Social Work, Counselling and Social Care Research

Our research expertise spans a wide range of disciplines and critical issues impacting society today. Key areas include posthumanism, critical theory, and international relations, alongside an interdisciplinary focus on mental health, transcultural psychiatry, trauma and resilience, spirituality, existential care, and health education. We are committed to advancing innovative mental health interventions, addressing child criminal exploitation and youth violence, and fostering the development of 21st-century social and emotional skills for vulnerable children and youth living in harmful conditions and facing compounded crises. Our work aligns with and actively supports three United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), most notably: Good Health and Well-being (SDG 3), Quality Education (SDG 4), and Reduced Inequalities (SDG 10).

We also specialise in migration and refugee studies, particularly focusing on asylum-seeking children, unaccompanied minors, and those with irregular immigration status. Our research explores creative participatory methods to amplify migrant and refugee voices, address digital accessibility, and "deborder" higher education for displaced populations. Additional areas of expertise include the sociology of AI, gender and technology, psychoanalysis and feminism, and the intersections of well-being, cultural contexts, and educational frameworks. Rooted in relational practice and informed by decolonial, feminist, and critical participatory methodologies, our work critically examines cultural contests over colonial-era monuments, everyday bordering, and invisible imperial histories to foster greater belonging and social justice.

Further, our research explores the intangible dimensions of human experience, such as child spirituality, faith, and humanitarian values. In our partnerships with local and international NGOs, social enterprises and humanitarian actors, we aim to inspire resilience and hope in diverse communities, creating a lasting impact across cultural, social, and educational landscapes. 

Research partnerships

Our recent and ongoing research partnerships highlight a diverse and dynamic network of collaborators at local, national, and international levels. In East London, we work closely with organisations such as Newham Children and Young People’s Services, Newham Youth Empowerment Services, Community Action Redbridge, and East London CAMHS. We also engage with impactful groups like Mindfulpeakperformance, the Foundation of St Katharine, Newham Poetry, and the Newham Youth Safety Action Team (NYSAT) to address pressing community needs and empower local youth. 

Nationally and internationally, we are proud to partner with organisations such as Barts Health NHS Trust, World Vision International, Rema Burundi, Embrace the Middle East, and St. Paul’s Cathedral. These collaborations drive our efforts in areas such as health innovation, education, and social justice. Our research is supported by esteemed funders, including the Refugee Council, British Academy, Nominet Trust, EU Lifelong Learning Programme, Greater London Authority, and Leverhulme Trust.

Our university partnerships span the globe. In addition to a wide variety of collaborations within the UK, we are connected with institutions like Harvard University’s Human Flourishing Programme, Aga Khan University in Pakistan, Purdue University, and Ateneu de Manila University. Additional collaborators include Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, Brock University and the University of Alberta in Canada, the University of Peradeniya in Sri Lanka, and Adelphi and Kennesaw State Universities in the USA. These relationships enhance our ability to tackle global challenges and foster meaningful, interdisciplinary solutions across continents. 

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

In addition to our broad network of university partners in the UK, we partner with the following universities internationally:

  • Harvard University’s Human Flourishing Programme, USA
  • Aga Khan University, Pakistan
  • Purdue University, USA  
  • University of Bahrain
  • Ateneu 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
  • Aegean University, Greece 

Impact case studies currently in development

Gulnar Ali: Spirituality, Existential Care, and Mental Health applying SOPHIE as practice methodology, SWAN for Maternal Mental Wellbeing, Spirituality and Advanced Nursing Practice

Kathryn Kraft: The impact on global child well-being of an in-house research team in the context of a humanitarian partnership

Andrew Ravenscroft: ‘Saving our children’: Addressing toxic childhoods and youth through community-based social innovations; and, ‘Taking mindfulness to the gym’: Boxing and Mindfulness as early mental health intervention for vulnerable young people.

Giorgia Dona: Impact of the work of the Centre for Migration Refugees and Belonging on Migration and Refugees

Meera Tiwari: Developing Dignity Indicators to raise awareness and strategies for supporting better menstrual health

Susannah Pickering-Saqqa: Supporting reflective practice among local community associations through gamification

PhD supervisory experience

Our PhD supervisory expertise spans a rich and diverse range of topics, reflecting a commitment to fostering innovative and impactful research. Our team supports research on topics such as simulation in healthcare, nursing education, managing work-related stress and burnout, spirituality and parenting practices, and the meaning of home among LGBTQ refugees. We also guide research on transformative learning, religious conversion and migration, and the cultural dimensions of diaspora identities. With a focus on human rights, social justice, and intersectionality, we supervise projects on domestic violence in the Nigerian diaspora, Palestinian film and displacement, and widening participation for Black women in higher education. Our diverse expertise ensures a supportive environment for impactful, interdisciplinary research addressing complex global challenges.

Our Doctor of Social Work programme fosters advanced research that addresses critical social challenges through a practice-focused lens. Current students are exploring topics such as religion and harmful traditional practices, African social workers’ engagement with refugees, and collaboration in civil emergencies. Other research areas include transcultural psychiatry, experiences of depression among Nigerian diasporic women, and safeguarding practices across education and children's social care, reflecting the programme's emphasis on impactful, socially relevant enquiry.