Professor of Social Work Research and Director of the Tilda Goldberg Centre for Social Work and Social Care
Professor Forrester is the Director of the Tilda Goldberg Centre, was appointed Professor of Social Work Research at the University of Bedfordshire in 2010, and is one of the leading evaluative researchers in social work in the UK. Professor Forrester practised as a child and family social worker for 10 years before moving into research in 2000. His primary focus has been on children affected by parental misuse of drugs or alcohol. This has led to a broader concern with developing robust research to find out what works in social work. Professor Forrester continues to lead a wide range of different projects totalling over £3 million, including leading a number of studies within the Tilda Goldberg Centre, two ESRC projects to improve the quantitative skills of social work academics, advising the Welsh Government on evidence based policy and practice and various other evaluative studies ranging from £20,000 to £350,000.
Qualifications
- 2007 D.Phil (Social Work) – Brunel
- 1992 Certificate of Qualification in Social Work (CQSW) – London School of Economics
- 1992 MSc Social Policy and Social Work (Distinction) – London School of Economics
- 1989 MA (Hons) Psychology (2:1) – Edinburgh
Teaching Role
- Jointly coordinates the teaching of research methods for Masters students, as well as making contributions across the undergraduate, postgraduate course and post-qualifying provision for social work and applied social studies.
Research Interests
- Child and Family Social Work
- Motivational Interviewing
- Parental substance Use/Misuse
- Risk assessment
- Evaluative research
Recent Research Projects
- 2012-14 Engaging Parents and Protecting Children? A Randomized Controlled Trial of Motivational Interviewing (MI) in Child Protection Work. The study explores whether training and supervision in MI helps social workers to engage parents, and whether this is related to improved outcomes for children. It is funded as part of the Tilda Goldberg Centre funding.
- 2012 – 2015 a) ESRC Researcher Development Initiative and b) Curriculum Innovation: Quantitative Methods. The proposed project would develop the capacity of social work academics across the country to teach quantitative research through a programme of 1-day introductory training sessions, two 3-day advanced courses which would be supplemented by follow-up participation in a small group focused on putting learning into practice and production of online teaching resources to share and support learning for academics across the project. (£200,000 ESRC)
- 2008 – 2014 The Tilda Goldberg Centre for Social Work and Social Care. PI with Michael Preston-Shoot and Institute of Applied Social Research. (£1,100,000 Social Care Trust)
- 2009 – 2010 A quasi-experimental study of welfare outcomes for the ‘Option 2’ Intensive Family Preservation Service. (£59,000 Alcohol Education Research Council)
Recent Publications
- Forrester, D. (2012) Parenting a child affected by parental substance misuse. BAAF: London.
- Forrester, D. And Harwin, J. (2011) Parents who misuse drugs or alcohol. Effective interventions in social work and child protection. Wileys: Chichester.
- Forrester, D. (2011) ‘Evaluative Research’ , chapter in Sage International Handbook for Social Work Research. Ed-Mel Gray.
- Galvani, S. And Forrester, D. (2010) ‘ How well prepared are newly qualified social workers for working with substance use issues? A national survey’ (Social Work Education).
- Forrester, D., Cocker, C., Goodman, K., Binnie, C. And Jensch, G. (2009) ‘What is the impact of public care on children’s welfare? A review of research findings and their policy implications’, Journal of Social Policy, 38(3), pp.439-456.
Contact Details
Luton campus
Park Square
Luton, LU1 3JU
T: +44 (0)1582 743148
E: donald.forrester@beds.ac.uk
