Dr Caroline Jackson

Dr Caroline Jackson

Department of Social Work and Social Care
Assistant Professor

Contact details

Address
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Caroline is an experienced social work educator and researcher with particular interests in social care lived experience and voluntary sector involvement in research, education and practice and strengths based approaches in adult social care. 

ORCID: 0000-0002-4459-9153

Qualifications

  • Mental Health First Aid England Instructor, 2019
  • Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, 2016
  • MA in Social Work (Distinction), University of Warwick, 2003
  • Diploma in Social Work, GSCC, 2003
  • PhD, University of Bristol, 2001
  • LL.M. Public International Law, University of Nottingham 1997
  • LL.B.(hons) Nottingham Trent University 1996

Biography


Caroline is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Work and Social Care at the University of Birmingham.  Caroline’s expertise is in lived experience involvement and co-production in health, social work and social care education and research.  Her research and teaching relate to social work law and practice with adults and strengths-based approaches.   Caroline is also actively involved in voluntary, community and social enterprise sector capacity building for social care research.  She is a registered Social Worker, a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a Mental Health First Aid England Instructor.   

Before her current role Caroline was a Senior Lecturer in Social Work and the Health And Life Sciences Faculty Lead for Service User and Carer Involvement at Coventry University.  She also brings experience of social work regulation, practice in community mental health social work and management of a social care higher education qualifications team in a local authority.

Caroline has prior teaching experience in:

  • Social Work Law and Practice with Adults
  • Communication in Social Work
  • Lived Experience Led Social Work Teaching
  • Social Work Skills
  • Health Inequalities
  • Public Law

Research

Caroline’s research relates to 3 main areas:

  • Public and lived experience involvement and co-production in social care and social work research and practice
  • Voluntary health and social care sector led research and capacity building
  • Strengths based community approaches in adult social care 

Caroline has worked as a research fellow funded by ARC West Midlands – NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) West Midlands leading on public involvement in the National Priorities Programme Adult Social Care & Social Work with Professor Robin Miller.  See National Priority Programme Public and Community Involvement, Engagement and Participation.

Within this programme of work Caroline has also worked on the following projects:

Strengths-based approaches to care: Community-led support project

Integrating social care in response to Intimate Partner Violence and Abuse: supporting the adult and child victim (VISTA) 

Caroline is a co-investigator on the Research Better Together project with Professor Kelly Hall .  This work includes QR funded phases and an NIHR Programme Development Grant which has been undertaken alongside colleagues at Birmingham Community Healthcare Trust, Birmingham Voluntary Services Council, University of Nottingham, Birmingham Newman University and Catalysts4Change. 

Publications

Recent publications

Book

Miller, R, Mangan, C, Dickinson, H & Jackson, C 2025, International Research Handbook of Leadership in Social Work & Social Care. Elgar Handbooks on Social Work, Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035314508

Article

McGovern, R, Mayrhofer, A, Sarma, K, Smiles, C, Alderson, H, Toma, M, Mansuri, N, Akeju, D, Forder, J, Gabbay, M, Jackson, C, Miller, R, Olive, P & Kaner, E 2025, 'Implementing Innovative Approaches to Integrating Adult and Child Focused Services when Responding to Families Affected by Domestic Violence: A Case Study Design', Journal of Family Violence. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-025-00937-7

Miller, R, Waterman, C, Jackson, C, Mahesh, S, Tingle, A, Mayrhofer, A & Toma, M 2025, 'Leading by example? Culture, change, and strength-based social work', The British Journal of Social Work. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcaf070

Miller, R, Ehrenberg, N, Jackson, C, Stein, V, Van der Vlegel‐Brouwer, W & Wojtak, A 2024, 'Just a story? Leadership, lived experience and integrated care', Health Expectations, vol. 27, no. 3, e14084. https://doi.org/10.1111/hex.14084

Miller, R, Ehrenberg, N, Jackson, C, Penwarden, H, Stein, V, van der Vlegel-Brouwer, W & Wojtak, A 2023, 'Builder, Expert, Disruptor, Leader: The Many Roles of People with Lived Experience', International Journal of Integrated Care, vol. 23, no. 3, 12. https://doi.org/10.5334/ijic.7696

Clouder, L, Adefila, A, Jackson, C, Opie, J & Odedra, S 2016, 'The discourse of disability in higher education: Insights from a health and social care perspective', International Journal of Educational Research, vol. 79, pp. 10-20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2016.05.015

Chapter

Miller, R, Mangan, C, Dickinson, H & Jackson, C 2025, Introduction: leadership in social work and social care. in R Miller, C Mangan, H Dickinson & C Jackson (eds), Research Handbook on Leadership in Social Work and Social Care. Elgar Handbooks on Social Work, Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd., pp. 1-19. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035314508.00008

Dickinson, H, Jackson, C, Mangan, C & Miller, R 2025, What do we know about leadership in social work and social care and where next for the field? in R Miller, C Mangan & C Jackson (eds), Research Handbook on Leadership in Social Work and Social Care. Elgar Handbooks on Social Work, Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd., pp. 348-362. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035314508.00038

Review article

Mayrhofer, AM, Alderson, H, Sarma, K, Jackson, C, Olive, P, Toma, M, Mansuri, N, Waterfield, A, Crossen, S, Parker, D, Forder, J, Kaner, E, Miller, R, Gabbay, M, Akeju, D & McGovern, R 2024, 'What are the Factors Influencing Service Provider Response to Working with Families Affected by Intimate Partner Violence and Abuse? A Qualitative Systematic Review of the Literature', Journal of Family Violence. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-024-00755-3

View all publications in research portal