Professor appointed to develop research into adult social care
Professor Charles Watters
A new professor has been appointed to lead emerging research at the University into mental health, ageing and disability.
Professor Charles Watters – an internationally renowned expert in mental health and social care for migrants – will develop a new interdisciplinary research centre at Sussex on adult well-being and risk.
He joins the Department of Social Work at the University later this month from Rutgers University in the USA, where he is Head of the Department of Childhood Studies.
“How to care for an ageing population is arguably one of the greatest challenges facing policy makers in the UK and around the world”, says Professor Brian Hudson, Head of the School of Education and Social Work (ESW).
Professor Hudson says: “The study of such issues is not only of national concern but also has considerable potential in relation to developing policy and practice agendas at an international level.
“The setting up and successful development of the new research centre will enable more systematic cross-University activity, especially in relation to bidding and grant capture in these newer areas of ESW activity, and will also further develop links with external partners, such as employers, in these fields.”
The new Centre for Adult Well-being and Risk will act as a ‘sister’ group to the Centre for Innovation and Research in Childhood and Youth, which is also based in ESW.
Its creation will not only strengthen the University’s research into ageing, disability and mental health but will also enable the development at Sussex of new research-led taught courses in the field.
Professor Watters’ international research includes a comparative study into the mental health and social care of refugees in four European countries on behalf of the European Commission and studies of reception arrangements for asylum seekers across Europe.
In the UK, his recent work investigates the condition of asylum seekers and refugees from an equalities and human rights perspective, and the impact of immigration processes on identities.
His international activities have resulted in teaching and research collaborations with universities across the globe, including in Brazil, Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the USA.
Professor Watters has acted as an international expert on migration, health and social care including, in 2007, as Scientific Advisor to the Portuguese Presidency of the European Union on the theme of Migration and Mental Health, and as ongoing international partner to the Nordic Network for Research on Refugee Children.
He is the Founding Editor of the International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care.
Besides his work on migration, Professor Watters’ research and teaching interests include social capital and well-being, the moral economy of social care, capability theory, and transcultural and interdisciplinary perspectives on social care and well-being.
Professor Watters says: “I am delighted to be joining the University of Sussex. The University has a global reputation for excellence in teaching and research in social work and social care.
“This will be enhanced further with the establishment of a new research centre focused upon adult well-being and risk. I look forward to developing the new centre as a national and international hub for interdisciplinary research and teaching in these vital areas.”