Staff profile

Following my first degree in Sociology, I went on to practice and then qualify as a social worker in 1980.  I worked as a Probation Officer, specialising in diversion with young offenders until 1988, when I went on to take up a policy role with The Children’s Society.  At the same time, I completed further postgraduate study, gaining my MPhil (on juvenile diversion) in 1989 and my PhD (on values and practice in child care) in 1995.

I moved to the University of Leicester in 2000, leading the social work qualifying masters programme there.  In 2006, I joined De Montfort University as Professor of Social Work Research, before coming to Durham University in 2012.

As a practitioner, educator and researcher, my primary area of interest has been young people and crime, on which I have published widely. I have also developed an interest in research methods in social work, particularly participatory approaches; the sociology of childhood; social work theory (notably around the subject of ‘power’); interprofessional learning; and working with people with learning difficulties.

Current areas of interest include:

a)      Participatory models of practice in youth justice

b)      Models of evaluation in interprofessional education

c)       Power, networks and their implications for social work

d)      Innovations in social work education

I have supervised a variety of Phd projects, including studies of children’s residential care, travellers and the care system, child care in Qatar, post adoption contact and decision-making in children’s services. I would welcome Phd proposals in any of my areas of interest, and in social work with children and young people more broadly.

• Communities and Social Justice

• Policing Anti-Social Behaviour in Cleveland
• Step Up to Social Work Longitudinal Evaluation
• Think Ahead Social Work Qualifying Programme Evaluation

Authored book

• Smith, Roger (Published). The Routledge Handbook of Global Child Welfare. Routledge.
• Smith, R. (2017). Diversion in Youth Justice: What Can We Learn from Historical and Contemporary Practices?. Taylor and Frnacis.
• Case, S., Johnson, P., Manlow, D., Smith, R. & Williams, K. (2017). Criminology. OUP.
• Smith, R. (2014). Youth Justice: Ideas, Policy, Practice. Oxon New York: Routledge.
• Smith, R. (2011). Doing Justice to Young People: Youth Crime and Social Justice. Oxon New York: Willan/Routledge.
• Smith, R. (2010). A Universal Child?. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
• Smith, R. (2009). Doing Social Work Research. McGraw Hill/Open University Press.
• Smith, R. (2008). Social Work with Young People. Polity Press.
• Smith, R. (2008). Social Work and Power. Basingstoke.

Chapter in book

• Smith, Roger (Accepted). Social work as policy innovator: challenges and possibilities in the UK. In Social Work and the Making of Social Policy. Klammer, Ute, Leiber, Simone & Leitner, Sigrid Bristol, England: Bristol University Press. 21 - 36.
• Smith, Roger (2016). Acting as a Critical Friend: Developmental Evaluations, Service Users and the Role of the Researcher. In Innovations in Social Work Research: Using Methods Creatively. Hardwick, Louise, Smith, Roger & Worsley, Aidan London Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsley. 124-137.
• Smith, Roger (2015). Troubled, Troubling or Troublesome? Troubled Families and the Changing Shape of Youth Justice. In The Management of Change in Criminal Justice. Wasink, Martin & Santatzoglou, Sotirios New York: Palgrave Macmillan. 49-63.
• Smith, Roger (2014). Social Work Research in the UK: Staking Our Claim. In Social Work Research Across Europe: Methodological Positions and Research Practice. Hämäläinen, Juha, Littlechild, Brian & Špiláčková, Marie ERIS (European Research Institute for Social Work). II: 119-136.
• Smith, R. (2013). Professionalism and practice-focused research. In Professional Social Work. Parker, J. & Doel, M. Sage/Learning Matters. 116-131.
• Smith, R. (2012). Why participatory research? Exploring principles and practice. In Involving Children and Young People in Health and Social Care Research. Fleming, J. & Boeck, T. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. 28-37.
• Smith, R. (2012). Der einzige Weg zum Spiel? Sozialarbeit der Markt unddie Gesellschaft'. Trends in der Sozialarbeit Grossbritaniens. In Produktionsbedingungen Sozialer Arbeit in Europa. Dahme, H-J., & Wohlfahrt, N. Schneider Verlag Hohengehren. 33-50.
• Smith, R. & Littlechild, B. (2011). Social work with young offenders. In Social Work: An introduction to contemporary practice. Wilson, K., Ruch G., Lymbery, M. & Cooper, A. Pearson Longman. 535-565.
• Smith, R. (2010). Childhood, Culture and Social Work. In Travail Social à l’Epreuve des Coopération Ouvertes et des Coopérations Fermées: Enjeu Capital pour le Développement Humain. Hicham, K., Abdelhamid, B., Gaucher, C. & Smith, R. Université Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah. 79-98.
• Smith, R. (2010). Young People, Crime and Justice. In Travail Social à l’Epreuve des Coopération Ouvertes et des Coopérations Fermées: Enjeu Capital pour le Développement Humain. Hicham, K., Abdelhamid, B., Gaucher, C. & Smith, R. Université Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah. 99-128.
• Smith, R. (2009). Inter-professional learning and multi-professional practice for PQ. In Post-Qualifying Social Work Practice. Higham, P. Sage. 135-147.
• Smith, R. (2008). Interventions: Responsibility, Rights or Reconciliation? In Applied Criminology. Stout, B., Yates, J. & Williams, B. Sage. 118-134.
• Smith, R. & Littlechild, B. (2008). Social work with young offenders. In Social Work: An introduction to contemporary practice. Wilson, K., Ruch, G., Lymbery, M. & Cooper, A. Pearson Longman. 512-536.
• Smith, R. (2008). From child protection to child safety. In Contemporary Risk Assessment. Calder, M. Russell House. 3-14.

Edited book

• Hardwick, Louise, Smith, Roger & Worsley, Aidan (2016). Innovations in Social Work Research. Jessica Kinglsey.
• Hicham, K., Abdelhamid, B., Gaucher, C. & Smith, R. (2010). Travail Social à l’Epreuve des Coopération Ouvertes et des Coopérations Fermées: Enjeu Capital pour le Développement Humain. Université Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah.

Journal Article

• Disney, Tom, Crossley, Steve, King, Hannah, Phillips, Josie, Robson, Ian & Smith, Roger (2023). Family Hubs and the vulnerable care ecologies of child and family welfare in austerity. The Geographical Journal
• Shenton, Felicity & Smith, Roger (2021). Behaviour Management or Institutionalised Repression? Children’s Experiences of Physical Restraint in Custody. Children & Society 35(1): 159-175.
• Smith, R. (2021). Diversion, Rights and Social Justice. Youth Justice 21(1): 18-32.
• Case, Stephen & Smith, Roger (2021). The life course of delinquency: reflections on the meaning of trajectories, transitions and turning points in youth justice. International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice (IJCACJ) 45(4): 391-404.
• Haines, Kevin, Case, Stephen, Smith, Roger, Joe Laidler, Karen, Hughes, Nathan, Webster, Colin, Goddard, Tim, Deakin, Jo, Johns, Diana, Richards, Kelly & Gray, Patricia (2021). Children and Crime: In the Moment. Youth Justice 21(3): 275-298.
• Gray, Patricia & Smith, Roger (2019). Governance Through Diversion in Neoliberal Times and the Possibilities for Transformative Social Justice. Critical Criminology 27: 575-590.
• Gray, Patricia & Smith, Roger (2019). Shifting Sands: The reconfiguration of neoliberal youth penality. Theoretical Criminology 25(2): 304-324.
• Smith, R., Venn, L., Carpenter, J., Stepanova, E. & Patsios, D. (2019). 'Strivers', 'doers' and 'seekers': social workers and their commitment to the job. Child & Family Social Work 24(4): 441-448.
• Smith, R. & Gray, P. (2019). The Changing Shape of Youth Justice: Models of Practice. Criminology & Criminal Justice 19(5): 554-571.
• Smith, Roger (2018). Reconsidering value perspectives in child welfare. British Journal of Social Work 48(3): 616-632.
• Domac, S., Anderson, E.S. & Smith, R. (2016). Learning to be interprofessional through the use of reflective portfolios? Social Work Education 35(5): 530-546.
• Anderson, E., Smith, R. & Hammick, M. (2016). Evaluating an Interprofessional Education Curriculum: A theory-informed approach. Medical Teacher 38(4): 385-394.
• Domac, S., Anderson, E., O'Reilly, M. & Smith, R. (2015). Assessing interprofessional competence using a prospective reflective portfolio. Journal of Interprofessional Care 29(3): 179-187.
• Smith, Roger (2014). Towards a 'welfare + rights' model in youth justice. Critical and Radical Social Work 2(3): 287-303.
• Smith, Roger (2014). Re-inventing Diversion. Youth Justice 14(2): 109-121.
• Creaney, S. & Smith, R. (2014). Youth justice back at the crossroads. Safer Communities 13(2): 83-87.
• Smith, R. (2013). Castells, Power and Social Work. British Journal of Social Work 43(8): 1545-1561.
• Smith, R. (2012). Values, Practice and meaning in Social Work Research. European Journal of Social Work 15(4): 433-448.
• Smith, R. (2011). Developing restorative practice: contemporary lessons from an English juvenile diversion project of the 1980s. Contemporary Justice Review 14(4): 425-438.
• Smith, R. (2011). Where Now for Youth Justice? British Journal of Community Justice 9(1/2): 69-80.
• Smith, R. (2010). Children’s Rights and Youth Justice: 20 Years of No Progress. Child Care in Practice 16(1): 3-17.
• Smith, R., Anderson, L. & Thorpe, L. (2010). Learning from lives together: medical and social work students’ experiences of learning from people with disabilities in the community. Health and Social Care in the Community 18(3): 229-240.
• Smith, R. (2010). Social Work, Risk, Power. Sociological Research Online 15(1).
• Smith, R. (2009). Childhood, Agency and Youth Justice. Children & Society 23(4): 252-264.
• Smith, R. & Anderson, L. (2008). Interprofessional learning: aspiration or achievement? Journal of Social Work Education 27(7): 759-776.

Other (Print)

• Smith, R., Stepanova, E., Venn, L., Carpenter, J. & Patsios, D. (2018). Evaluation of Step Up to Social Work, Cohorts 1 and 2: 3-years and 5-years on.

Report

• Smith, R., McLenachan, J., Venn, L., Weich, H. & Anthony, D. (2013). Step Up to Social Work Programme Evaluation 2012: The Regional Partnerships and Employers Perspectives. Department for Education.
• Smith, R., Hine, J. & Fleming, J. (2012). Embedding Participation: UR Boss 2nd Interim Evaluation Report. The Howard League.
• Smith, R., Khabbache, H., Berdai, A. & Gaucher, C. (2011). Report of the Second Spring Institute: Open and Closed Co-operation in Social Work. University Sais-Fes.
• Smith, R. & Fleming, J. (2011). UR Boss Legal Service: Interim Evaluation Report. The Howard League.
• Smith, R., McIntosh, B. & Mattingly, M. (2011). Raising Your Game: Context and Implementation. Mencap.
• Smith, R. & Welford, J. (2010). Evaluation of Derby Youth Crime Prevention Initiative. De Montfort University.
• Smith, R., Boeck, T., Fleming, J. & Thorp, L. (2009). Volunteering and Faith Communities in England. Volunteering England.
• Smith, R., Marsh, P. & Forrester, D. (2008). An Audit of Funding for Social Work Research. ESRC.