social worker in child protection, children with disabilities and adults with learning disabilities. His research interests include social work engagement with fathers. After qualifying as a social worker at the University of Manchester in 1998, Lee worked in the areas of child protection, children with disabilities and adults with learning disabilities. It was during this time that he developed an interest in, and knowledge of, the need to engage with fathers in childcare social work as both a risk and a resource. This interest has continued in his studies, and in his teaching in social work education at a number of universities. Lee is currently undertaking a PhD at Leeds Beckett University where he is currently exploring the engagement of non-resident fathers by social workers as potential alternative carers for their children.
Jonathan Scourfield is Professor of Social Work in Cardiff University, where he has worked for 25 years. He is Deputy Director of CASCADE, the Children's Social Care Research and Development Centre. Before becoming an academic, he worked as a secondary school teacher, group worker in a therapeutic community and probation officer. He was seconded to the Welsh Government, from 2018-21, as specialist policy adviser to the Minister responsible for social care. He is the author of Gender and Child Protection and Working with Men and Health and Social Care (with Brid Featherstone and Mark Rivett).
Steve Myers is previous Director of Social Sciences at the University of Salford. He is a qualified and registered Social Worker with a background in child protection and youth justice. He has worked in both statutory and voluntary organisations and has been involved with the education and training of Social Workers in Higher Education for the past 25 years.
Register your interest for our upcoming event on the "Challenges and opportunities in the engagement and assessment of fathers in child safeguarding" by emailing maureen.gordon@aocpp.org.uk
And if you’re interested in following Lee and Jonathan’s work follow them at @j_scourfield and @SoboAlllen on Twitter.
About the AoCPP Podcast Series
We started this podcast at the beginning of lockdown to support professionals continuing to work with vulnerable children and families, under unprecedented circumstances.
With the goal of alleviating the pressure child protection professionals are experiencing, we’ve brought together leading experts within research and practice to impart their knowledge of the latest issues in child protection and safeguarding. The AoCPP is committed to ensuring that whether you’re out on the frontline, delivering your services at home, or even on furlough, you are able to stay informed.
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