I am a qualified Social Worker (DipSW/MA) with an MA in Law (Healthcare Ethics and Law), a Postgraduate Diploma in Community and Criminal Justice, and a PhD in Social Policy. My academic and professional background spans law, social work, and social policy, supported by broad interdisciplinary training in frontline practice, research, and leadership.

During my social work career, I have worked as a frontline practitioner in both Children’s and Adults’ Services, and later as a Team Manager and Senior Manager. I have also completed a range of statutory independent reviews, including Domestic Homicide Reviews, Serious Case Reviews, and other specialist reviews.

I am an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and have  experience teaching core criminology modules at the University of Lincoln, alongside work as a visiting lecturer in the Law School at the University of Chester. I have taught undergraduate modules in social policy, law, education, and research methods. At Bangor University, I have taught on the BA in Childhood and Youth Studies, and the MA Social Work programmes. I have also designed and delivered a wide range of CPD courses across social care, health, and the private and voluntary sectors, including an eight-week mindfulness CPD programme for multi-agency staff working in learning disability services. I supervise a broad range of postgraduate students. 

My PhD and wider research interests focus on social norms, young people’s intimate relationships, domestic abuse, gender, sexuality, and the continuum of violence and abusive behaviour. My research spans several interconnected areas, including young people’s wellbeing, family violence and abuse, support for people living with dementia, interventions for adults with learning disabilities, and women's health. A consistent thread across my work is a focus on how social norms shape social problems. My research approach is flexible and grounded in rights-based principles, co-production, and meaningful involvement of people with lived experience.

I have secured research funding from both regional and national sources. For example, a regionally funded pilot project on Mindfulness-Based Practice for adults with learning disabilities was extended for a further two years. As Principal Investigator, I led the development of the first bilingual interactive toolkit and app to support the creation of a mindfulness community for adults with learning disabilities, with impact on policy and practice in Wales and beyond. In 2022, I led and contributed to three dementia-focused research projects. These included work with Social Care Wales to develop the first national dementia care and support learning and development implementation toolkit; leading a Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board-funded evaluation of the dementia worker role across acute and community hospital settings in North Wales; and leading a small-scale evaluation of the Dementia Actif Programme for Gwynedd Council.

In October 2022, a £225,000 Health and Care Research Wales-funded project on care leavers commenced. This study was co-produced with Conwy County Borough Council and 16 care leavers. A podcast series involving care-experienced young people, professionals, and wider stakeholders was launched in 2023 to support engagement and impact.

I was pleased to be awarded a joint Health and Care Research Wales and NIHR Advanced Fellowship, which I commenced in September 2024. This five-year programme of research focuses on measuring and improving cervical screening care for women who have experienced sexual violence and abuse. The study is led from Wales and delivered in partnership with services and universities across England, Sweden, and Australia. I am strongly committed to preventing and addressing violence and abuse against women and girls.

Alongside this, my Advanced Fellowship includes a focus on developing social care economics and strengthening approaches to measuring value, outcomes, and impact across social care. In March 2025, I was awarded the Health and Care Research Wales Emerging Leader Award.

PI on Learning Disability Mindfulness & Well-being project - Funded by North Wales Together. Project extended until March 2024 with additional £24,000 funding