Matthew is a Teaching Fellow on the Postqualifying social work programmes, Institute of Applied Social Studies, School of Social Policy. He joined the University in August 2011.
Matthew is a registered social worker and teaches on the postqualifying social work programmes specialising in social work with children, young people, their families and carers. He has worked as a social worker in a number of local authorities in England, specialising in child protection work. He has also gained international social work experience having worked as a social worker in Brunei and New Zealand.
He has a strong interest in social work practice and what improves this for practitioners on the front line. He has interests in strengths based, solution focused approaches and has trained in the Signs of Safety approach and used it extensively in his practice as a social worker. He also has an interest in narrative practice and family group decision making and their use in facilitating change with children and families.
He has worked as a consultant social worker, trainer and practice educator and has delivered training in safeguarding children as well as the Signs of Safety approach to social workers and managers. He has also designed and delivered emotional education courses to multi-professional audiences, focusing on the emotional aspects of learning and performance and is interested in its application to social work practice and education.