|
Chris Dearden is a Research Fellow and has been
employed in the Department
of Social Sciences since 1992, joining CRSP in 2005. She is
also a member of the Department's Young
Carers Research Group. She has a BSc in Social Policy, a MA
in Women's Studies and is a Registered General Nurse.
Chris's research interests include young and adult
carers, community care, transitions to adulthood and services for
vulnerable children. She has conducted several qualitative studies
of young carers, three larger-scale quantitative surveys of young
carers, and has conducted several evaluations of support services
for children and carers. These include three designated young carers
projects, a counselling service for children of recently separated
or divorced parents, Nottingham City Children's Fund Programme and
an emergency respite care scheme for adult carers. She has also
written many briefing papers for professionals involved with young
carers and regularly speaks at awareness raising conferences with
audiences drawn from health, education, social services and the
voluntary sector.
Recent projects include:
Where Does the Money go? Credit and Debt today
The extent of personal debt in the UK and its impacts are key policy issues. However, there is a lack of an in-depth understanding of the interaction between debt and income – and specifically poverty – over time. A dynamic approach is needed to unpack these complex inter-relationships, examining the interplay between debt and poverty over time. This project started in March 2008 and is funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
Relevant Publications
Dearden, C., Goode, J., Whitfield, G. and Cox. L. (2010) Credit and debt in low-income families. York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
Ex-Prisoners Study: An Exploratory Investigation into Links Between the Criminal Justice System, Jobcentre Services and the Labour Market
This project ran from February 2005 - February 2008 and was an exploratory study of ex-prisoners. This group is particularly disadvantaged in the labour market, experiencing high levels of unemployment, low grade or no qualifications, poor health, especially in relation to substance misuse, personal barriers such as low self-esteem and confidence, and gaps in support and services. There were four strands to the work: qualitative interviews with key staff from employment services; qualitative research with a cohort of ex-prisoners with three waves of interviews, the first one being prior to release from prison; focus group discussions with ex-offenders; and a synthesis report to draw together the findings from the various strands of the work. The final research report was published by the sponsor, the Department for Work and Pensions in July 2008.
Related Publications
Hartfree, Y., Dearden, C. and Pound, E., (2008) High Hopes: supporting ex-prisoners in their lives after prison, Department for Work and Pensions Research Report 509.
Hartfree, Y., Dearden, C. and Pound, E. (2010) 'Plugging the Prisoner Finance Gap: A Critical Analysis of Financial Support for Newly-Released Prisoners', The Howard Journal of Criminal Justice, Vol. 49, No. 1, pp. 31-44.
A Child's-Eye View of Social Difference
This research funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation with support from Save the Children (SCF), aimed to explore different children’s perspectives of their own lives. It compared and contrasted different children’s views and experiences of social difference, inequality, social exclusion and inclusion. Forty children, aged between eight and thirteen, consisting of separate groups of girls and boys, participated in eight small groups. The children came from contrasting backgrounds: twenty lived in a disadvantaged area and had participated in services provided by Save the Children; twenty children attended a fee-paying, independent school.
Related Publications
Sutton, L. (2007) A Child’s Eye View in Poverty, Issue 126, Winter 2007. London: CPAG. www.cpag.org.uk/info/Povertyarticles/Poverty126/Pov126_childseyearticle.pdf
Sutton, L., Smith, N., Dearden, C. and Middleton, S., (2007) A Child's-Eye View of Social Difference, York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
top
|
