Professor Michael Preston-Shoot, Dean

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Michael Preston-Shoot, Professor of Social Work

I was appointed Professor of Social Work in May 2003. I was Head of the Department of Applied Social Studies from 2003 to 2005.

In November 2005 I was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences

I was particularly attracted to the University by the research standing of the social work staff there, and by its commitment to teaching quality and accessibility for people to higher education.

Previously I have held academic posts at the University of Manchester (1988-1995) and at Liverpool John Moores University (1995-2003).

I hold a social work qualification. Between 1976 and 1988 I practised as a social worker, group worker, mental health specialist and team manager in several social services departments and voluntary organisations.

I also hold a postgraduate qualification in psychotherapy and have practised in two family therapy and research centres and also for a while in private practice.

I remain in contact with practice, and the management of practice, through my role as both Chair of a Local Safeguarding Children Board and Chair of a Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults Board.

I continue to find the combination of systemic and psychodynamic theories and methods useful when working with individuals, families, groups and organisations.

Publications

Up to the end of January 2012 I have written or co-authored 12 books, 33 book chapters and 70 academic journal articles, together with numerous professional journal papers, monographs and research reports.

I have co-edited 6 books and contributed to curriculum guidance for the teaching and assessment of law in social work education.

I have also undertaken research on the teaching and assessment of law in medical education. Indeed, much of my writing, teaching and research has focused around law and professional practice.

I obtained my PhD in 2003 for my work on social work law for which I have obtained national and international standing and recognition.

Additionally, I have written books and articles on intervention methods, such as group work and family therapy, and on the outcomes of services for different client groups.

Research

Since becoming an academic I have secured directly or as part of research groupings grants in excess of £1.9 million.

My research work has fallen principally into four main areas, namely:

Mapping the needs of different client groups involved with health and social services, particularly older people and children in need;
The interface between law and professional practice, for example young people looked after by local authorities, the safeguarding and protection of adults from abuse, and the knowledge and skills required by social workers and other professionals for practising social work law;
The effectiveness of social services and other agencies in meeting need, and the satisfaction of clients and carers with service provision, specifically disabled adults, older people, disabled children and their parents, and people with mental distress;
The outcomes of social work education, with particular emphasis on the effectiveness of different approaches to teaching, learning and assessment of law in education for professional practice.

I have recently been working on four projects. The first is an evaluation of service provision for one pilot site for the Partnerships for Older People Projects initiative, funded by the Department of Health.

This research has mapped the needs of older people, researched the outcomes of new services for older people with dementia and their carers, and evaluated the impact of training on care provided for older people with dementia.

The second is a knowledge review and practice survey for the UK Centre for Legal Education and the Higher Education Subject Centre for Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Medicine on teaching, learning and assessment of law in medical education. This research builds on earlier work for the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE), comprising a knowledge review, practice survey and resource guide.

Empowering prqactice in social care, book cover

The third is researching the student experience of using e-learning within social work education, drawing specifically on their evaluation of the social work and law electronic materials, developed by myself with Professor Suzy Braye at the University of Sussex and published by SCIE.

The fourth is research on effectiveness governance arrangements for safeguarding adults, and on approaches towards adults who self-neglect, funded by the Department of Health. It is envisaged that this work will help to inform the development of legislation and policy guidance following the review by government of “No Secrets”.

I am also currently involved in three other research projects. One is evaluating the outcomes of integrated working within a children’s services department. The second is assessing the effectiveness of housing and support services for people with long-standing difficulties with alcohol. The third is researching the impact and outcomes of adult safeguarding law in Scotland.

A Selection of Recent Publications

Ayre, P. and Preston-Shoot, M. (eds) (2010) Children’s Services at the Crossroads: A Critical Evaluation of Contemporary Policy for Practice. Lyme Regis: Russell House Publishing.
Braye, S., Preston-Shoot, M. and Thorpe, A. (2007) ‘Beyond the classroom: learning social work law practice’. Journal of Social Work 7(3), 322-340.
Braye, S. and Preston-Shoot, M. (2009) Practising Social Work Law (3rd ed). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Braye, S., Orr, D. and Preston-Shoot, M. (2011) 'Conceptualising and responding to self-neglect: the challenge for adult safeguarding.' Journal of Adult Protection, 13 (4), 182-193.
Preston-Shoot, M. (2007) Effective Groupwork (2nd ed). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Preston-Shoot, M. (2010) ‘The more things change, the more they remain the same? Law, social work and counteracting discrimination’, in Long, L-A., Roche, J. and Stringer, D. (eds) The Law and Social Work: Contemporary Issues for Practice (2nd ed). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. (pages 55-75)
Preston-Shoot, M. (2010) ‘On the evidence for viruses in social work systems: law, ethics and practice’. European Journal of Social Work 13 (4), 465-482.
Preston-Shoot, M. and McKimm, J. (2010) Teaching, Learning and Assessment of Law in Medical Education: Knowledge Review and Practice Survey. Higher Education Subject Centre for Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Medicine (MEDEV) and the UK Centre for Legal Education (UKCLE).
Preston-Shoot, M. (2012) 'Local safeguarding children boards: faith, hope and evidence', in Blyth, M. and Solomon, E. (eds) Effective Safeguarding for Children and Young People: Responding to the Munro Review. Bristol: Policy Press. (pages 25-50).

Editing/Reviewing

I was Editor of Social Work Education between 1993 and 2006. Published by Taylor and Francis/Routledge, I helped to established the journal as the leading international publication in its field.

Between 2003 and 2007 I was Managing Editor of the European Journal of Social Work, also now published by Taylor and Francis/Routledge.

I am a Founding Editor of the journal Ethics and Social Welfare. I also act as an adviser and/or reviewer for several other academic journals and publisher.

Other Activities and Recognition

Between 2005 and 2009 I was Chair of JUC/SWEC, which represents the views of higher education institutions offering social work programmes, having previously been Vice-Chair and also Chair of its teaching and learning sub-committee.

I co-chaired the group charged by the Quality Assurance Agency with the review of the social work benchmark statement, having previously been involved in the development and then monitoring of the social work degree through Department of Health project groups.

I am an elected Academician of the Academy of Social Sciences (AcSS) and an elected Fellow of the Joint University Council.

In 2005 I was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship by the Higher Education Academy. I have used the grant from this fellowship to research the outcomes and effectiveness of different methods of teaching law to social workers and other non-lawyers.

In 2007, one of the social work and law electronic objects, “All in a day’s work”, commissioned and published by SCIE, was Award Winner: First Place Best/Most Innovative Learning Object, Association of Learning Technology (ALT) Conference. ALT is the acknowledged lead organisation in the application and research of e-learning.

I regularly speak at social work conferences and am in demand as an External Examiner. I enjoy most aspects of academic life but especially contact with students and with social work practitioners, whether through teaching, research or consultancy. My motivation remains being able to contribute to their professional development and practice.

Personal

My first degree was in history and, when not at work, I can still be found visiting and enthusing about all things mediaeval.

I am particularly keen on visiting mediaeval churches and villages. I also enjoy visiting Greece and France, hill walking, golf and good restaurants, and intend to continue with my efforts to become fluent in French.

Contact Details

Michael Preston-Shoot
Dean
Faculty of Health and Social Sciences
University of Bedfordshire
Park Square
Luton
LU1 3JU
UK

T: +44 (0)1582 743251

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Professor Michael Preston-Shoot, Dean

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