The HaSS Research & Impact Bulletin PEOPLE & SOCIETY
SPRING 2020 ISSUE NO.6
03 Spotlight on Research
09 Celebration
27 Personal development 1
Welcome In this issue
elcome to the Spring 2020 issue of People & Society Bulletin, the W first issue we have written, edited and designed in lockdown. 03 Spotlight on research As we all adapt to teaching and meeting online, navigating the complexities of home education and caring for family members present and at distance, while continuing to carry out our work virtually, keeping 06 Focus on children and in touch with students and each other via what might seem like endless young people Zoom meetings, there’s no doubt that these are unprecedented times. Change, even when positive, can be stressful and there is now evidence to show that video calls are much more tiring than face-to-face meetings, 09 Celebration so if you’ve been feeling tired recently, you now know why. It has been heartening to see the University is recognizing the challenges we are facing, on a personal and professional level, and the time we have been Prizes and fellowships given to rest and recuperate has been welcome. There’s an abundance of 10 online resources emerging to help with the new ‘work from home’ normal, and in this context, you’ll see our Spring issue features several items Grant successes which aim to help us cope better. Sometimes, we just need to admit that, 11 in times like these, it’s OK not to be OK all the time.
While we have had to learn to practice social distancing, it has been great to 15 International collaborations see us becoming, ironically perhaps, more connected. Personally, I find the ‘social distancing’ phrase unfortunate, as in times like this, we need to remain socially connected. And it’s been happening – communities coming together up 18 New appointments and down the country, through spontaneous local groups helping those more vulnerable, online get-togethers, unprecedented levels of volunteering and actions to support frontline workers. Across all our Faculty’s Schools, initiatives 20 Student successes such as virtual coffee mornings, book clubs and team quizzes have brought us together and helped many of us stay sane. We have a long way ahead by the look of it, so finding new ways to support each other virtually is key to our well- 22 Policy and practice impact being and ability to continue to deliver our research and teaching. You’ll see the Bulletin is packed, like always, with an abundance of activities and successes – many of these have taken place before the lockdown, while others have been 25 Public engagement and written in reflection to the ‘new normal’ we find ourselves in (recognizing there’s media events nothing normal about it). We don’t know what the future holds and I expect our next Bulletin will reflect 27 Personal development more acutely the difficult circumstances we’ll be working under for the next few months. There is already evidence emerging of the inequalities this pandemic will create in universities, in relation to unequal impact on women, staff and 29 HaSS Research Impact Awards students who care for older parents, colleagues affected by illness themselves or bereavement. Some colleagues have lost family members and friends – and we are thinking of them at this tough time – these personal losses will take time to heal. These are tough times and our work will be challenging – but we can build on our incredible energy and collegiality, our dedication across all staff levels and our commitment to our students and partners we’ve been working with for many years from outside the university. i t: 0141 444 8410 e: [email protected] The good weather is here and this always brings a sense of hope and constancy – this too shall pass. Hang on to hope (some hopeful poetry on next page), kindness and the generosity of those around you. www.strath.ac.uk/humanities/
Enjoy the issue!
Prof Daniela Sime, Associate Dean (Public Engagement & Impact)
Follow us: @HaSSPEI
The HaSS Research & Impact Bulletin [ People & Society - Spring 2020, Issue No.6 ] 2
Hope by Anthony Horowitz
The town of Hope, near Aberdeen The pavements are never clean The fun and laughter never ends Is somewhere I have seldom been Because the council’s far too mean Everyone is best of friends. But then it’s not a tourist trap – To pay for cleaners – and the park And all the residents agree It isn’t even on the map! Is only open after dark There’s nowhere else they’d rather be. The grass is lumpy, full of weeds There’s certainly not much to see And dogs can only walk on leads So if you’re feeling uninspired, They’ve closed the local library There is a children’s playground but Sleeping badly, waking tired Because they said there is no need When school is finished, it is shut If everything is going wrong. When no-one in the town can read The day feels dark, the night’s too long They’ve got a pub and a hotel The Chief of Police is eighty-two Remember all the people who But neither of them’s doing well He can’t catch crooks. He can’t catch flu! Have found the following is true: The hotel isn’t quite the Ritz The vicar surely won’t be missed The beds have fleas: the staff have nits Since he’s become an atheist It’s so much easier to cope The only pub, “The Rose and Crown” The mayor sold his golden chain If you decide to live in Hope. Is easily the worst in town And then was never seen again The local paper isn’t bought © Anthony Horowitz 2020, reproduced The one theatre’s sadly gone Because there’s nothing to report. from ‘The Guardian’ It burned down while a play was on The school is like a concrete bunker (The critics thought the play so dire Matron’s drunk. The head is drunker. See more hopeful poetry for adults and That all of them preferred the fire.) children here The cinema is second rate Now, living here must really stink The films are always out of date At least, that is what you might think The last James Bond film that I saw But that is simply not the case Had Bond still played by Roger Moore. There is no more delightful place
Hope 3
SPOTLIGHT ON RESEARCH
Is a healthy social media possible? Keeping a positive mind-set about our bodies online and offline
As we spend endless days and weeks within the four walls of our While poor body image is experienced by people of all ages, it homes in lockdown UK, with others or alone, with balconies or remains in sharper focus among children and young people. gardens or maybe just a window, many of us wonder how we’ll The frequent use of social media by this age group poses an emerge from this isolation. “Divorced, broke, depressed, fat,” additional challenge as researchers, educators and parents predicted one joke floating around Facebook recently. A before- keep asking how these two factors intersect. The above- and-after lockdown photo showed Aquaman at quarantine day mentioned research on American university students did in 1, who had turned into Rubeus Hagrid from Harry Potter by day fact show a relationship between the two. More time spent 30. A meme shared by a friend showed a woman in lockdown on Facebook related to more body and weight comparisons, making bread and mistaking her own protruding belly for the more attention to the physical appearance of others and more dough. My baking group had a posting of a Fitbit photo between negative body attitudes after viewing posts and photos. For the the waffles and scones, so we don’t feel fat from looking at all young women who wanted to lose weight (the vast majority of the food photos. the sample), more time on Facebook also related to stronger symptoms of disordered eating. Even amidst a deadly pandemic, we still manage to worry about how our bodies will look when they emerge from this These results surprised many when they were first publicised crisis. All this isn’t entirely surprising though, as body image in 2014 and sparked significant coverage and debate in concerns are widespread and affect most of us even under mainstream media. But what I found surprising was the huge normal circumstances. My research on female university interest in the topic among young people, their parents and students in America showed that 86% of participants wanted teachers. They were curious to learn more and eager to discuss to lose weight; the difference between their real and ideal how they engage with social media and how they felt about it. weight was close to 9 kilograms on average. That was despite This interest has inspired me to reach out to the public and to the fact that the mean weight of the study sample aligned with become more engaged in the debate about social media and the mean weight of 19-year-olds in the country. In other words, its repercussions for mental health. Over the past five years, people of healthy weight can also have poor body image. Body I have given talks at schools, universities, and public events, dissatisfaction is a universal problem too. A 2017 research including via TEDx, and spoke to mental health professionals report by Dove on 10-17-year-old girls in 14 countries showed and advocates. that “only 46% of girls globally had high body esteem”. Of the countries studied, the UK was in the bottom three and only As social media has continued to develop over the years, the China and Japan scored worse. In the UK, 39% of girls had good discussion of its benefits and drawbacks has also advanced. body image. The consequences from such poor attitudes are Young people no longer wonder if spending long hours on widespread and serious. Nine out of 10 girls in the UK with low body esteem reported skipping meals, avoiding meeting friends and family or trying out for a team, according to the report.
Poor body image can be a challenge across the lifespan. Many middle-aged women face the same challenges of being dissatisfied with their bodies and placing too much importance on shape and weight for their self-concept. One study has reported that 54 is the age when the average woman is least satisfied with her body. Men aren’t immune to doubts either, as many worry not only about their body weight and shape, but also about hair loss and other image issues.
The HaSS Research & Impact Bulletin [ People & Society - Spring 2020, Issue No.6 ] 4
Instagram affects them. They know that it does. Now, they’re ‘authentic’ in offline interactions and talked more often about looking into ways to address the drawbacks while preserving deception in their online interactions. the social benefits. Nobody is talking about going back to the dark ages before social media (except maybe a few nostalgic When discussing their feelings and behaviours on social media, souls from our generation!), but many are interested in creating participants used negative descriptors twice more often than a more rewarding experience there. positive ones, which corresponds to prior research. The most common experience was witnessing others’ “perfect” lives Societal thinking around policy has also changed. As social or “perfect” bodies on social media. This tendency for “only media companies are increasingly perceived as profiteers posting good days” or for sharing only “perfect pictures, exciting selling either content or our personal data, calls for regulation experiences” was related to feelings of anger and frustration. have intensified. Change in that direction is already evident This “perfect” and competitive atmosphere also triggered – Instagram, for example, is starting to remove harmful judgement and criticism, participants said. They shared feeling content and the Adverting Standards Authority has requested “judged”, “judgemental”, “aware of criticism”, “unkind” and influencers to tag promotional posts. I expect this trend to “very self-critical”. Gender differences were also highlighted, intensify in future. with comments such as “girls are more critical” and “girls are worse than boys about each other”. Other common themes were those of comparisons and pressure. Comparing to others in #HealthySocialMedia event terms of photos or just life overall was a common experience. & report For the full report from the event, which contains proposed In spring 2019, together with the Mental Health Foundation strategies for a better social media experience and videos of (MHF), I organised an event as part of our Engage Week, where the event speakers, visit our project website: people from 15 different organisations in Scotland, including http://www.healthysocialmedia.org/resources/ pupils, teachers, social media influencers, mental health charities, youth charities, NHS, etc. The aim of the event was to Scottish Government Advisory share personal experiences from social media interactions and discuss strategies for building a positive relationship between Group users and their digital lives. The event followed up last year’s Mental Health Awareness Week led by the MHF, which also 2019 was the year for body image research and advocacy in focused on body image. many ways. It was also when the Scottish Government decided to form the Healthy Body Image for Children and Young People At the event, young people discussed their social media Advisory Group, which aimed to undertake a review of the issue persona versus their offline persona.Online , they admitted and was lead by the MHF and Beat the Eating Disorders charity. to being “fake”, “brutal”, “exposed to hate”, “judgemental”, I was an invited member of the Advisory Group, and for six “critical of self”, “jealous”, and under “pressure to be liked”. months, we listened to evidence from various groups of young Other more nuanced descriptors included “filtered”, “guarded”, people and their experiences of body image. “self-aware” and “cautious”. Some positive descriptors of their social media persona did come through, such as “happy In March 2020, the Advisory Group has released a (too)”, “confident”, “invincible”, “ego/esteem boost”, “open recommendation report, which proposes a revised definition for sharing emotions”. Offline though personalities were much of good body image and discusses the issue from various more positive in comparison: “open”, “genuine”, “honest”, perspectives. The Report emphasizes that body image is not “less image conscious”, “more open – share more”, “trusting” just an individual problem, but it is shaped by many outside etc. Young people also described themselves more often as influences: the media and advertising, policy and regulation,
Spotlight on Research 5
public health messaging (Remember Cancer Research UK’s obesity campaign?), and relevant professionals in young people’s lives, schools, parents and families.
Our recommendations call for bold changes in how we all see our own and other people’s bodies and how we talk about them in public and in private. Too often behaviour change is left to individuals who struggle to turn against the tide. Young people can feel pressurized by adverts telling them they need face creams, lip fillers and diets to become better. How can a 10-year old appreciate their body when parents and peers tease them daily about his weight? Young people cannot change until we change with them. The report recommendations lay out a road map for societal change in Scotland and hopefully beyond. Do you want to see the Group’s vision for good body image for young people in Scotland? Read the report here.
The Scottish Government is expected to address these recommendations after the Covid-19 crisis is managed. We will all have to do our part too. For now, let’s just stay home, indulge in our favourite activities, exercise when we can, and be kinder to each other (and ourselves!) online and offline.
Perhaps timely, the theme for the MHF Mental Health Awareness Week 2020 is KINDNESS.
Contact Dr Petya Eckler i School of Humanities [email protected]
Twitter: @DrPetyaEckler
The HaSS Research & Impact Bulletin [ People & Society - Spring 2020, Issue No.6 ] 6
FOCUS ON CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE
Scotland’s national observatory of children’s human rights launched
A collective of more than fifty children’s charities and experts In particular, the report highlights the importance of delivering a call for urgent action to ensure the incorporation of the United key government pledge to incorporate the UNCRC into Scots law Nations Convention on the Right of the Child into Scots law by 2021. makes a genuine difference. At present, the Scottish Government plans to present a bill Scotland’s first national observatory of children’s rights was that directly incorporates the UNCRC provisions that fall within launched in Edinburgh on 28th February, with Professor devolved powers, but experts say rapid progress is needed. In Jennifer Davidson, Executive Director of Inspiring Children’s order for the UNCRC to be written into Scots law by 2021, the bill Futures and Executive Director of the Centre for Excellence must be introduced to the Scottish Parliament within a matter for Children’s Care and Protection, joining the Minister for of months to ensure children’s human rights are fully protected, Children Maree Todd, children, and observatory partners, for the supported and promoted. launch. The Observatory is an inter-disciplinary collaborative of organisations including the Universities of Edinburgh and Additionally, the report points to Britain’s exit from the Strathclyde, Together (Scottish Alliance for Children’s Rights), European Union and the subsequent loss of human rights Children’s Parliament, Scottish Youth Parliament and the protections as a further reason for Scotland to incorporate the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland. Alongside UNCRC into Scots law. It also highlights child poverty as the the launch of this new resource for Scotland, Together, the main indicator of Scotland’s long way to go to ensure children’s Scottish Alliance for Children’s Rights, published the latest human rights are protected and enforced. State of Children’s Rights progress report setting out the current status of children’s rights in Scotland.
The Observatory aims to bring together children and experts from across Scotland to amplify the impact of research on policy debates, both nationally and internationally. It will work to improve the day to day lives and experiences of children and young people.
The State of Children’s Rights report plays an essential role in enabling the UN Committee to hold the Scottish and UK governments to account regarding implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). It details a number of areas where substantial progress has been made in recent years, while also drawing attention to areas in which Scotland currently falls short of ensuring children’s rights are being met.
Focus on children and young people 7
Dr Claire Lightowler said: “We saw the incorporation of UNCRC Rights Respecting? Scotland’s as a window of opportunity. There’s something fundamental approach to children in conflict about the challenge of levelling up between welfare and needs on one hand and control and punishment on the other, yet little with the law thought has been given to this from a rights perspective.” “If we are holding traumatised children solely responsible The Centre for Youth & Criminal Justice (CYCJ) has published a for their actions, putting them through processes they do not new report calling for ‘rights respecting’ reform to Scotland’s understand and putting barriers in the way of their loving and youth justice system, if the country is to uphold its commitment caring relationships, is this justice in the true meaning of the to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child word? There is some truth in the focus on children as troubled, (UNCRC). challenged, vulnerable and challenging, and it is often well- meaning, but it can have negative unintended consequences for Rights Respecting? Scotland’s approach to children in conflict the most disadvantaged children.” with the law was launched on 30th January 2020 at the Kilbrandon Lecture on children’s services and the rights of “At the heart of this report is an argument for a shift from children. The lecture was given by leading human rights lawyer, viewing children in conflict with the law as troubled, challenging Professor Manfred Nowak, who led the Global Study on Children and vulnerable to children as rights holders. Rights are for all Deprived of Liberty. children, and it is worrying when we fail to fulfil our legal and moral obligations to the very children we are holding to account This report is the first of its kind to translate the UNCRC into through the justice system.” Scottish specific actions to improve policy, practice and experience in youth justice. The report was written by CYCJ’s Bruce Adamson, Children and Young People’s Commissioner for director, Dr Claire Lightowler, who took a year’s sabbatical to Scotland, said: “This robust and impressive report is the first dedicate herself to exploring the complex and often emotive piece of work that comprehensively examines Scotland’s youth issues around offending by children, based on CYCJ’s belief that justice system from a rights based perspective. It demands that youth justice in Scotland requires a reconfiguration on a scale we look critically at our society and how we value children.” not seen since Kilbrandon.
Photo credited to Tammy Henderson on behalf of The Children’s Parliament
The HaSS Research & Impact Bulletin [ People & Society - Spring 2020, Issue No.6 ] 8
to live with their loss, without any significant long term negative Comic supports young people in effects. But we hear from parents, carers and teachers that, dealing with bereavement despite wanting to offer support, they often lack the confidence, knowledge or skills to talk about death, dying and bereavement A comic aimed at helping young people deal with grief and with children. Understandably, it can be difficult for people to bereavement has been produced in a project involving the know what to say, or what to do, in a time of grief. Centre for Youth & Criminal Justice (CYCJ) and the University of Strathclyde. “We want to help normalise and support conversations with children about death, bereavement and grief, and that’s where Teenagers from across Scotland shared their experiences of this comic comes in. Comics are a great way to reach a wide loss with academics from Strathclyde and project leaders at the audience, and are an important medium for communicating University of Dundee. The result was a 40-page publication titled difficult or sensitive messages. When words might be hard to When People Die: Stories From Young People, with images, find, an image can tell the story instead. stories and insights that arose from a series of workshops held at HMP & YOI Polmont and the charities Richmond’s Hope, “All of the stories in this comic have come from children and Barnardo’s Scotland and Children’s Hospices Across Scotland young people who have been bereaved themselves, and who (CHAS). wanted to share their experiences to help others. We hope that their honesty, courage, wisdom and creativity will help provide The intention of the year-long project was to explore how information and comfort to other children who have been comics can help generate reflective and confident life stories bereaved, as well as being a resource for parents, carers and for young people who have experienced bereavement and help teachers of all children to help create discussion and dialogue.” destigmatise conversations about loss and grief. In doing so, the comic will not only directly reach out to young people but will also enable parents, carers, teachers and peers to provide better support in the event of bereavement. Dr. Christine Jones (SWSP) discusses sibling estrangement Nina Vaswani, CYCJ’s Research Fellow, was a partner in the project. She said: with BBC Scotland
“I’m so pleased to see this important comic launched during BBC Scotland featured National Grief Awareness Week. We know that bereavement is a story on their flagship something that is experienced by many children as they grow programme, The Nine, on up, and we also know that, with the right support from family, 4th February about sibling friends and professionals, many children can adapt to and learn estrangement when children enter into the care system. The news piece will feature Dr Christine Jones, Senior Lecturer in the School of Social Work and Social Policy, about her research, which was conducted with Dr Gillian Henderson of Scottish Children’s Reporters Administration. The piece was timed to be broadcast on the release of the findings of the Independent Care Review led by Fiona Duncan. Drs Jones and Henderson have highlighted the high numbers of children in the care system who grow up apart from their brothers and sisters and lose touch. The research highlights the lack of good quality comprehensive national data and, as a result, the relative invisibility of this problem until now.
The issue of sibling estrangement is a key area of concern for the Independent Care Review and we await their recommendations in relation to this important area of policy and practice. The ICR findings are also launched at the same time that Scottish Parliament is proposing to strengthen the law to place a legal duty on local authorities to promote sibling relationships when children enter care.
Focus on children and young people 9
CELEBRATION
Speech and Language Therapy celebrates its 85th anniversary
In 1919, Dr Anne McAllister, a founding member of the Speech and Language Therapy profession started teaching trainee speech therapists in Glasgow. This course was formally recognised in 1935 as the Glasgow School of Speech Therapy, which became part of Jordanhill College in 1968 and then the University of Strathclyde in 1994. Dr Anne McAllister was an inspirational woman of her era, setting up a clinic for speech difficulties in 1919 and becoming a pioneer of the Speech and Language Therapy Profession. Her legacy continues to this day, with the Speech and Language Therapy course at Strathclyde consistently ranked highly in the UK (1st and 2nd in recent years in the Good University Guide).
The course is now the longest established in Scotland and the second oldest in the UK. In its 85 year history, the course has evolved from awarding College of Speech Therapy Diplomas to BEd and BSc (Hons) degrees in addition to supervising qualified speech and languages therapists at MSc, MPhil and PhD level.
As part of the #StrathSLT85 celebrations the university’s School of Psychological Sciences and Health held a reception on the 4th February 2020. The reception was an opportunity for current and former staff, managers from the NHS, and representatives from the Scottish Government to meet and celebrate the growth, developments and achievements within speech and language therapy in Glasgow over the last 85 years.
Photo credits: University of Strathclyde Archives and Special Collections
The HaSS Research & Impact Bulletin [ People & Society - Spring 2020, Issue No.6 ] 10
PRIZES AND FELLOWSHIPS
Strathclyde English academic awarded Scottish Book of the Year prize
The Saltire Society announced the winners of the 2019 Literary Awards at a glittering ceremony at the National Museum of Scotland on 30th of November 2019. Kirstie Blair, English Fellowship Professor within the School of Humanities, received the prestigious Saltire Society Scottish Book of the Year Award for her Prof Yvette Taylor, School of Education, has been elected Working Verse in Victorian Scotland: Poetry, Press, Community Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. In total, 51 (published by Oxford University Press). leading UK social scientists have been conferred the award of Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. All As well as the prominent win for Scottish Book of the Year, Kirstie have been elected on the basis of their outstanding was also awarded The Saltire Scottish Research Book of the Year contributions to research and to the application of social Award, supported by the National Library of Scotland. science to policy, education, society and the economy.
Working Verse In Victorian Scotland: Poetry, Press, Community The Academy’s Fellowship is made up of distinguished was selected as The Saltire Society Scottish Book of the Year by a individuals from academic, public and private sectors, panel of judges from the winners of the five Literary Awards. The across the full breadth of the social sciences. Through judges found its accessibility in subject and in its writing profound. leadership, applied research, policymaking and practice, The fact that it is an important, significant piece of research did they have worked to help understand and tackle some not discolour its enjoyability, with laugh out loud moments and of the toughest challenges facing us in modern times. fascinating facts. The judges felt a warmth from it and to it. Their work has contributed to the UK’s position as a world leader in the social sciences. See the full list of new The National Library of Scotland support the Saltire Society Fellows here. Scottish Research Book of the Year, and The National Library of Scotland’s Associate Director of Collections and Research, Robin Smith said “It’s not every day the winner of the research category scoops the overall Saltire prize, which demonstrates just what a compelling and important read Ms Blair’s work is. Research adds to our collective understanding of the world around us, and sharing the resultant knowledge is just as important as the activity itself. We encourage and promote research on every subject imaginable at the National Library, and we’re delighted to continue to support this award.”
Prizes and fellowships 11
GRANT SUCCESSES
Researchers to investigate the role of charitable funding of health care in the NHS in a major new study
A new four-year research project, awarded £1.4 million funding The research will generate a new account of the effects – both from the Wellcome Trust, will explore the past, present and positive and problematic – of charitable fundraising and future of charitable fundraising for health care. charitable organisations in the UK health system. This will change our understanding of the NHS and inform discussions The study, which will be led by the University of Birmingham, about the future of charities in the health service.” will look at how health policy has understood, and sought to influence, the role of charities in the NHS by looking at the The project will engage with non-academic audiences through amount and distribution of charitable fundraising for NHS witness seminars, public lectures and an annual conference, charities over time. while individual work packages will actively involve external stakeholders. As well as a website, regular project briefing notes In recent weeks, charitable fundraising to the NHS has been and articles, the project will generate a book, bringing together thrown into the spotlight through the efforts of Captain Tom the main findings into a comprehensive reassessment of the Moore and many others raising money for the NHS to support complex relationships between charity and the NHS. staff and volunteers dealing with the coronavirus outbreak, and to support NHS patients during their recovery. Find out more about the Wellcome Trust award here: https:// wellcome.ac.uk/grant-funding/people-and-projects/grants- The project is a Wellcome Trust Collaborative Award in awarded/border-crossings-charity-and-voluntarism-britains Humanities and Social Science, and the team comprises Professor John Mohan (University of Birmingham), Professor Bernard Harris (University of Strathclyde), Dr Ellen Stewart Contact Prof Bernard Harris (University of Edinburgh) and Professor Martin Gorsky (London i School of Social Work & School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine). Social Policy [email protected] Professor John Mohan, Director of the Third Sector Research Centre at the University of Birmingham, comments: “During a national health crisis which affects all of us, it is unsurprising that citizens are voluntarily giving time and money to support the NHS on an apparently unprecedented scale. However, this is just the latest episode in a long and neglected history of charitable initiative in the NHS. In this project, we want to research that history, in order to put contemporary efforts in their proper context and enable evidence-based reflection on the relationship between charity and health care in the future”. The NHS is famously a state-run health service, yet it has always made space for charitable activities. Some NHS hospital charities number amongst the country’s wealthiest charitable organisations. The boundaries between state-run and charitably-run activities have shifted over the decades and have often been politically controversial.
The HaSS Research & Impact Bulletin [ People & Society - Spring 2020, Issue No.6 ] 12
researchers with a range of expertise and key stakeholders Leverhulme Trust grant across the Higher Education sector, its aim is to improve the understanding of student mental health. Dr Sarah Edwards from the School of Humanities, working with Dr Kathy Hamilton and Dr Juliette Wilson from the Department This pilot project’s main objectives are to look at the distinct of Marketing in SBS, has been successful in achieving a Project concerns Asian international students experience in terms of Grant from the Leverhulme Trust. The 18-month project focuses their mental health, issues in disclosing mental health problems on Glasgow Women’s Library and the ways in which libraries and in seeking help for mental health within the University effect social and cultural transformations. of Strathclyde. The team will be working with Disability and Wellbeing Service to develop, promote and consider future Contact Dr Sarah Edwards directions for service development within UoS. i School of Humanities [email protected] Contact Dr Nicola Cogan i School of Psychological New study on social distancing Sciences and Health [email protected] A new study, funded by the Chief Scientist Office, led by Dr Lynn Williams, School of Psychological Sciences and Health, will examine the impact of social distancing on our well-being. Psychology, Speech Therapy and The study, entitled Has social distancing made us healthier? Adoption, maintenance and sharing of positive changes in one Social Policy awarded ESRC PhD of four studies awarded to Strathclyde- see the full list of funded studentships projects here Social distancing has brought the biggest changes to everyday life in living memory. Although many of these Louise Brown Nicholls, Nicola Cogan, Anja Kuschmann and Anja changes make life worse, positive behaviours are emerging, for Lowit from the School of Psychological Sciences and Health example, finding new ways to exercise at home, and offering have been awarded two ESRC Collaborative PhD Studentships, help to neighbours. This project aims to capture these positive while Daniela Sime and Bernard Harris in Social Work & behaviours through surveys and interviews with the public in Social Policy have also won an award. These awards are very order to explore how and amongst whom this has happened, competitive, with only 15 awards made in Social Sciences across and if people can keep these health improvements going. Scotland. Working with relevant charities and organisations we will share our learning to help the public to initiate and maintain these The two awards in the School of Psychological Sciences and positive changes during COVID-19 and beyond. Health are:
Ageing and communication: understanding the roles of Contact Dr Lynn Williams cognition, speech production, and social participation (Dr i School of Psychological Sciences and Health Louise Brown Nicholls, Dr Anja Kuschmann, Prof Anja Lowit; [email protected] Collaborating organisation: Scottish Older People’s Association) Mental health self-stigma and peer-victimisation in adolescence (Dr Nicola Cogan, Prof Simon Hunter, Prof Pat Corrigan- Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago; Collaborating organisation: The Funding Granted for Mental Health Mental Health Foundation) Research The award to the School of Social Work and Social Policy is for Dr Nicola Cogan (School of Psychological Sciences and Health) the project: and co-investigators Dr Xi Lui; Dr Steve Kelly; Dr Tony Anderson and Colin Flynn (Disability and Wellbeing Service) have been What we do together: Associational life, volunteering and funded by SMaRteN to look at the distinct concerns Asian the benefits for well-being and health for younger and older international students experience in terms of their mental volunteers (Supervisors: Daniela Sime, Prof Bernard Harris; health. Collaborating organization: Volunteer Scotland)
SMaRteN is a national research network funded by UK Research and Innovation, led by King’s College London, focusing on Student Mental Health in Higher Education. Working with
Grant successes 13
Celebrating grant successes
These are some of the awards we have secured up to April 2020. Congratulations to all colleagues and teams involved.
Research funding
Title Award holder School Funder Administrative Data Research Centres 2018 Fiona Mitchell Centre For Excellence For Children’s Care ESRC And Protection Philosophising to support well-being Claire Cassidy Education Barnardo’s Cross-Border Queers: The Story of South Churnjeet Mahn English British Academy Asian Migrants in the UK Specialist support & TA to Managing & Laura Polverari European Policies Research Centre Consip Certifying Authorities in updating 2014- 2020 OPs Irish Distillers oral history project (phase 2) Arthur McIvor History Irish Distillers Limited (Ireland) Diageo Menstrie Project (2019) Arthur McIvor History Diageo Scotland Limited Risky hormones, pregnant patients and the Jesse Olszynko-Gryn History AHRC contested science of birth defects: the rise and fall of hormone pregnancy tests in the FRG and UK, 1950-81 Accounting and scenario analyses to Karen Turner Politics Bellona Foundation measuring and unlocking value to enable Just Transitions in the decarbonisation of UK industry clusters The sectoral politics of climate policy: Patrick Bayer Politics Carnegie Trust Domestic conflict and UK public support for ambitious climate action The mechanisms of national cyber Richard Johnson Politics Carnegie Trust capability development and their impact ORA (Round 5)The Nature of Political Wolfgang Rüdig Politics ESRC Representation in Times of Dealignment Non-adherence to hormonal therapy in Leanne Fleming Psychology Chief Scientist’s Office breast cancer survivors: systematic review and qualitative analysis of the role of sleep disturbance Improving sleep of adolescents- The Megan Crawford Psychology Glasgow Children’s Hospital Strathclyde Sleep for ScHools (SSSH) project Charity The understandings of distinctive Nicola Cogan Psychology King’s College London experiences of mental health, disclosure and help seeking among Asian students SPECTRUM: Shaping Public hEalth poliCies Kat Smith Social Work and Social Policy MRC (Medical Research Council) To Reduce IneqUalities and harM Evaluation Partner for Core Priority Neil Quinn Social Work and Social Policy Barnardo’s Programme Strategic Partnerships
Knowledge Exchange funding
Restorative Justice Fiona Dyer CYCJ Scottish Government Engaging All Parents in their Children’s Education Alastair Wilson Education Scottish Government Training Services - extension Douglas Brodie Law Clyde & Co Llp Biodiversity as a human right Elisa Morgera Law TEPSA World Green Economy Organization Report Elisa Morgera Law World Green Economy Organization
The HaSS Research & Impact Bulletin [ People & Society - Spring 2020, Issue No.6 ] 14
Options for achieving a more diverse and productive Malcolm Combe Law Scottish Land Commission pattern of landownership in Scotland Gaelic Development Officer Extension Fhiona Fisher SCILT Bord na Gaidhlig EFT Level 4/Advanced Empathy Robert Elliott Counselling ISEFT (China Institute) EFT Level 1a Training Robert Elliott Counselling NHS Lincolnshire Partnership Disciplinary Literacy Clare McAlister Education East Dunbartonshire Council Disciplinary Literacy Clare McAlister Education West Lothian Council Disciplinary Literacy Clare McAlister Education South Lanarkshire Council Planning with the Young Child Deirdre Grogan Education West Dunbartonshire Council Training with Deirdre Grogan Deirdre Grogan Education Netherthird ELC Play Deirdre Grogan Education Muirkirk Primary School Early Level Pedagogy Deirdre Grogan Education Shetland Islands Enabling Environments/Documentation Deirdre Grogan Education Dunbeth Family Learning Centre Early Years conference Input Deirdre Grogan Education East Renfrewshire Council P2 Programme Deirdre Grogan Education Falkirk Council Play Based Learning - Training and Observation Deirdre Grogan Education Heathery Knowe Primary School Play Deirdre Grogan Education St Mungo’s Primary School Play Deirdre Grogan Education St Charles Primary School Learning Environments/Documentation Deirdre Grogan Education Darvel ECC Ferre Laevers Training Deirdre Grogan Education East Dunbartonshire Council Observations and Documentations Deirdre Grogan Education West Johnstone ELCC Play Deirdre Grogan Education New Cumnock ECC Play Based Learning Keynote Deirdre Grogan Education South Lanarkshire Council Learning through Play Deirdre Grogan Education Cathkin Primary Documentation/Planning Deirdre Grogan Education West Dunbartonshire Council Keynote Presentation Deirdre Grogan Education Early Education - Aberdeen Branch Learning through Play Deirdre Grogan Education Highland Council Research and Development Project: Practitioner Enquiry Joan Mowat Education South Lanarkshire Council Enquiry Approach/Learning Festival Kate Wall Education Preston Lodge High School Early Years Conference Input Kate Wall Education Argyll & Bute Council Workshop for Teacher Leadership Programme Kate Wall Education SCEL Enquiry Approach Kate Wall Education Renfrew High School Enquiry Approach Kate Wall Education Arbroath Academy Primary Teachers’ Conference Kate Wall Education East Lothian Council Research Academy for Teacher Practitioners Kate Wall Education East Renfrewshire Engaging in High Quality Observations Nicky Shaw Education St Bartholomew’s Primary Supporting Science Reasoning Skills in Primary Robert Collins Education Stonehouse Primary School Enquiry Approach/Learning Festival Saima Salahjee Education Preston Lodge High School Disciplinary Literacy Sue Ellis Education West Lothian Council Scotish Oral History Training Arthur McIvor History Falkirk Community Trust Scotish Oral History Training Arthur McIvor History Inverclyde Council Social Media and Body Image Petya Eckler Journalism Young Scot Trauma Training for the Rail Industry Nicola Cogan Psychology STUC Oral History Training Arthur McIvor Scottish Oral History Centre Callander’s Landscape Oral History Project DELE course Lidia Acosta Spanish Participants Ultrasound for Speech Therapy Training Joanna Cleland Speech & Language Moorhouse School
Grant successes 15
INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS
Strathclyde English academic features in The Paris Review
Dr Rodge Glass, Convener of the MLitt in Creative Writing, has authored an article for The Paris Review about the life, death Franco-British Defence Cooperation and works of the great Glaswegian polymath Alasdair Gray. Royal United Services Institute, The article was published in New York and made available online and has since been made a featured article this week, London being widely read and shared worldwide. The Paris Review is a quarterly English-language literary magazine established in Dr Rogelia Pastor-Castro’s AHRC-funded project The Weight Paris in 1953 and articles are now published in New York and of the Past in Franco-British Relations aims to explore how made available online. Dr Rodge Glass authored Alasdair Gray’s conceptions of the past have impacted the evolution of Franco- biography, before his death in December 2019. British relations since 1815. It asks how French and British Photo: Strathclyde English academic policy elites have used history to understand the past and anticipate the future. Additionally, it considers the extent to which subjective interpretations of the past have shaped the conceptual horizons of these policy-makers.
In November 2019, a Witness Seminar - UK, France and the Lancaster House Treaties - was the first in a series of project events that will bring academics and policy-makers together to consider these questions. Focusing on the Lancaster House Treaties that foster closer defence and security cooperation, it asked witnesses to consider the treaties through the context of historic Franco-British relations, challenges to sovereignty and visions and expectations for the future. Dr Pastor-Castro and Dr Rachel Utley (Leeds) opened the seminar by discussing the historical framework of the project. They highlighted the complexity of memory as both lived and historic. As a discursive tool, it has been mobilised to both facilitate and impede Franco- British cooperation. They also stressed the significance of this topic for contemporary Franco-British relations, which continue to evolve around different conceptions of European cooperation.
The seminar witnesses included Sir David Omand, who during his career in British government service held senior posts in security, intelligence, and defence. He was UK Security and Intelligence Coordinator in the Cabinet Office from 2002 to 2005. He was a Permanent Secretary of the Home Office from 1997 to 2000, and before that Director of GCHQ. Also speaking was Dame Mariot Leslie was head of the FCO’s Policy Planning
The HaSS Research & Impact Bulletin [ People & Society - Spring 2020, Issue No.6 ] 16
Staff, ambassador to Norway, FCO Director General for Defence and Intelligence, a member of the Joint Intelligence Committee and UK Permanent Representative to NATO (2010-14). The French perspective was represented by Admiral Luc Pagès, Defence Attaché, French Embassy in London. Each participant brought a unique viewpoint to the discussions, drawing from their experiences in policy-making, diplomacy and security. All of the witnesses stressed the value of trust and interpersonal relationships in Franco-British relations.
However, these individual working relationships between career diplomats and civil servants could be impeded or held hostage by higher-level tensions between national leaders. Several witnesses suggested that in this instance diplomats had means that cities have to scale up their cooperation, seek new the vital task of safeguarding Franco-British relations behind solutions, and develop a solid knowledge basis for bottom-up the scenes. Turning to post-Brexit Franco-British relations and evidence-based policy-making. the future of the Lancaster House Treaties, the panel offered cautious optimism and expressed their belief in the longevity of These themes were the subject of a lecture by Peter Takacs, Policy the agreements. Officer in the Inclusive Growth, Urban and Territorial Development Unit of the DG for Regional and Urban Policy. He provided an overview of EU Urban Development policies, ranging from the 1997 strategy ‘Towards an Urban Agenda’ to the mainstreaming of Sustainable Urban Development (SUD) in the current programming period. SUD in 2021-27 promises further increases in coherence and integration of EU support to cities, as well as territorial interventions targeting full functional urban areas.
After his presentation, two discussants raised thought-provoking questions, and the audience participated in the ensuing discussion. Verena Balz, Lecturer in Regional Planning at TU Delft and Cottbus University of Technology, highlighted the gaps that exist in SUD strategies and the dependency of their success on local planning systems. Martin Ferry, Senior Researcher at EPRC, raised the importance of monitoring and evaluation systems of the interventions, and of coordination with existing local strategies. Part of his intervention referred to his recent work on the performance of Integrated Territorial Development Strategies.
The event was part of a joint series ‘Contemporary challenges in European spatial development’, organised by the Spatial Planning & Strategy chair in Delft’s Urbanism Department and EPRC Delft. This third session in the series was moderated by EPRC Director John Bachtler and Marcin Dąbrowski, Assistant Professor in the Urbanism Department of TU Delft.
Discussing Sustainable Urban As the EPRC base at the Technical University of Delft is built up, EPRC is developing its cooperation with Dutch government Development in Delft departments at different levels and with universities. The lecture by a representative of the European Commission, leading on European cities are playing fields of intensifying contemporary European Sustainable Urban Development strategies, is an challenges. Traffic congestion, air pollution, climate change example of the new opportunities provided by our location in the effects, clean water and energy provision, jobs and skills issues, Netherlands. housing and social segregation largely concentrate in urban areas. Cities are also in the position to develop innovative Follow EPRC and Spatial Planning & Strategy for updates, or solutions to these multiple challenges. Doing this effectively get in touch.
International collaborations 17
The Visibility and Communication of Cohesion Policy in Online Media
A new EPRC study on the Visibility and Communication of Cohesion Policy in Online Media has been published by the European Parliament. Led by EPRC’s Carlos Mendez and John Bachtler, and Vasiliki Triga at the Cyprus University of Technology, the study employs a mixed methods approach to investigate media coverage, representations and user perceptions of cohesion policy in online media. The research draws on an original dataset of over 60,000 news articles and 100,000 user-generated comments. It also analyses social media – over 11,000 Facebook posts and over five million tweets on Twitter – and 13,000 EU press releases. The key conclusion is that cohesion policy visibility is relatively low in online media. Policy recommendations are provided to improve cohesion policy visibility in the media, particularly through citizen engagement.
Click here to download the full report.
The HaSS Research & Impact Bulletin [ People & Society - Spring 2020, Issue No.6 ] 18
NEW APPOINTMENTS
New Faculty Manager for Humanities and Social Sciences
The Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences is delighted to Heather has worked at Strathclyde for over ten years, starting in announce that Heather Lawrence has been appointed as the the Scottish Institute for Residential Child Care (SIRCC) which new HaSS Faculty Manager and will take up her post on Monday transitioned into the Centre for Excellence for Looked after 23rd March. Children in Scotland (CELCIS) in 2011. With a background in service and process design, she joined the University’s Business Improvement Team in 2013 and has been Head of Continuous Improvement since 2018.
Heather has been fortunate to have been involved in several transformative programmes and initiatives, including the Single Campus Project, transitioning from SIRCC to CELCIS, design of the business improvement approach at Strathclyde, Executive Team Strategic Projects, the early establishment of the Glasgow City Innovation District, and development of Strathclyde’s 2025 vision and strategy. Throughout her career at Strathclyde, Heather has studied part-time and has gained a BA in Business Management Studies with Distinction, an MBA with distinction and is currently undertaking a PhD in organisational strategy and delivery. She has co-authored two publications on benefits realisation management for higher education funded by the Leadership Foundation which has been recommended as ‘best practice’ by University’s Scotland and Office for Students in England. Heather is excited to return to HaSS and through working in partnership with colleagues, have the opportunity to make a bigger difference to the university and beyond.
Other appointments in the Faculty include an Associate Dean (Student Experience), Dr Michael Randall, School of Law and a new Head of the Graduate School, Dr Mark Ellis. Michael will be working with the Vice Dean (Academic) and the Associate Deans (Undergraduate, Joint Honours and PGT) to strengthen the Faculty’s approach to enhancing the overall student experience on campus and online and encourage the promotion of interdisciplinary learning and teaching. Dr Mark Ellis, as the new Head of Graduate School, will be working towards increasing recruitment of postgraduate research, considering new ways to promote postgraduate research study and engaging with external organisations.
New appointments 19
Professorial appointments Prevention in Men who have Sex with Men (MSM)’ and currently co-chairing a group making recommendations on behavioural The School of Psychological Sciences & Health are delighted interventions to reduce AMR as part of the UK’s new AMR to welcome two new Global Talent Attraction Platform (GTAP) strategy. Professorial Appointments within the school. Professor Ben Jones was also appointed as a GTAP Professor in Building on his track record for qualitative and mixed methods the School of Psychological Sciences & Health. Ben investigates research, Professor Paul Flowers was recently appointed the effects of physical appearance on person perception (i.e. as a GTAP Professor within the School. Paul is particularly how facial, body and vocal cues influence the first impressions interested in methods of improving health interventions by we spontaneously form about other people) and how those combining insights from behaviour change, implementation influence social outcomes, such as romantic partner choice, science, and systems perspectives. He currently has a portfolio hiring and voting decisions, and cooperation. Ben recently of interdisciplinary awards that explore these issues in a completed a five year ERC-funded project investigating how series of innovative health areas, mostly within the infectious changes in hormone levels, such as those that occur over disease and drug treatment fields. These include for example, the menstrual cycle or following hormonal contraceptive use, understanding insights from the implementation of PrEP influence heterosexual women’s sexual desire and judgements as a major news means of HIV prevention across Scotland of men’s attractiveness. The results of this project, which (PrEP is a pill that is taken once a day by people to avoid involved tracking 600 young women’s desires and mate HIV transmission), the roll out of direct acting antivirals to preferences over several months, challenged the common drug users to eliminate Hepatitis C at the population level, assumption that these hormonal changes dictate the extent or detailing transferable insights into the development and to which women are attracted to masculine men as short-term implementation of the UK’s first heroin assisted treatment sexual partners. service. Ben is currently leading an international project involving over Paul also has international awards examining issues of 200 researchers from all continents to establish how the links antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Australia and the provision between facial appearance and first impressions differ between of online sexual health services in British Columbia. Most cultures. This project is the first to be run by the Psychological recently, with colleagues at Glasgow Caledonian University and Science Accelerator, a distributed network of research groups University College London, Paul has been awarded an NIHR five who conduct democratically selected large scale studies year programme grant Improving care for people with sexually to address the focus on European and North American transmitted infections within a digital NHS in which Paul leads participants’ behaviours in psychological research. work packages relating to qualitative methods, intervention optimisation, and stakeholder engagement. In summer 2020, Ben will start a new three year EPSRC-funded project to investigate the effects of gender-based stereotypes on Paul has various editorial roles for several health journals interactions with conversational agents (dialogue systems that including being Associate Editor of both the ‘British Journal of respond automatically using human language), in collaboration Health Psychology’ and ‘Health Psychology and Behavioural with researchers at Heriot-Watt (Computer Science) and Medicine’. Paul has also worked in relation to making public Edinburgh (Education). The goal of this project is to create health guidance and policy, for example, helping with Scottish conversational agents that do not reinforce potentially harmful Health Protection Network’s ‘Good Practice Guideline on HIV gendered stereotypes.
The HaSS Research & Impact Bulletin [ People & Society - Spring 2020, Issue No.6 ] 20
STUDENT SUCCESSES
School of Education: The Teaching of Two Worlds
they hiked 2085 meters to the peak of Zomba Plateau; learned the local language, Chichewa; and put their language and negotiating skills to the test in the local markets. They also visited Mvuu National Park where they witnessed the breath-taking sights of African wildlife. To end their trip, they journeyed to Lake Malawi, where they snorkeled with the native fish – cichlids – and took a boat trip around Thumbi View.
The trip was largely self-funded, and benefited greatly from In early 2019, a group of 3rd year primary education students, generous donations from Strathclyde Alumni Fund and the School of accompanied by two lecturers from the University of Strathclyde, Education. The students raised over £2,000 through a bake sale and travelled to Malawi to experience teaching and learning in a sponsored walk from the University to Blantyre, Scotland. Whilst in drastically different culture than can be expected in a Scottish Malawi, they donated sustainable teaching and learning resources, classroom. Based in Blantyre, Malawi, the group of students sanitary products to combat period poverty, as well as financial engaged with a range of educational figures from primary schools, support for teachers’ salaries. Following the return of the trip, a infant homes and teacher training colleges. decision was made to allocate all remaining funds to Makokezi Primary School for exam standard desks and are continuing to Over an intensive 3 weeks in late May 2019, the student teachers fundraise. sought to develop their own professional practice, further develop relationships from previous years, share current teaching strategies Upon reflection, the students feel they have left with a better from Scotland and embrace Malawian culture. The young group appreciation of the value and purpose of Malawian education experienced the challenge of teaching in schools with very limited and culture. Teaching with minimal resources has helped them resources to over 100 children per class and for whom English is a appreciate the value in themselves and the children they work second language. with as the most important resource. Working together has built friendships, confidence and competence in their teaching, all of The students’ main link was with Makokezi Primary School, a small, which will inform their future practice. privately funded school near Chigamula in Blantyre. They were challenged with the task of teaching classes with children from ages Reflecting on the experience, one of the group, Susan Ireland, said: 5 to 16. As the school is not government funded, and many students “The Malawi trip was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I’m so can’t afford tuition fees, the school struggles financially and lacks grateful to have experienced it. Teaching in a completely different basic resources. As a result of this, the student teachers had to be culture and environment allowed me to develop a more innovative innovative and flexible with their teaching tactics, whilst making approach to my teaching and this will stick with me in future maximum use of locally available resources to support learning. practice. The trip made me appreciate how lucky we are in Scotland with the education system we have, and how we can utilise it to As well as working with Makokezi, the students also spent time create a better future for many of our kids”. working with the Open Arms Infant Home and government funded Blantyre Girls’ School, where they played games and sung songs Benson Thungula, head teacher of Makokezi Primary School with the children, and developed relationships. They also built new said: “First of all, let me thank the management of the University relationships with Machinga Teacher Training College, where they of Strathclyde for letting students come to Malawi, especially to shared current teaching practices and experiences with Malawian Makokezi Primary School (…). I once again thank you for the kind student teachers. donation you have gave to Makokezi School. We really appreciate it. We hope, next year, another team will come here or if you wish to During their free time, the group immersed themselves in Malawian return, you are most welcome. We really appreciate the services you culture. They explored the former colonial capital, Zomba, where have gave us both financially and materially. Thank you very much!”
Student successes 21
delivery of face-to-face teaching input to the second cohort of this First cohort of PGCert Educational course, which provides an opportunity for professional reflection, Issues Impact course graduates development, and for teachers working at Crescent School.
The graduation of the first cohort of the PGCert Educational Issues & This is the first cohort of a four-year long contract between Crescent Impact course took place on Thursday 16 January 2020 at Crescent School in Lahore and the School of Education of Strathclyde School in Lahore. The event was attended by Professor Matthew to support teachers’ professional development. It links to the Smith, Vice-Dean of Research for the Faculty of Humanities & University theme of global engagement and innovation and impact, Social Sciences, Dr Ingeborg Birnie, course leader, and Angela de creating opportunities for teachers in Lahore to engage with Britos, course tutor. The timing of the graduation coincided with the professional learning.
CSHHH Glasgow Wellcome Trust The Students’ Law Clinic nominated Master’s Programme Awards for for award
MSc Health History We are delighted to announce that The University of Strathclyde Law Clinic’s Initial Advice Clinics have been shortlisted as a The Centre for the Social History of Health and Healthcare finalist for “Best Contribution by a Team of Students” in the Glasgow, a research collaboration between the University LawWorks and Attorney General Student Pro Bono Awards 2020. of Strathclyde and Glasgow Caledonian University, invites Good luck at the awards! applications for fully-funded studentships on its MSc Health
History programme. This is the outcome of an investment by the Wellcome Trust through its Master’s Programme Awards in Humanities and Social Science scheme and additional funding committed by the universities.
Successful candidates will join the programme in September 2020 to study full-time for twelve months. Applicants must be strongly committed to building a research career relevant to the themes covered by the Wellcome Trust’s Humanities and Social Sciences schemes.
The HaSS Research & Impact Bulletin [ People & Society - Spring 2020, Issue No.6 ] 22
POLICY AND PRACTICE IMPACT
CYCJ calls for pioneering public health response to harmful sexual behaviour
The Centre for Youth & Criminal Justice has been part of a report calling for Scotland to pioneer a public health response to New briefing published to support harmful sexual behaviour among children and young people. supervisors in adult social care
The Expert Group on Preventing Sexual Offending Involving Dr Trish Hafford-Letchfield, Professor of Social Work in the Children and Young People report calls for more preventative School of Social Work and Social Policy, has recently published activity tailored for boys and young men, given that the majority a briefing paper commissioned by RiPfA - Research for Practice of adolescents displaying harmful sexual behaviour are male. in Adults - a national organisation who bring together evidence from research, practitioner expertise and the experience of As secretariat to the expert group, Fiona Dyer from the Centre for people accessing services to provide learning and development Youth & Criminal Justice welcome the publication of the report support for the health and social care sector. and the announcement that Scotland is developing a national strategy to tackle sexual offending by children and young The briefing, titled Leading with compassion: Supervisors’ people. Briefing, explores what is needed to support the development of compassionate leadership skills in both supervisors and Fiona says: “The evidence shows that around 1/3 of sexual those they directly supervise and work with. The briefing also offences against children are committed by children and that provides some practical tools to support the development of sexual offending by children is on the increase in Scotland. compassionate leadership skills across organisations. These statistics are concerning and coordinated support needs to be offered to already stretched services to address this Alongside the briefing, Dr Hafford-Letchfield also ran a UK behaviour, support those involved and provide appropriate webinar hosted by RiPfA to discuss the evidence the briefing assessments and interventions. I am confident that, if fully was based on. implemented, the recommendations of the expert group will start to address this issue to ensure our children and young people, families and professionals receive the help and support they need.” Conference ‘Regional policy in Scotland after Brexit’
This Conference was organised by the Scottish Government in partnership with the Regional Studies Association (Scottish Branch), the European Policies Research Centre (University of Strathclyde) and the ESRC Centre on Constitutional Change (University of Edinburgh). The Conference took a fresh, evidence-based look at regional and local development in Scotland and the regional policy responses that are required. The final agenda can be viewed here. The Conference was opened by Professor Sir Jim McDonald, Principal and Vice- Chancellor of the University of Strathclyde.
Policy and practice impact 23
Professor John Bachtler, European Policies Research Centre, The aim was both to provide drivers with an understanding of opened the academic programme by providing an overview of trauma, its impact, practical strategies for coping, as well as regional inequality in Europe and the contribution of Structural advice as to when to seek professional help. Nicola and Liza are Funds in Scotland between 1975 and 2020. His presentation also in ongoing discussions with a view to looking at developing ‘From cohesion to shared prosperity’ highlighted the lack of policies on workplace practices to reduce the likelihood of institutional stability in Scotland, and the implications of losing train drivers going on the develop more severe mental health European Structural Funds. John discussed the recent trends difficulties following an incident (such as PTSD). in regional policy in the UK, namely the impact of the crisis on government interventions and the recent revival of thinking about subnational scales of economic development.
The subsequent Conference programme was structured under four headings: territorial challenges in Scotland and the United Kingdom; UK Government policymaking and shared prosperity in Scotland; the political economy of regional policy in Scotland; and the priorities and instruments of future policy - possibilities and limits.
Trauma Awareness Training in the Railway Industry
Someone will attempt to take their life on the UK rail network every 31 hours. Dr Nicola Cogan and Dr Liza Morton from the School of Psychological Sciences and Health organised this event for train drivers in Scotland. The training was an initial pilot funded by Scottish Union Learning. ASLEF had identified a need to raise awareness of the latest evidence base for supporting people following a traumatic incident. Nicola and Liza, who are both HCPC registered practitioner psychologists, developed the training in collaboration and consultation with the railway industry. This included interviews with ‘experts by experience’, that being, railway drivers that have had lived experience of driving a train and experiencing ‘person under the train’. One of the MSc Research Methods in Psychology students, Hilary Harrison-Millan, also gained valuable work experience having helped with preparing for the event and on the day.
The HaSS Research & Impact Bulletin [ People & Society - Spring 2020, Issue No.6 ] 24
Evaluating the contribution of CYCJ ‘The Brokerage’- New Network The Centre for Youth & Criminal Justice has published findings from an innovative evaluation exercise, which it undertook of Knowledge Brokers to better understand and strengthen its contribution to youth justice. The evaluation, conducted with independent evaluator launched by SPRE Catherine-Rose Stocks-Rankin and jointly funded with the A new network of knowledge brokers at all of Scotland’s Scottish Government, took place from June to December 2019. HEIs is being launched by the Scottish Policy and Research Exchange (SPRE), spanning all disciplines and During this time, Catherine-Rose worked closely with CYCJ to subject areas, to help SPRE find the right expertise to better understand the Centre’s work. This involved conducting inform policy in a more timely manner. Please consider interviews with team members and stakeholders, and joining joining. conversations, meetings and activities to assess the impact that CYCJ is having on those who work across youth justice in Brokers might be active researchers or academic Scotland and on young people’s experiences/outcomes. Her staff with oversight of research or KEI, or they might resulting findings aim to support CYCJ in its mission to improve be knowledge exchange, public engagement, youth justice and continue to support Scotland to be the best communications or public affairs professionals - or hold place in the world for children to grow up. any number of other roles. What defines them is that they will have an overview of the research going on in Catherine-Rose’s work was shared at a CYCJ led event on their area and an interest in policy engagement. The February 6, alongside CYCJ director Claire Lightowler’s ‘Rights service is simply called ‘The Brokerage’, it is free and Respecting? Scotland’s approach to children in conflict with open to anyone working in Scottish higher education the law’ report, which was launched at the University of and research. Strathclyde’s Kilbrandon Lecture.
Members of the network will receive: Claire Lightowler and Fiona Dyer, CYCJ’s Director and Deputy Director, commented: “CYCJ has been in existence for the past • A weekly update of all new inquiries launched six years and we were coming to the end of our organisational by the Scottish, UK, Welsh and Northern Irish strategy, as well as Scotland’s national strategy for children and legislatures and governments. young people involved in offending. The time felt right to reflect • Urgent requests for expertise relating to policy in on both where we go next as a youth justice sector and as an Scotland and notification of other opportunities for organization” researchers to engage with policymakers. CYCJ will now take this work forward by sharing findings with Any knowledge brokers at Strathclyde or in your other stakeholders and embedding the recommendations across its networks are welcome to sign up: https://mailchi.mp/ work plan going forward. spre.scot/thebrokerage
Policy and practice impact 25
PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AND MEDIA EVENTS
English academic Andrew Meehan releases novel
The publication of this essay came in advance of Andrew’s forthcoming appearance at the Aye Write Festival, where Andrew was due to read from and discuss the novel. However, due to the Covid-19, this event was cancelled for 2020.
Further to this, Andrew was interviewed again by The Herald Magazine in April 2020 to discuss the books and poetry that shaped him.
BBC Horizon – The Great British English and Creative Writing academic Andrew Meehan Intelligence Test appeared on BBC Radio Scotland’s Afternoon Show to discuss the publication of his latest novel, The Mystery of Love, a witty Have you ever wondered how intelligent you are, and whether it’s re-imagining of the relationship between Oscar and Constance possible to boost your brain power? In February, Dr Louise Nicholls, Wilde. The book was released on February 6th and has already Senior Lecturer in Psychology, was interviewed as part of an special been receiving some very impressive newspaper reviews. episode of BBC Horizon, the BBC’s flagship science programme.
The Mystery of Love, Andrew’s second novel, is a fictional The BBC has asked the nation to complete a series of online tests, account of the marriage of Oscar and Constance Wilde and was looking at how well we can process and remember different types published by Head of Zeus Books. of information, such as words and visual patterns. After completing the tests, which takes around 30 minutes, participants receive In their review of the novel, The Independent wrote: “It would an overview of their performance, and how it stacks up relative to take an audacious writer not just to put words into the mouth of everyone else who took part. Ireland’s best-known wit, but also to reimagine the relationship between Oscar Wilde and his wife Constance. Andrew Meehan In the programme, Louise explains working memory, which is our has already proved himself a brilliantly inventive writer with ability to process and temporarily retain information moment-to- his 2017 debut, One Star Awake. [...] The story of Oscar and moment, and crucial in everyday life. She describes spatial working Constance has long been compelling: under Meehan’s astute memory in detail, the ability to take in and remember spatial eye, even more so. Yet even if The Mystery of Love wasn’t written locations and relationships. This ability is involved in a variety of about these two enchanting figures, it’s a wonderful read in its daily activities, such as driving, or planning the best route to walk to own right.” a particular location, for example. Participants in the studio played a location memory game, which taps into this ability. They were The Herald magazine featured an essay from Strathclyde shown a series of spatial locations, one after the other, and then Creative Writing academic Andrew Meehan in their most recent asked to move around the locations in the same sequence. This is a edition on Saturday March 7th. In the essay, Andrew shared the task that always proves challenging! emotional story that informed the writing of his new novel, The Mystery of Love. The programme also addresses different mental training or lifestyle factors that can possibly benefit our brain power, such as the potential impacts of video gaming. Some evidence exists to suggest that video gaming can hone spatial working memory
The HaSS Research & Impact Bulletin [ People & Society - Spring 2020, Issue No.6 ] 26
skills. However, there’s a lot still to learn on this topic, such as economic support directly to people who have been most affected the precise source of any gaming benefits, and the optimal time by the crisis. Watch Matt’s Faculty lecture on UBI or read his blog spent on gaming so as not to deprive other skills and abilities. The in the Conversation on how UBI could improve mental health. programme considers a range of other interesting factors that can also influence intelligence test performance, including personality and age. It should make for an interesting watch!
To take the test, and for further information about the programme which aired on 4th May, please visit the programme website.
Glasgow Skeptics/Strathclyde Psychology Public Engagement Talk – Matt Dillahunty
On 16th of December 2019, Glasgow Skeptics, in partnership with Strathclyde Psychology (Dr. David Robertson), hosted Matt Dillahunty for a public engagement talk on rational thinking, scepticism and some magic thrown in for good measure. It was Academics in the news discussing a sell-out event with nearly 300 members of the general public in attendance. Matt regularly shares a stage with figures such as Covid Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris, and he gave an entertaining Several colleagues were in the news, discussing the and thought provoking talk. It is hoped that the partnership with implications of the current lockdown situation for mental health, Glasgow Skeptics and Strathclyde can now be developed further. relationships and well-being for people and current policy decisions. Here’s a selection:
• Dr Megan Crawford, Psychological Sciences & Health, discussed on BBC Women’s Hour (minute 00:35 ff) if people are dreaming more during lockdown • Dr Nicola Cogan, Psychological Sciences & Health, was cited in an article about the impact of lockdown on our relationships, in the National • Prof Matt Smith, Humanities, wrote a blog for the Conversation on how UBI could improve mental health. • Prof Kat Smith, Social Work & Social Policy, appeared on BBC Debate Night discussing Scottish Government’s current approach to lockdown
Universal basic income and mental health
Since 2019, Matt Smith has given a series of public and invited lectures about universal basic income (UBI) and mental health. These have included two lectures for the mental health charity Mind’s leadership retreat, one for the Royal College of Psychiatrists of Scotland’s 25th anniversary conference, one for the University of Aberdeen’s Psychology Society and an inaugural lecture at TIC, which attracted over 450 registrants. Reflecting on insights from post-war social psychiatric research in North America, Smith argues that UBI could help prevent mental illness by reducing poverty, alleviating inequality and promoting social cohesion. Since the Covid-19 pandemic emerged, Smith has been actively promoting the potential benefits of UBI in providing
Public engagement and media events 27
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
‘Lockdown days’
I’ve wanted to write about the lockdown since… well, since the lockdown began. (How long ago is it? Three weeks? Three years? Three minutes?) But since it all began, my wife and I have been doing our respective jobs full-time from home – hunched over improvised work stations at either end of a not very large flat. We accidentally eavesdrop on each other’s online conferences. We print documents and scribble notes for ourselves and leave them as well indulge in the other half of the equation the night before. scattered round the place. It feels as if work has spread into every This idea is taken under consideration. crevice of our dwelling, like an item of home baking that won’t stop rising, even after it has been removed from the oven. And every couple of days, we go out for Government-sanctioned
exercise! We’ve had some great evening walks around Hyndland Meanwhile, we have ‘kettle’ rather than ‘water cooler’ chats in the and Dowanhill. Three-paned bay windows are filled with the letters kitchen and carefully monitor one another’s relationship with the ‘N’, ‘H’ and ‘S’, accompanied by rainbows scribbled in crayon (and, fridge, to ensure than it remains a flirtation rather than evolving into in one case, beautifully rendered in coloured post-it notes.) Foxes a full-blown civil partnership. The radio murmurs in the background, skulk in the distance, but somehow look marginally less furtive than kept low enough not to distract us but loud enough to stop the usual. ‘Only able to go out when no-one else is around?’ they seem home atmosphere from becoming completely sepulchral. The only to say. ‘Welcome to our world.’ (Colleagues report that their pets loud noises are emitted involuntarily when, having finished a Zoom have started to fix them with a basilisk stare, as if to say, ‘Don’t you or Skype call, one or other of us stands up to go to the loo, forgets have to be somewhere?’) that they’re still connected to their laptop by the headphones cord and nearly strangles themselves. We take our time when we’re out, savouring the fresh air, but
meander and zigzag a lot, to maintain social distance from our Seven pm, or thereabouts, is dinner time. Hurrah! If it’s not too fellow pedestrians. Traced on a map, our average route would cold, we open the French windows, which give onto a small iron resemble the itinerary of a drunk snail. The only challenge is to balustrade and a ledge just wide enough for a few pot plants – stay out of the invisible slipstream of suspect particles created or ‘the estate’ as I occasionally refer to it. We have three robust by the laboured breathing of joggers as they bear down on us out honeysuckle on the ledge and sometimes, if there’s a warm spell of nowhere. Otherwise, the chance to see some plum blossom, in summer and the wind is blowing the right way, they fill our crocuses and daffodils is a real tonic. east-facing living room with sublime fragrance. But it’s too early for all that, alas. Will we still be confined to quarters when the first Back home, we have the brave new world of streaming TV to blossoms appear? entertain us: lots of ‘prestige’ series, which, I’m told, are shot ‘flat’
on digital video then manipulated in post-production to reproduce We agree that the most surprising aspect of the lockdown so far is the lustrous style that expert movie cinematographers once spent just how exhausting a normal working day is when you do it from hours painstakingly creating for real with lights and filters. Maybe home. Everything seems to take so much more concentration than that explains why watching too many of them feels like being force- normal; everything is heightened and intensified. The remote fed processed meals. Much better, all things considered, to curl up versions of the IT systems we use intermittently struggle, working at with a good book, glancing up occasionally to watch the pink super the approximate pace of a tortoise laden with heavy shopping. Our moon rising. What’s that? A pink gin too? I thought you’d never ask! aching necks and backs sing a lament for our office work stations and those ‘ergonomic’ chairs we took for granted. ------Most mysteriously of all, we both wake every morning with what David Cunningham works in the Graduate School and he originally feels like hangovers, in spite of the fact that neither of us is drinking published this piece in Scottish Review. His short stories have appeared in at the moment and we’re able to sleep in a bit more than normal. I a variety of magazines and have been broadcast on Radio 4. He has also shamelessly suggest that if we have the hangovers anyway, we may published a novel for teenage readers- CloudWorld- with Faber & Faber.
The HaSS Research & Impact Bulletin [ People & Society - Spring 2020, Issue No.6 ] 28
Stick to a regular bedtime and avoid screens just before bed. If It’s OK not to be OK your brain keeps you awake, try a body scan. Start at your head and find any tension in your body, e.g. your forehead, your jaws, We all have mental health. It’s okay not to be okay. your shoulders etc. and relax each part, right down to your toes. You are likely to feel quite unsettled by what’s happening. Routines have changed and there is a lot of uncertainty. You may be very anxious about loved ones who fall into the high-risk Supporting school-aged children category or who are working in very difficult situations in the front line. You may feel you have lost control of your life. Maybe you have been sent a whole folder of work, with additional Our day-to-day lives undoubtably have changed. Your feelings pieces coming via Glow or Google Classroom. However, transition are a normal response to these exceptional times. Insomnia, for is huge in children’s lives and this is a major transition. Children’s example, is a normal response. If your anxiety is overwhelming, mental health has worsened since the Coronavirus pandemic. Just there are breathing and other exercises you can do. take the time to settle and reassure them that you are there for their support. Grounding Let them talk about their feelings. Can they play outside or draw a 5 things you see around you. picture or play a game with you? Do some school work if they are 4 things you can touch around you. ready. Or focus on life skills. Why not try the See Me emoji jukebox: 3 things you hear. https://feelsfm.co.uk/? 2 things you can smell. 1 thing you can taste. When we return to ‘normal’, teachers will cover everything. You don’t need to feel guilty or the pressure to cover all the work. Consider how much caffeine you are having (You may find that the work, e.g. Maths, has changed a bit since Too much caffeine can make you more anxious. Avoiding coffee, you were at school.) If you are looking for resources, the newly tea, energy drinks and fizzy drinks can help reduce your anxiety. launched BBC Bitesize might help: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize
Social media use Switch off from social media if you need to. Follow only Sources of support reputable news sources. For example, Jason Leitch, National Clinical Director, Scottish Government, is a reputable and Remember that this is temporary. In the meantime, these may calming source for updates (@jasonleitch if you’re on Twitter). be of help.
Connections SilverCloud - secure, confidential and immediate access to During this physical isolation, it is crucial to maintain online CBT connections with others. Know your tribe. Listen to each other. https://strathclydestaff.silvercloudhealth.com/signup/
Mental health and wellbeing Working from home https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/
You’re at home, in a crisis, trying to do your work. Samaritans https://www.samaritans.org/scotland/samaritans-in-scotland/ Physical and mental health are so closely linked. It’s important to get outside for daily exercise, e.g. walking (at a safe distance See Me https://www.seemescotland.org/about-see-me/ from others) (permitted at the time of writing) or inside, e.g. YouTube videos, even if the dog tries to join in. Mental Health Foundation Scotland https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/scotland Routines are very important. On work days, try to get up at the same time, have your usual shower, get dressed etc. Perhaps Scottish Association for Mental Health your exercise could be done in the time you normally commute. https://www.samh.org.uk/
Take regular breaks from the screen. Stop and take notice, e.g. Mind For better mental health https://www.mind.org.uk/ of signs of spring, listen carefully to the sounds around you. Be in the present and breathe deeply, exhaling for as long as you Relate (relationship support) www.relate.org.uk inhale. How to support someone with a mental health problem: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/publications/supporting- someone-mental-health-problem
Personal development 29
Families with children
Parentline Scotland https://www.children1st.org.uk/help-for- families/parentline-scotland
BBC Bitesize: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize
Childline https://www.childline.org.uk
Young Minds www.youngminds.org.uk
NSPCC www.nspcc.org.uk
Women’s Aid www.womensaid.org.uk
Refuge (for advice on domestic violence) www.refuge.org.uk
Catriona Robb i Teaching Fellow in Children’s Mental Health School of Education
HASS IMPACT Outstanding Impact for Policy This prize will recognise research that has PRIZE AWARDS contributed to the development of public policy at the local, regional or national government level. This could include direct 2020 changes in policy, changes to how decision makers view issues, and the development The new HaSS Impact Prize is an annual opportunity to recognise and of more effective and efficient practice by reward the successes in our Faculty on projects which are making a professionals or the users of public services. difference and are achieving outstanding societal impacts. A prize of £100 Entries should be supported by evidence that is awarded to the winners of each category. The application is open to all the research has been taken up and used by staff, independent of stage of their career or contract type. policy makers and public service practitioners.
There are four prize categories: Early Career Impact Outstanding Outstanding This prize will recognise social scientists at the beginning of their academic careers who Impact for Society International have achieved or show potential in achieving This prize will recognise research outstanding impacts in any of the above that has made a contribution Impact categories. This includes current PhD students benefitting a specific group This prize will recognise and early career academics in their first three within the public or society research that has years post-PhD. achieved impact at an more widely. This could include An application form is now available through international level across impacts arising from working RAKET’s Sharepoint site. with local or community groups, countries in business, charities or wider society. policy or societal issues. Closing deadline: 15th June 2020
The HaSS Research & Impact Bulletin [ People & Society - Spring 2020, Issue No.6 ] Do you have a research story to feature in the next issue?
Submit a ‘New story’ through Sharepoint or email: [email protected]