Prof Suzy Braye

Biography

Qualifications and position

• BA (French), BPhil Social Work, MSc Public Services Management, CQSW
• Professor of Social Work, University of Sussex

Summary

• I have had substantial involvement in both the strategic and operational management of social work education and training as Head of Department of Social Work and Social Care, University of Sussex 2006-2010 and previously as Director of Social Work Studies at the University of Liverpool. I have held responsibility for award leadership and programme administration, academic quality monitoring, tutorial duties, practice placement support, assessment and examination procedures.
• Practised in both generic and specialist provision, including mental health and children's services. In my last practice post prior to returning to education and research, I held management responsibility for area children's services in a large county authority. 

Professional activities

• Editor-in-Chief, European Journal of Social Work (http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/13691457.html)
• Regular editorial advisory work: currently to the Policy Press Social Work Practice Series.
• Between 2005 and 2007 chaired the Programme Committee of the Annual Joint Social Work Conference, incorporating in 2007 the Committee for the First UK Social Work Research Conference.
• In 2009 and 2010 acted as chair to national conferences on adult safeguarding and the reform of adult social care law.

Teaching

• social work law
• community care policy and practice
• professional decision-making
• partnership and participation
• interprofessional practice
• management and organisations.

I supervise Undergraduate and Masters dissertations and students on DPhil and professional doctoral programmes.

International teaching

• Undergraduate and Postgraduate students at Monmouth University, New Jersey, USA and with faculty at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill;
• Seminars for students and faculty at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Polytechnic University
• Lectures and seminars on law and social work for students and faculty at the University of Stockholm.

Innovation in teaching and learning via:

• the use of a problem-based learning approach to law teaching;
• work to involve experts by experience - service users and caregivers - in the planning and delivery of training for health and social care professionals;
• the development of interprofessional education, including common learning modules and interprofessional learning groups;
• the introduction of e-learning into the social work law curriculum, through resources written for the Social Care Institute for Excellence, one of which won first prize in the  2007 awards of the Institute of Learning Technology - http://www.scie.org.uk/publications/elearning/index.asp

Recent and ongoing research

My research is in the field of social work and the law, community care provision and professional values, with particular interests in:

• the relationship between law and social work practice;
• policy implementation and professional practice;
• partnership and participation.
  

I am currently involved in researching:

• the governance of adult safeguarding, and the concept of self neglect in adult safeguarding practice;
• the impact of a pilot project offering support to carers.
  

1. Theme Summary - the relationship between law and social work practice 
Over many years I have contributed to the development of social work law, identifying key features of the relationship between legal rules and professional practice and exploring the learning, teaching and assessment of law in social work education. Publications arising from this work have received international attention leading to collaborative, interdisciplinary development of international understandings of the diversity of the relationship created by different national jurisdictions. I have presented papers at a wide range of international conferences and provided advice to government in the UK and Australia. In 2008 I took a visiting appointment to Stockholm University  to work with a national network of educators and practitioners.

E-learning objects exploring law and social work, developed for use the Social Care Institute for Excellence are available at http://www.scie.org.uk/publications/elearning/index.asp One resource in 2007 won first prize from the Association for Learning Technology for innovation in e-learning.

Recent social work law projects have included the following:

• Collaborative Capacity Building: Using E-learning resources in social work law teaching (2008-2010)
• Law in Social Work Decision-Making: A Pilot Study (2007-2010)
• Resource Guide: Learning, Teaching and Assessment of Law in Social Work Education (2005-2006)
• Social Work Law in Practice (2005-2006)
• Knowledge Review: Learning, Teaching and Assessment of Law in Social Work Education (2004-2005)

2. Research into policy implementation and professional practice
I have engaged in a number of funded research partnerships with local and national agencies, including both statutory and voluntary organisations and have a long-standing commitment to the building of knowledge based in practice and the evaluation of practice. Recent projects include:

• Carers Support: Evaluation of a Pilot Project in Brighton & Hove (2010)
• The Governance of Adult Safeguarding in England (2010)
• The Concept of Self-Neglect in Adult Safeguarding (2010)
• Talking Dads: The Experiences of Young Fathers in Brighton & Hove (2007-2009)
• Evaluation of Reablement Policy and Practice in St Helens (2003-2004)
• Evaluation of Reablement Policy and Practice in Staffordshire (2000-2002)
• Volatile Substance Abuse and Young People (2000-2001)
• Identification of the Training Needs of Social Services Staff Working with Young People at Risk of Volatile Substance Abuse (2000-2001)
• Evaluation of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services for Looked After Children (1999-2001)
• Evaluation of Family Support for Disabled Children and Their Families (1999-2000)

3. Theme Summary - Partnership and Participation
An important and enduring research focus has been the participation of service users and carers, both in service planning and provision and in professional education. Work within this theme builds on critical engagement with the notion of legal and policy mandates for participation. Recent work includes:

• Child advocacy as a means of promoting effective participation;
• The involvement of service users and carers in systematic review;
• A survey of carers' involvement in social work education;
• Capacity building and participatory research with the users of a voluntary organisation.

Students who are currently in groups for whom Suzy is a member of the teaching staff will be aware of scheduled meeting times during the current term.  Outside of those times, Suzy is happy to respond to queries relating to her teaching which are posted through the appropriate Moodle site for the courses in question, and in addition through email exchange. 

Braye, Suzy, Preston-Shoot, Michael and Wigley, Veronica (2013) Deciding to use the law in social work practice. Journal of Social Work, 13 (1). pp. 75-95. ISSN 1468-0173

Braye, Suzy and McDonnell, Elizabeth (2012) Balancing powers: university researchers thinking critically about participatory research with young fathers. Qualitative Research, 13 (3). pp. 265-284. ISSN 1468-7941

Braye, Suzy, Orr, David and Preston-Shoot, Michael (2012) The governance of adult safeguarding: findings from research. Journal of Adult Protection, 14 (2). pp. 55-72. ISSN 1466-8203

Braye, Suzy, Orr, David and Preston-Shoot, Michael (2011) Conceptualising and responding to self-neglect: challenges for adult safeguarding. Journal of Adult Protection, 13 (4). pp. 182-193. ISSN 1466-8203

Braye, Suzy, Orr, David and Preston-Shoot, Michael (2011) Self-neglect and adult safeguarding: findings from research. Project Report. Social Care Institute for Excellence, London.

Braye, Suzy, Finlay, Mick and Taylor, Imogen (2011) "Carer Support in Hospital"- Evaluation of a pilot service at Royal Sussex County Hospital. Project Report. The Think Local, Act Personal Partnership, Brighton.

Braye, Suzy, Orr, David and Preston-Shoot, Michael (2011) The governance of adult safeguarding: findings from research. Project Report. Social Care Institute for Excellence.

Braye, Suzy, Preston-Shoot, Michael and Marrable, Tish (2011) Law Learning in Action: An Action Learning Project to Evaluate Processes and Outcomes of using Law E-learning Objects in Social Work Education. Project Report. Social Care Institute for Excellence, London.

Marrable, Tish, Cheng, Andy, Braye, Suzy and Taylor, Imogen (2010) Consultation of Carers for the College of Social Work. Project Report. The College of Social Work, London.

Braye, Suzy (2010) Editorial. European Journal of Social Work, 13 (4). pp. 445-446. ISSN 1369-1457

Braye, Suzy and Hojer, Staffen (2010) Editorial. European Journal of Social Work, 13 (3). 297 - 299. ISSN 1369-1457

Braye, Suzy (2010) Editorial. European Journal of Social Work, 13 (1). pp. 1-2. ISSN 1369-1457

Braye, Suzy, Taylor, Imogen and Cheng, Andy (2009) Carers as partners in social work education. Project Report. Social Care Institute for Excellence, London.

Taylor, Imogen, Braye, Suzy and Cheng, Andy (2009) Carers as Partners (CaPs) in social work education. Technical Report. Social Care Institute for Excellence, London.

Braye, Suzy and Preston-Shoot, Michael (2009) Social work and the law. In: Social Work: Themes, Issues and Critical Debates, 3rd Edition. Palgrave Macmillan, Basingtoke, pp. 62-73. ISBN 9780230218659

Braye, Suzy, Bridgeman, Jo, Keating, Heather and McDonnell, Elizabeth (2009) Talking Dads: The Experiences of Young Fathers in Brighton & Hove. Project Report. University of Sussex, Brighton.

Braye, Suzy (2009) Editorial. European Journal of Social Work, 12 (1). pp. 1-3. ISSN 1369-1457

Braye, Suzy (2009) Editorial. European Journal of Social Work, 12 (2). 135 - 137. ISSN 1369-1457

Braye, Suzy (2008) Editorial. European Journal of Social Work, 11 (1). pp. 1-2. ISSN 1369-1457

Braye, Suzy (2008) Editorial. European Journal of Social Work, 11 (3). pp. 193-194. ISSN 1369-1457

Braye, Suzy (2008) Editorial. European Journal of Social Work, 11 (4). pp. 339-340. ISSN 1369-1457

Braye, Suzy, Preston-Shoot, Michael and Thorpe, Amanda (2007) Beyond the classroom: Learning Social Work Law in Practice. Journal of Social Work, 7 (3). pp. 322-340. ISSN 1468-0173

Braye, Suzy and Preston-Shoot, Michael (2007) On Systematic Reviews in Social Work: Observations from Teaching, Learning and Assessment of Law in Social Work Education. British Journal of Social Work, 37 (2). pp. 313-334. ISSN 0045-3102

Braye, Suzy and Preston-Shoot, Michael (2007) On systematic reviews in social work: Observations from teaching, learning and assessment of law in social work education. British Journal of Social Work, 37 (2). pp. 313-334. ISSN 0045-3102

Preston-Shoot, Michael and Braye, Suzy (2007) Social Work Law E-Learning Objects 1-10. Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE).

Braye, Suzy and Boylan, Jane (2006) Paid, Professionalised and Proceduralised: Can Legal and Policy Frameworks for Child Advocacy Give Voice to Children and Young People? Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law, 28 (3-4). pp. 233-249. ISSN 0964-9069

Boylan, Jane, Braye, Suzy and Worley, Claire (2006) Life's a gas: the training needs of practitioners and carers working with young people using volatile substances. Social Work Education, 25 (6). pp. 591-607. ISSN 0261-5479

Braye, Suzy and Preston-Shoot, Michael (2006) Broadening the Vision: Law Teaching, Social Work and Civil Society. International Social Work, 49 (3). pp. 376-389. ISSN 0020-8728

Braye, Suzy, Preston-Shoot, Michael and Johns, Robert (2006) Lost in translation? Teaching law to non-lawyers: Reviewing the evidence from social work. Law Teacher, 40 (2). pp. 131-150. ISSN 0306-9400

Braye, Suzy and Preston-Shoot, Michael (2006) Teaching, Learning and assessment of law in social work education. Social work education resource guide, SCIE Guide 13 PDF Available at: http://www.scie.org.uk/publications/guides/guide13/files/guide13.pdf . Social Care Institute for Excellence.

Braye, Suzy, Preston-Shoot, Michael and Thorpe, Amanda (2006) Social Work Law in Practice: a research project to explore social work students' law learning on practice placement. Project Report. Subject Centre for Social Policy and Social Work (SWAP), Higher Education Academy, Southampton.

Braye, Suzy and Preston-Shoot, Michael (2006) The role of law in welfare reform: critical perspectives on the relationship between law and social work practice. International Journal of Social Welfare, 15 (1). pp. 19-26. ISSN 1369-6866

Braye, Suzy and Preston-Shoot, Michael (2006) The role of law in welfare reform: critical perspectives on the relationship between law and social work practice. International Journal of Social Welfare, 15 (1). pp. 19-26. ISSN 1369-6866

Braye, Suzy, Preston-Shoot, Michael and Johns, Robert (2005) Law in Social Work Education: Reviewing the Evidence on Teaching, Learning and Assessment. Social Work Education, 24 (5). pp. 547-563. ISSN 0261-5479

Braye, Suzy and Preston-Shoot, Michael (2005) Emerging from out of the shadows? Service user and carer involvement in systematic reviews. Evidence and Policy, 1 (2). pp. 173-194. ISSN 1744-2648

Braye, Suzy, Preston-Shoot, Michael, Cull, Lesley Ann, Johns, Robert and Roche, Jeremy (2005) Teaching, Learning and Assessment of Law in Social Work Education: A Knowledge Review. Other. Social Care Institute for Excellence.

Braye, Suzy (2002) Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970. In: Collins dictionary: social work. Collins Dictionary of Series . Harper Collins. ISBN 9780007143962