CLAIRE CAMERON TO VISIT CEEHE

Monday, 21 March 2016

Professor Claire Cameron will be visiting the Centre of Excellence for Equity in Higher Education (CEEHE) next month to provide and share her expertise in the area of Out of Home Care (OOHC).

Image of Professor Claire Cameron

Claire Cameron is Professor of Social Pedagogy at UCL Institute of Education, where she has been researching issues of care, social pedagogy, gender, the children’s workforce plus early childhood education and care for over two decades.

View her full biography below.

During her time at CEEHE, Professor Cameron will be helping to build on the Live, Learn, Grow program that is being piloted at the University of Newcastle (UON) this year and is funded by the Commonwealth Department of Education.

Live, Learn, Grow aims to help students with an OOHC experience to access and actively participate in higher education by offering support in areas that are known to present challenges. Support includes; subsidised on-campus accommodation, guaranteed on-campus employment and tailored support with developing academic and social skills throughout the year.

Live, Learn Grow is only in the early stages of implementation with the first group of students arriving on campus in late February who have commenced with UON’s enabling program Newstep or a Bachelor degree.

CEEHE will be exploring ways of developing research informed practice and policy influence, with the support of Professor Cameron and opportunities for ongoing collaboration in the area of residential care.

As well as delivering a public lecture on Thursday April 21 (further details TBA), Professor Cameron will work with practitioners and researchers to build a research agenda around issues of care leavers and educational outcomes and is scheduled to meet with relevant government agencies and community based providers.

An on-campus experience day is also being held for students from Year 10, 11 and 12 currently in OOHC during Professor Cameron's visit.

Professor Cameron will arrive on Monday April 18 and depart on Saturday May 7.

biography

Claire Cameron is Professor of Social Pedagogy at UCL Institute of Education, where she has been researching issues of care, social pedagogy, gender, the children’s workforce, looked after children and early childhood education and care since the early 1990s.

She is also Deputy Director of the Thomas Coram Research Unit, a specialist social science research unit at UCL IOE. Previously a social worker, she has conducted many studies, with a particular focus on cross-national studies, funded by government, European Union and NGOs.

She led the first European study of the higher education pathways of young people from public care backgrounds (also known as YiPPEE, 2008 - 2011). After a long period of cross-national investigation of the quality of life for young people in care in European countries, Claire led a pilot study introducing European trained social pedagogues into residential care in England (2008 – 2011), which stimulated interest in developing social pedagogy across the UK.

Her current research and development activity includes:  evaluating a transformation programme in social work in three London boroughs; leading the English part of a Swiss-led project on placement breakdown in foster care; supporting a knowledge exchange programme with schools to improve the attainment of looked after children; leading on a programme of professional infrastructure development to support social pedagogy in the UK; working with SOS Children’s Villages International to research care leavers and employment options.

She retains an interest in early childhood education and care and is one of four co-editors of a global policy handbook in production, is an active doctoral supervisor and contributes to the new BSc Social Science at UCL on children’s issues.

Related news