Dawn River

Dawn River

Department of Social Work and Social Care
Assistant Professor Dawn River

Contact details

Address
Department of Social Work and Social Care
Muirhead Tower
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT, United Kingdom

Dawn is Deputy Head of Education and the Quality Assurance and Enhancement Lead for the School of Social Policy and Society. She lectures and tutors across the departments of Social Policy and Social Work and she is the Global Engagement and Study Abroad Lead for Social Work and Social Care.

Qualifications

  • PGCert in PGCert Teaching in Higher Education, 2014
  • Training the Trainers, Fircroft College, 2006
  • ILT Teaching Social Science in Higher Education, 2004
  • MA Social Research (Distinction), University of Birmingham, 2002
  • OCR Counselling Skills in the Development of Learning, South Birmingham College, 1999
  • Feminist Psychodynamic Counselling, Women's Therapy Centre, London Metropolitan University, 1995
  • Certificate of a Qualified Social Worker, University of Birmingham, 1990
  • BSocSci(Hons), Social Policy and Social Work, University of Birmingham, 1990*

* William Mortem Memorial Prize for Academic Excellence

Biography

Dawn was motivated to study Social Policy and Social Work because of her own life experiences – the awareness raised by Ken Loach’s 1966 film Cathy Come Home enabled Dawn’s family to escape homelessness, and Loach’s later films focusing on the plight of people struggling on the margins of society, inspired Dawn to follow a profession in social work and then academia in the School of Social Policy and Society.

She first entered the caring professions as a residential care worker. She subsequently moved from London to Birmingham to study Social Policy and Social Work at the University of Birmingham and qualified as a social worker in 1990. Dawn worked initially as a generic practitioner before moving into the statutory Children and Families division. During her time working with children and their families, she became a Senior Practitioner and Practice Teacher and subsequently managed a Duty and Assessment Team. Dawn later went on to work within the non-government sector - primarily within the fields of domestic abuse and then as a regional manager developing services for carers. She then moved into the education sector as a Research Fellow at Warwick University before moving back to the University of Birmingham, this time as an academic member of staff.

Following a Brexit-related hiatus of circa 6 years, when Dawn worked as a Director of Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing in the business sector in Germany, Dawn returned to the UK to continue her work at the University of Birmingham.

Dawn has been an active part of the Survivor Movement for over 25 years. She brings this lived experience to her academic work as well as to her role as Director of the Survivor Arts Project which includes facilitating survivor arts workshops and events and co-curating the Survivor Arts Exhibition (a permanent exhibition housed on the 7th floor of the Muirhead Tower and open to the public on open days).

Teaching

Teaching focus on: 

  • Social Identity, Citizenship, International Perspectives and Anti-Oppressive Practice in Social Work
  • Reflective Assessment and Strategic Interventions – theories, methods and practice frameworks

Research

Current research activity: 

  • Queer Brexit: A Decade On
  • International students’ experience of studying at UK universities
  • Creating a Cohesive Society: adapting global community-based social work approaches to the UK context 
  • LGBTQI+ forced migrant experiences and the UK policies and practice that shape their lives
  • Walking for Wellbeing and Community Integration

Other activities

Membership of Professional Organisations:

  • Social Work England (registered)
  • British Association of Social Workers
  • International Federation of Social Workers
  • Joint Universities Social Work Association (International Committee)
  • Higher Education Academy Fellow 

Awards:

  • Excellence in Teaching in Higher Education (2014)
  • Circles of Influence Award (2010)
  • William Morten Memorial Prize for Academic Excellence (1990)

Publications

Recent publications

Book

Fawcett, B, Fillingham, J, River, D, Smojkis, M & Ward, N 2018, Service User and Carer Involvement in Health and Social Care: A Retrospective and Prospective Analysis. Palgrave, UK.

Article

River, D, Thakoordin, J & Billing, L 2016, 'Creativity in social work education and practice: reflections on a survivor arts project', British Journal of Social Work, vol. 36, no. 7, pp. 758-774. https://doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2016.1266320

Humphreys, C, Regan, L, River, D & Thiara, R 2005, 'Domestic Violence and Substance Use: Tackling Complexity', British Journal of Social Work, vol. 35, no. 8, pp. 1303-1320. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bch212

Paper

Matka, E, Littlechild, R, River, D & Powell, T 2009, 'Involving service users and carers in assessing applicants for courses in Social Work and Clinical Psychology: cross disciplinary comparison of practices at the University of Birmingham', Paper presented at 3rd Annual Social Work Research Conference, JSWEC, University of Hertfordshire, 9/07/09.

View all publications in research portal