Dr Nathan Hughes

Director of Education and Senior Lecturer in Social Policy and Social Work

Applied Social Studies

Dr Nathan Hughes

Contact details

Telephone +44 (0)121 414 2881

Email n.j.hughes@bham.ac.uk

School of Social Policy, IASS
Muirhead Tower
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT, United Kingdom

About

Nathan is a Senior Lecturer in Social Policy and Social Work and at the School of Social Policy, Institute of Applied Social Studies. As Director of Education in the School he provides strategic support for all teaching and learning programmes.

Biography

Nathan teaches across the Social Policy and Social Work undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, and the MA in Community Justice.  Nathan's research interests relate primarily to young people and their families, having joined the University as part of the National Evaluation of the Children's Fund and completed a PhD exploring an aspect of the youth justice system.  Nathan recently spent time as a visiting researcher with the Alfred Felton Child and Family Welfare Research Program at the University of Melbourne, having been awarded a research fellowship exploring the development of policy and practice in relation to anti-social behaviour in Victoria and West Australia.

Nathan is the Coordinator of the international research exchange programme, 'Understanding and supporting families with complex needs', seeking to explore family-focused policies and practices across social care, education and health.  Participant universities include:  University of Birmingham (as lead partner); Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (Italy); Bodo University College (Norway); Umeå University (Sweden); Unversidad Nacional de Córdoba (Argentina); Unversidad Católica de Chile (Chile); Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (Mexico); and the University of Nottingham (UK)

Research

  • Family-focused policy, practice and research methods
  • Anti-social behaviour policies and discourses
  • Youth policy and youth services
  • International comparative research
  • Policy implementation through professional practice
  • Complexity theory and its application to social policy research

Selected research projects:

  • Understanding and Supporting Families with Complex Needs - International Research Exchange Programme, Marie Curie Actions, EU FP7 Framework - 2009-2013
  • Comparative review of policy and practice in relation to anti-social behaviour in the UK, Western Australia and Victoria, Leverhulme Study Abroad Fellowship - 2009
  • Local authority responses to the requirements of disabled parents and their families, Commission for Social Care Inspection - 2008-2009
  • Access to Justice for Vulnerable Groups, Evidence Review, Ministry of Justice - 2007-2008
  • A literature review of whole family approaches to service provision, Social Exclusion Taskforce/Cabinet Office - 2007
  • National Evaluation of the Children's Fund, Department for Education and Skills - 2003-2006
  • Applying activity theory to the study of new public management: an exploration of the local implementation of Bail Support and Supervision, Coventry Youth Offending Team - 2001-2005

Publications

Journal articles

Hughes, N. (2011), 'Young people 'as risk' or young people 'at risk': comparing discourses of anti-social behaviour in England and Victoria', Critical Social Policy.

Clarke, H. and Hughes, N. (2010), 'Whole Family Approaches: understanding and responding to complex needs', Social Policy and Society, 9(4): 527-531, doi:10.1017/S1474746410000242

Hughes, N. (2010) 'Models and approaches in family-focused policy and practice', Social Policy and Society, 9(4): 545-555, doi:10.1017/S1474746410000266.

Galvani, S. and Hughes, N. (2008) 'Working with Alcohol and Drug Use: Exploring the Knowledge and Attitudes of Social Work Students', British Journal of Social Work, Advance Access published on 20 October 2008; doi:10.1093/bjsw/bcn137.

Book chapters

Hughes, N. (2011) 'Intolerant or intolerable? Antisocial youth in asocial communities' in Doolin, K, Child, J, Raine, J and Beech, A (eds) Whose Criminal Justice? Regulatory State or Empowered Communities? Winchester: Waterside Press.

Hughes, N. (2009) 'Managerialism Subverted: exploring the activity of the 'street level bureaucrat' in Barnes, M. and Prior, D. (eds) Subversive Citizens.  Bristol: Policy Press.

Reports and other publications

Prior, D, Farrow, K, Hughes, N, Kelly, G, Manders, G, White, S and Wilkinson, B (2011) Maturity, young adults and criminal justice: A literature review. London: Transition to Adulthood Alliance/Barrow Cadbury Trust.

Morris, K. Hughes, N. Clarke, H. et al (2008) Think Family: a review of whole family approaches.  London: Cabinet Office.

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