Social Work, Counselling and Social Care Research

Our research spans a wide range of disciplines and addresses critical issues affecting society today. We combine theoretical depth with applied impact across health, education, migration and social justice. 

Mental health, education and wellbeing 

We work across:

  • Posthumanism and critical theory
  • International relations
  • Mental health and transcultural psychiatry
  • Trauma, resilience and existential care
  • Spirituality and health education

Our research advances innovative mental health interventions and addresses child criminal exploitation and youth violence. We focus on supporting vulnerable children and young people living in harmful conditions and facing multiple crises, helping to develop 21st-century social and emotional skills. 

This work aligns with three United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): 

  • SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
  • SDG 4: Quality Education
  • SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities 

Migration, refugees and belonging 

We specialise in migration and refugee studies, with particular attention to: 

  • Asylum-seeking children
  • Unaccompanied minors
  • Individuals with irregular immigration status 

Our research uses creative and participatory methods to amplify migrant and refugee voices, improve digital accessibility, and explore ways to “deborder” higher education for displaced populations. 

We critically examine everyday bordering practices, colonial-era monuments, and invisible imperial histories in order to foster belonging and social justice. 

Technology, culture and identity 

Additional areas of expertise include: 

  • Sociology of artificial intelligence (AI)
  • Gender and technology
  • Psychoanalysis and feminism
  • The intersections of wellbeing, cultural context and educational frameworks

Our work is rooted in relational practice and informed by decolonial, feminist and critical participatory methodologies. 

Spirituality, values and humanitarian practice

 We also explore the intangible dimensions of human experience, including child spirituality, faith and humanitarian values. 

Through partnerships with local and international NGOs, social enterprises and humanitarian organisations, we work to inspire resilience and hope in diverse communities. Our aim is to create lasting impact across cultural, social and educational contexts.

Research partnerships

Our recent and ongoing research partnerships reflect strong collaboration at local, national and international levels. 

East London partnerships

In East London, we work closely with: 

  • Newham Children and Young People’s Services
  • Newham Youth Empowerment Services
  • Community Action Redbridge
  • East London Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) 

We also collaborate with: 

  • Mindfulpeakperformance
  • The Foundation of St Katharine
  • Newham Poetry
  • Newham Youth Safety Action Team (NYSAT) 

These partnerships enable us to respond to pressing community needs, support youth empowerment initiatives, and connect research directly to local practice.

National and international partnerships

 At national and international levels, we collaborate with organisations including: 

  • Barts Health NHS Trust
  • World Vision International
  • Rema Burundi
  • Embrace the Middle East
  • St Paul’s Cathedral 

These partnerships support research and practice in areas such as health innovation, education and social justice.

Research funders 

Our work is supported by a range of established funders, including: 

  • Refugee Council
  • British Academy
  • Nominet Trust
  • EU Lifelong Learning Programme
  • Greater London Authority
  • Leverhulme Trust

University partnerships 

We maintain active collaborations with universities across the UK and internationally. These include: 

  • Harvard University – Human Flourishing Programme
  • Aga Khan University (Pakistan)
  • Purdue University
  • Ateneo de Manila University 

Additional collaborators include: 

  • Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil)
  • Brock University (Canada)
  • University of Alberta (Canada)
  • University of Peradeniya (Sri Lanka)
  • Adelphi University (USA)
  • Kennesaw State University (USA) 

These partnerships strengthen interdisciplinary research capacity and enable collaborative responses to complex global challenges.

Our partnerships

East London Collaborations

  • Newham Children and Young People’s Services
  • Newham Youth Empowerment Services
  • Community Action Redbridge
  • East London Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)
  • Mindfulpeakperformance
  • Foundation of St Katharine
  • Newham Poetry
  • Newham Youth Safety Action Team (NYSAT) 

Collaborations at the national and international levels

  • Barts Health NHS Trust
  • World Vision International
  • Rema Burundi
  • Embrace the Middle East
  • St Paul's Cathedral 

Current and recent Funders

  • Refugee Council
  • British Academy
  • Nominet Trust
  • EU Lifelong Learning Programme
  • Greater London Authority and London Research and Policy Partnership
  • Leverhulme Trust

International university partnerships

 In addition to our UK partnerships, we collaborate with the following international universities: 

  • Harvard University – Human Flourishing Programme (USA)
  • Aga Khan University (Pakistan)
  • Purdue University (USA)
  • University of Bahrain
  • Ateneo de Manila University (Philippines)
  • University of Peradeniya (Sri Lanka)
  • Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil)
  • Kennesaw State University (USA)
  • Brock University (Canada)
  • University of Alberta (Canada)
  • Adelphi University (USA)

Impact case studies in development 

Current impact case studies include: 

  • Gulnar Ali – Spirituality, Existential Care and Mental Health, including SOPHIE as a practice methodology, SWAN for Maternal Mental Wellbeing, and Spirituality in Advanced Nursing Practice
  • Kathryn Kraft – The impact on global child wellbeing of an in-house research team within a humanitarian partnership
  • Andrew Ravenscroft – ‘Saving our children’: Addressing toxic childhoods and youth through community-based social innovation ‘Taking mindfulness to the gym’: Boxing and mindfulness as early mental health interventions for vulnerable young people
  • Giorgia Dona – Impact of the Centre for Migration, Refugees and Belonging on migration and refugee policy and practice
  • Meera Tiwari – Developing Dignity Indicators to raise awareness and strategies for improving menstrual health
  • Susannah Pickering-Saqqa – Supporting reflective practice among local community associations through gamification

PhD supervisory experience

Our PhD supervisory expertise spans a wide range of interdisciplinary research areas, including: 

  • Simulation in healthcare
  • Nursing education
  • Work-related stress and burnout
  • Spirituality and parenting practices
  • The meaning of home among LGBTQ refugees
  • Transformative learning
  • Religious conversion and migration
  • Cultural dimensions of diaspora identities 

With a focus on human rights, social justice and intersectionality, we supervise research on: 

  • Domestic violence in the Nigerian diaspora
  • Palestinian film and displacement
  • Widening participation for Black women in higher education 

Our supervisory approach supports innovative and socially impactful research addressing complex global challenges.

Doctor of Social Work programme 

Our Doctor of Social Work (DSW) programme supports advanced, practice-focused research addressing critical social challenges. Current student research includes: 

  • Religion and harmful traditional practices
  • African social workers’ engagement with refugees
  • Collaboration in civil emergencies
  • Transcultural psychiatry
  • Experiences of depression among Nigerian diasporic women
  • Safeguarding practices across education and children’s social care

 The programme emphasises applied, socially relevant enquiry rooted in professional practice.