Projects per year
Personal profile
Research interests
Risk assessment
Co-production of research and practice
Mental health
Violence against staff
Youth offending
International Social work
Restorative approaches and conflict resolution
Mental health
child protection
Ethical research
Brian is part of 9 PhD supervisory teams at the University of Hertfordshire (5 as Principal Supervisor), and one in Finland. He has had 5 students who have successful PhD completions, and undertakes DHRes progression reviews, as well as final submission examinations (24 to date).
Recent publications include:
Whistleblowing for Social Workers (2018) A CareKnowledge Special Report to highlight current issues, professional concerns, legal requirements, sources of support and good practice in the field of whistleblowing.
Lead author (2018) UK Joint University Council Social Work Research Committee, Research Strategy 2018 – 2028
Slaná, M., Dobríková, P., Stachurová, D., Littlechild, B. (2018) Quality of Life of Hospitalized and Outpatient Oncological Patients, KONTAKT: Journal of Nursing and Social Sciences related to Health and Illness, 20 (1) pp. 59-64 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.kontakt.2017.09.006)
Joint author (2015) National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NIHCE) Guideline: ‘Violence and Aggression: The short-term management of violent and physically threatening behaviour in mental health, health and community settings’
Barretta-Herman, A., Leung, P., Littlechild, B., Parada, H. and Wairire, G. H (2014) The changing status and growth of social work education worldwide: Process: findings and implications of the IASSW 2010 census, International Social Work published online 6 October 2014DOI: 10.1177/0020872814547437
Hunt, S., Goddard, C., Cooper, J., Littlechild, B., & Wild, J. (2015)‘If I feel like this, how does the child feel?’ Child protection workers, supervision, management and organisational responses to parental violence, Journal of Social Work Practice: Psychotherapeutic Approaches in Health, Welfare and the Community,Published online: 14 Sep 2015: DOI:10.1080/02650533.2015.10731
Littlechild, B., Hunt, S., Goddard, C., Cooper, J., & Wild, J. (2016)The effects of violence and aggression from parents on child protection workers’ personal, family and professional lives , Sage Open
Littlechild, B., (2014) Working with resistant parents in Child Protection: Recognising and Responding to the Risks. In Human rights and Social Equality: Challenges for Social Work: Social Work- Social Development Volume 1, Hessle, S. (ed), Ashgate, Farnham
Noble, C., Strauss, H. and Littlechild, B. (2014) Global Social Work, Sydney University Press, Sydney
Littlechild, B., and Lyons, K. (2014) Social Work Education in England and Wales. In Noble, C., Strauss, H. and Littlechild, B. (2014) Global Social Work, Sydney University Press, Sydney.
Ethics in Qualitative social work research (2014) (in Czech). In Baum, D. (ed) Handbook on Social Work Research, Ostrava University, Czech Republic
Hämäläinen, H., Littlechild, B., and Marie Špiláčková (Eds.) (2014) Social Work Research Across Europe: Methodological Positions and Research Practice (Volume 1),University of Ostrava European Research Institute for Social Work (ERIS) with Albert Publishers.
Hämäläinen, H., Littlechild, B., and Marie Špiláčková (Eds.) (2014) Social Work Research Across Europe: Methodological Positions and Research Practice (Volume 2),University of Ostrava European Research Institute for Social Work (ERIS) with Albert Publishers
Littlechild, B., (2015) Violence and aggression against staff in mental health work: Consequences and effective management. In Callaghan et al., Proceedings of 9th European Congress on Violence in Clinical Psychiatry, pp 96-99, Kavanah, Dwingeloo
Overview
Research interests
Brian has a long-standing commitment to the development of research and services in health and social work/social care settings, professional social work, violence and aggression in health and social work/social care settings, and co-production and risk assessment in mental health and children's work.
Brian has published 46 books/book chapters, 31 refereed articles, undertaken 23 funded research projects, and presented 54 refereed/invited conference papers including:
- Violence and child protection work: Collaborative project with Hertfordshire Social Services Department
- Dealing with conflict in young people’s residential childcare, Hertfordshire County Council, 2005-2007 (NSPCC funded)
- Co-applicant, successful bid Benefits for Patients funding with Hertfordshire Partnership Trust, Research into the Whole Life Approach, £230,000, 2008
- Evaluation of Strengthening Families Parenting Programmes, Hertfordshire County Council, 2008-2011 (agency funded)
- Co-applicant, successful bid for EU Daphne Project, Domestic Violence and Mental Health, 2010
- Lead applicant, successful bid for EU ERASMUS grant, MSc Recovery and Social Inclusion, 2011
- With Community Care journal: the experiences of social work and social care staff of working with aggressive clients.
Teaching specialisms
Brian teaches
- research methods
- ethics
- working with violent and aggressive clients
- child protection
- mental health
- youth offending
on all the University of Hertfordshire’s Masters and Bachelors Social Work programmes, as well as on interprofessional courses
Commercial and public engagement
- 2007/8 Consultant to the Council of Europe’s Council for Penological Cooperation, Law Reform Department, Directorate General of Human Rights and Legal Affairs on their Draft European Rules for Juvenile Offenders.
- 2009/10 Research Consultant to the Council of Europe’s Social, Health and Family affairs Committee on Social Exclusion, Education, and youth offending (including mental health issues)
- Brian still practices in youth offender work.
- Member of the Hertfordshire Young Homeless Group, a significant provider of a wide variety of services to young people in the private/charitable sector in Hertfordshire, and of social work placements fro students.
- Undertaking with colleagues around the globe a research survey on the education and training of social workers worldwide with the International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW).
- Treasurer of the UK Association of Professors of Social Work.
- Numerous consultancies on dealing with aggressive and resistant clients.
- 20 research projects for national and local agencies.
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I was an expert member of the NIHCE Guideline Development Group on violence in Mental Health work (report published 2015) , and am on a Health Foundation Closing the Gap Project on Prospective Hazard Analysis and Human Factors approaches in the NHS.
Research interests
Lead for successful bid to Skills for Care, Supporting Employers - Adult Social Work CPD and the White Paper project, £40,000, 2013
Co-applicant and Research Board member, ‘Closing the Gap’ (2014) with lead partner Hertfordshire Partnership NHS University Foundation Trust (HPFT) - £450,000 for the national ‘Closing the Gap in Patient Safety’ programme, funded by the Health Foundation, on patient safety improvement programme within mental health care pathways- ‘Prospective Hazard Analysis and Human Factors approaches in the NHS’.
NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH LINKS
I am Deputy Editor of the European Research Institute
for Social Work Web Journal/Czech and Slovak Journal of Social Work Board, 2009 - ongoing; Co-chair, Joint University Council Social Work Education Research Committee; Member,National Institute for Health Research School for Social Care Research Advisory Board; adviser, NICE development group on social care.
I am a member of the International Association of Schools of Social Work’s research and publications committees, and was chair for 8 years of the latter.
I was founding Board member, European Research Institute for Social Work, University of Ostrava, 2004- ongoing (http://eris.osu.eu/)
External positions
Visiting Professor, University Ostrava,Czech Republic
30 Jan 2018 → 30 Jan 2023
Expert Adviser, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, England
30 Oct 2016 → 30 Sept 2021
Dr Honoris Causa (University of Ostrava)
20 Nov 2015 → …
Vice President, European Research Institute for Social Work
20 Feb 2009 → 20 Jan 2025
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Hertfordshire Young People's Research Advisory Group (YPAG)
Brady, L.-M. (PI), Almack, K. (CoPI), Jones, J. (CoI) & Littlechild, B. (CoI)
6/09/21 → …
Project: Other
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Erasmus +: Co-applicant/Steering Group member, successful bid to EU’s ERASMUS +, Building Bridges between Europe and China to Strengthen the Social Work Profession, 2018- 2012, 130.000 € (University of Hertfordshire sum). Lead applicant, successful bid to EU’s ERASMUS +, Comparative social work between Nigeria and UK, 2018- 2011, 33.000 €
Littlechild, B. (PI)
Project: Research
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Exploring the value of mental health service users in mental health research: a participatory research approach,
Littlechild, B. (PI) & Munt, C. (PI)
1/11/22 → 31/07/23
Project: Research
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How “helping” can sustain the stigmatization of homeless people
Kostrzyńska, M. & Littlechild, B., 15 Oct 2024, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Journal of Social Work. p. 1-21 21 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Stakeholder perspectives on continuous observation in inpatient psychiatric wards
Anstee, L., Chifamba, D., Loothfaully, W., Suleiman, S., Shah, C., Littlechild, B. & Zia, A., 22 Jun 2024, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing. p. 1-12 12 p., 13072.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Gaining an Empathetic Insight into Parenting: Evaluating Infant Simulator Dolls for Professional Learning
Whiting, L., Petty, J., Roberts, S., Littlechild, B. & Mills, K., 1 Feb 2024, In: Health and Social Work. 49, 1, p. 45-54 10 p., hlad037.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Relational Interventions for Intimate Partner Violence: A Systematic Narrative Review
Littlechild, B., Taylor, B. J., Scott, R. J. & Przeperski, J. M., 2024, (Accepted/In press) In: Research on Social Work Practice.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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“Fighting the invisible system”: A grounded theory study of the experiences of child protection social workers in England
Brazil, C., Nolte, L., Rishworth, B. & Littlechild, B., 30 Nov 2023, In: Child & Family Social Work. p. 1-12 12 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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