We have a large, vibrant PhD/Professional Doctorate community within CASCADE. Our PhD students are studying a wide range of diverse topics across children’s social care, adult social care, exploitation and issues relating to criminal justice.  The students and their topics are listed below. The doctoral students have regular meetings facilitated by Bridget Handley (PhD student). CASCADE doctoral students can join their meetings on-line or in-person. CASCADE students can access the desks and computers within our office space in Sbarc . The bright, open plan space within Sbarc allows for CASCADE PhD students to access desks and computers,  spend time together, get to know each other,  share their experiences, cross-fertilise their ideas and benefit from mutual support.  Many of the CASCADE doctoral supervisors also work within the centre. 

Current Doctoral/PhD Students

StudentSubject
Bridget Handley Falling between gaps? A case study analysis of partnership working to support the mental health of children in care.
Louisa Roberts Making the move: Understanding the transition of young people with social care needs from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) to adult services
Rebecca Jones Mentoring for children in care: conceptualising the role, value, and outcomes of the Independent Visitor programme.
Zoe BezeczkyWhat is the impact of joint protocols between police and children’s residential homes in Wales?
Charlotte WaitsWhat is good leadership in child protection services?
Rachel Parker Understanding the role of schools in students’ self-harming behaviours: Developing system-level prevention and intervention
Charlotte WhittakerDeveloping a theory of Motivational Interviewing for statutory child and family social work: How can MI be used to support effective conversations about risk?
Lorna StablerWhat are siblings’ lived experiences of providing kinship care? Identifying pathways to improving kinship care outcomes
Rebecca Messenger What works to prevent children going into care?
Rosie MooreLearning lessons: Informing suicide prevention from a documentary analysis of Child Practice Reviews (CPRs) and Adult Practice Reviews (APRs)
Sylvia HoylandSupporting women at risk of repeat pregnancy and recurrent care proceedings: A mixed methods study of Reflect services in Wales
Laura Mayhew ManistreWhat works to support the mental health of young people leaving public care in Wales?
Richeldis Yhap Negotiating Recovery: practitioner and service user experiences of mental health care trajectories in Wales
Gemma AllnattWhat contributes to the success of Looked After young people in Higher Education?
Aimee CummingsTo what extent are the mental health needs of children and young people (aged 11-18) in care being supported?
Anne-Marie NewburyStrengthening family responses for criminally exploited children
Joanne MulcahyWhat are the difficulties faced by young people when a family member goes to prison?
Lilly Marie Estebanez EvansParental Advocacy in England and Wales: Considering the perceived impact of parental advocacy on child protection practice.
Rohen RenoldInter-agency collaboration to support children with mental health needs
Shane PowellThe impact of attitudes on help-seeking for mental illness: A barrier to accessing mental health services.
Luret LarViolence against Migrant Women and Girls with No Recourse to Public Fund in Wales
Kathryn JohnstoneAre the professional values of youth justice social workers in England and Wales being affected by the actualities of their role in front line practice?
Imran MohammedAn exploration of the role of the Practice Educator in Wales
Lauren DoyleAn exploration of children’s experiences and involvement in private family court proceedings
Elizabeth BrierleyPre-Proceedings, Recurrent Care Proceedings and Social Work with Children and Families: A qualitative case study of how social work is undertaken with children and families subject to the pre proceedings stage of the Public Law Outline, within a Local Authority in England.
Femi David leadership in children’s services
Samantha Fitz-SymondsTowards Agency of Opportunity for Young People Leaving Care: A comparison of Welsh, English and Scandinavian Models of Practice. (co-supervised with Julie Doughty, LAWPOL)
David Walker trauma-informed training for foster carers
Elaine SpeyerWelsh Basic Income for Care Leavers Pilot: What are the needs, experiences, and outcomes for minoritised groups?
Laura Holden–
Bethan Pell–
Ella Watson–
Kemba Hadaway-Morgan–
Leona Thorpe–
Karen Williams–
Bethan Carter–
Charlotte Robinson–
Jenny Blackmore–
Monica Thomas–
Tracey McCarney–
Abigail Palmer–
Kate Phillips–

Past Doctoral/PhD Students

StudentYearSubject
Radja Bouchama2024Representation of Visible Muslim Women in Contemporary Media and its Effects on their Mental Health
Simon Johns2024Investigating the impact of regular wellbeing intervention sessions in secondary schools on the mental health of pupils and achieved learning outcome.
Angela Endicott2024Child Welfare Inequality in the Four Nations of the UK
Rhiannon Maniatt 2024Managing Vicarious Trauma: Comparisons between Survivor Professionals and Non-Survivor Professionals in a Domestic Abuse Context
Dawn Hutchinson 2024The role of the ‘Fostering Self’ model in supporting foster placement stability for Looked After children: an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of foster carers’ experiences.
Emma Chivers2024–
Sarah Cavill2023Comparing the Occupational Balances of Mothers With and Without Postnatal Depression and the Influences from Social Support & Social Capital
Andrea Cooper (nee Murray) 2023Informal Carers and Care-Embedded Social Work: Improving Residential and Nursing Home Admission
Sarah Cavill2023Comparing the Occupational Balances of Mothers With and Without Postnatal Depression and the Influences from Social Support & Social Capital
Lee Sobo-Allen 2023Child Protection, Children and their Non-Resident Fathers: A study into the expectations and motivations of non-resident fathers engaging with social services
Monica Thomas2023Absent mothers: The subjective experiences of black British inmates in maintaining relationships and attachment with their children, and it’s perceived effects on desistance from future crime.
Sarah Farragher2023–
Ali Davies2023–
Ed Janes 2021Caring Lives: What do young people who care for family members need to thrive? An empirical investigation.
Lucy Sheehan2021Fixing Change – An Ethnographic Study of Child
Alison Prowle2021‘Thank you for asking me about my story’: An exploration of the experiences of forced migrant parents and support service provision in Wales
Catherine Turney2021How do children anticipate, experience and manage the transition from primary to secondary school?
Lucy Catherine Treby2021What is the relationship between supervision and practice in child and family social work? An analysis of 12 case studies
Clive Philip Diaz2019A study into children and young people’s participation in their Child in Care Reviews
Marion Russell2019Challenge and Complexity: Implementing the Principal Child and Family Social Worker Role in England
Wahida Kent2018The invisible children: Black & Minority Ethnic children and young people with life-limiting illnesses
Victoria Sharley2018Identifying and responding to child neglect in Schools in Wales
Martin Kinsey Price2018Enough is Enough: How Social Workers Make Judgements When Intervening to Safeguard Neglected Children