Neil Ballantyne

Biography

I worked for nine years as a local authority youth social worker, social work manager and trainer before becoming a social work academic at the University of Strathclyde in 1992, where I taught a BA in Social Work and an MSc in Social Work Management. My last position at the University of Strathclyde was Reader in Social Work. I was seconded from the University of Strathclyde to the post of Learning Technology Manager (latterly Acting Director) at the Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services (iriss.org.uk): a government funded initiative to promote the use of knowledge and research in the Scottish social services workforce. In 2009 I migrated from Scotland to Aotearoa New Zealand where I worked for five years as an independent consultant and researcher before joining the Open Polytechnic in 2015.

Research Interest

My research activity is focused on the implications of digital technology for social work practice and learning, and approaches to theorising the impact of technological innovation on social services and society. I am currently completing an MPhil by research with Massey University on the topic of the Vulnerable Children's Information System as a policy and technological innovation. I am a member of the strategic board of husITa (husita.org): an international network that exists to promote the ethical and effective use of information technology to better