Helen Franklin

Biography

Helen took up the position of Teaching Fellow in Social Work in February 2017, having worked sessionally in the department for two years.   Helen has worked in front line social work practice, predominantly with older adults and hospital settings, and has acted as a Best Interest Assessor. Helen has a keen interest in practice learning, and worked for Staffordshire County Council Workforce Development for a number of years, undertaking mentoring and assessment of social work staff and students on university programmes. In addition Helen has been involved nationally, through the Practitioner’s Reference Group of the Social Work Taskforce in 2009 and has contributed to professional reviews of developments in Social Work education. Helen holds the following qualifications MA (Hons) Sociology 2:1 Aberdeen University (1997) MA/ DipSW    Liverpool University (2000) PGDip Inter-professional Practice Education (Social Work) Derby University (2010) Professional Awards Best Interest Assessor   - Manchester Metropolitan University 2015 GSCC Post Qualifying Award in Social Work (Adults) - Warwick University 2008 PQ (Higher Specialist) Award in Practice Education – Derby University 2010 Areas of practice interest: Ageing and later life, death and dying, working with dementia, practice education, sociological perspectives of motherhood and grand-parenting, the politicisation of social work education and practice, and the impact of social media and technology on social work practice.

Research Interest

 Critical policy sociology ii. The emergence of ‘academic regions’ iii. Questions about higher education’s purpose, and saleable or valued higher educational knowledge: fulfilment of stakeholder expectations or critical transformation? iv. Higher education markets in the developmental states of the Arab Gulf v. The relationship between access to higher education, citizenship and political voice for marginalised groups vi. Policy, markets and student expectations in university learning