Dr Kathryn Chard

Biography

I am a Lecturer in Social Work in the School of Health and Social Care. I am also Co-Principal Investigator of a formative evaluation of 'A Better Start Southend' services to families with babies and very young children. My background is in adult social work and my area of expertise is social work policy and practice with people with caring responsibilities (carers). I have held senior social work roles with commissioning responsibilities for services and support provided to carers in two Local Authorities in England. My Ph.D. explored the effectiveness of the Care Act (2014) in promoting the wellbeing of carers through the use of personal budgets. My study used a mixed-methods design. I am interested in discourse analysis as a theoretical approach to understanding the policymaking process and mixed methods research designs in relation to social work research and practice. I welcome approaches from students who are interested in the adult social care legal framework, theories of personalisation and personal budgets, and using mixed methods to address their research questions.

Qualifications

• PhD University of Essex, (2022)

• MSc Research Methods University of Essex, (2017)

• MA Social Work University of York, (1998)

Appointments

University of Essex

• Lecturer in Social Work, Science and Health, University of Essex (4/1/2022 - present)

• Programme Lead - BA Social Work, School Health and Social Care, University of Essex (3/1/2022 - present)

• Programme Lead - MA Social Work, School of Health and Social Care, University of Essex (16/9/2024 - present)

• Senior Research Officer, School Health and Social Care, University of Essex (1/7/2020 - 31/12/2022)

Other academic

• Social Care Research Mentor, NIHR East of England Core Team (2/1/2023 - present)