Staff profiles
Pete Nelson
Principal Lecturer, BA, MA, CQSW, CTLHE, registered social worker
Phone 0114 225 2407
E-mail p.nelson@shu.ac.uk
Research interests/current work
Peter Nelson is Principal Lecturer and Academic Delivery Manager in the Department of Social Work Social Care and Community Studies and Research Coordinator for Social Work in the Centre for Health and Social Care Research. He was appointed in 2000. He graduated from Hull University in 1976 (Philosophy) and obtained an MA (Applied Social Studies) and social work qualification (CQSW) from Sheffield University in 1986. He obtained a teaching qualification (CLTHE) from Sheffield Hallam University in 2001 and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a member of the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect.
Peter has eighteen years experience in social care, working in a range of posts in the areas of mental health, residential child care, generic fieldwork and particularly child protection. He is an experienced and qualified practice teacher. His teaching interests are professional values and ethics and social work with children and families, particularly in respect of child protection and substance misuse, where he contributes at undergraduate, postgraduate and post qualifying levels. He has a longstanding interest in practice learning including international perspectives and partnership development.
Peter currently has management responsibility for academic delivery across all courses in the Department. He contributes to a number of committees including acting as a trustee for the Quality Care Partnership in South Yorkshire. He acts as an external examiner with posts at London Metropolitan University and Wolverhampton University. He is on the editorial board and is book editor for the journal Social Policy and Social Work in Transition.
Peter's research experience is in the field of social work education in its wider context including international perspectives and in the research and evaluation of family support initiatives. He has undertaken research commissioned by Skills for Care, the General Social Care Council, and numerous local authorities helping to develop practice education in social work and to demonstrate what works in supporting families within social care and interprofessional practice.
Peter is Academic Director of a three-year (2009-12) one million euro EU Tempus-IV project in social work education and research with partners in Tbilisi State University Georgia (TSU), Kiev Mohyla-Academy Ukraine, University of Ljubjana Slovenia, Tallinn University Estonia, and Vilnius Pedagogical University Lithuania. This builds on previous experience of EU projects to establish social work education in Georgia and to develop an international practice teaching module. His international work also includes lecturing at Lund University, Sweden and in universities in Oslo and Tartu.
Other recent research projects include an enquiry into professional boundary issues commissioned by the General Social Care Council, an evaluation of projects focusing on the mental health of children in schools and in the community, the mapping of service user pathways into family support services. a study examining the alcohol use of hard to reach young people, a study of social workers' experiences of continuing professional development, and research into the ways in which practice learning is sustained, both in statutory agencies and in non-traditional settings.
Research collaborations
Peter undertakes work with ARC Research a private consultancy which brings together teams of inter professional researchers from academic and professional practice. They have together worked on seven projects in respect evaluation and development of family support and Sure Start initiatives.
Research outputs: key publications since 2001
Books and book sections
Shardlow Steven and Nelson Peter, ed (2005) Introducing Social Work, Russell House
Nelson Peter (2005) Social work with children and families, (2005), in Introducing Social Work (ed) Steven Shardlow and Peter Nelson, 2005, Russell House.
Nelson, Peter and Vitler, Karen (2012 forthcoming) Professional Writing Skills for Social Work, Palgrave
Articles
Nelson, P, Tabberer, S & Chrisp, T (2011): Integrated Working in Children's Centres: A User Pathway Analysis, Practice: Social Work in Action Vol 23 (5) 293-310
Nelson P and Cowburn M (2010) Social Work Admissions: applicants with criminal convictions – the challenge of ethical risk assessment, British Journal of Social Work 40(4):1081-1099
Banks S with Allmark, P Barnes, B, Hugh Barr, Bryant, L, Cowburn, M, Desai, S, Furey, R, Ka y, J, McClimens, A, Nelson, P, Nutting, C, C Sampson, C, Tod, A, Thompson, A, Stanley, D, Taylor, I and Ward, N (2010) ’ Interprofessional ethics: a developing field? Notes from the Ethics and Social Welfare conference, Sheffield, UK, May 2010’Journal of Ethics and Social Welfare, 4.3, 280
Doel, M Allmark P, Conway C, Cowburn M, Flynn M Nelson, P and Todd, A (2009) Professional Boundaries: crossing a line or entering the shadows? British Journal of Social Work 2009; doi: 10.1093/bjsw/bcp106
Doel, M Nelson, P and Flynn, E (2008) Experiences of Post Qualifying study in Social Work, Social Work Education Volume 27(5), 549 - 571
Cowburn, M and Nelson, P (2008) Safe Recruitment, social justice and ethical practice: should people who have criminal convictions be allowed to train as social workers? Social Work Education Volume 27(3) 293-306
Hollows, A and Nelson P (2005) Equity and Pragmatism in Judgement Making about Sibling Groups, Journal of Child and Family Social Work
Hollows, A Channer, Y Nelson, P Storr, I and Williams, J (2005) Researching social work practice or practicing social work research? In search of our identities as social work researchers, Reflections Vol 11 (4) 78-90
Cowburn Malcolm, Nelson Peter, Williams Janet (2000), Assessment of Social Work Studies: Standpoint and Strong Objectivity, Social Work Education, Vol. 19(6), 627-637,
Research reports
Doel, M Nelson P and Day P (2011) Targeted Mental Health in Schools Programme Sheffield Local Authority
Doel, M Allmark P, Conway C, Cowburn M, Flynn M Nelson, P and Todd, A (2009) Professional Boundaries, General Social Care Council
O'Brien R and Nelson P (2009) Evaluation of the Associate health Trainer service delivered by Derbyshire Voice Derbyshire Local Authority Sheffield Hallam University
Nelson P and Chrisp T (2009) User experiences of the Common Assessment Framework Sheffield: Arc Research and Consultancy Ltd
Nelson, P and Tabberer S (2009) Transitional Consultation Alcohol and Young People, Sheffield: Arc Research and Consultancy Ltd
Doel, M., Nelson, P. Flynn, E. and Mulrooney C (2009), How new projects and initiatives in social work practice learning successfully mature, Leeds Skills for Care and Development
Doel, M., Nelson, P. Flynn, E. and Mulrooney C (2009), Revisiting new approaches to practice learning, Leeds Skills for Care and Development
Doel, M., Nelson, P. Flynn, E. and Mulrooney C (2009) Sustaining social work practice learning with local authorities, Leeds Skills for Care and Development
Doel, M., Nelson, P. and Flynn, E. (2007), Developing Practice Teaching and Assessing in the West Midlands, Birmingham: Skills for Care and Development
Doel, M., Nelson, P. and Flynn, E. (2006), Experiences of Post-Qualifying Study in Social Work, London: Skills for Care and Development
Conference abstracts
Nelson, P (2011) Pathways into Family Support ISPCAN International Congress on Child Abuse and Neglect, Tampere Finland.
Williams, J and Nelson, P (2011) ACES an International Module: For Daily Practice or Global Citizenship? ENSACT International Conference Social Action in Europe Brussels, Belgium
Nelson, P and Cowburn, C (2011) Ethical and criminal convictions related issues. SWAP conference research informed assessment of suitability in social work education, London UK
Doel, P and Nelson, P (2010) Crossing a line or entering the shadows? How social workers make decisions about professional boundaries. UK Joint Social Work Education Conference Hertfordshire UK
Banks S, Nelson P and Wiles, (2010) New Approaches to teaching professional ethics UK Joint Social Work Education Conference Hertfordshire UK
Nelson P Vitler K and Wetherald C (2009) Cracking the Code how can we best help students to write? 11th UK Joint Social Work Education Conference, Hertfordshire UK
Nelson, P (2009) Social work Values and criminal records: making decisions about suitability UK Standing Conference of stakeholders in social work and education & Training, Birmingham UK
Nelson, P and Cowburn M (2008) Social Work Admissions: applicants with criminal convictions – the challenge of ethical risk assessment, First International Sociological Association Forum, Barcelona
Nelson, P and Cowburn M (2008) Safe Recruitment, social justice and ethical practice: should people who have criminal convictions be allowed to train as social workers? 10th UK Joint Social Work Education Conference, Cambridge UK
Articles in professional Journals
Nelson, P (2011) Professional boundaries in social work: take the quiz, Community Care
Nelson, P and Megele, C (2010) Ask the expert: does my relationship break the rules, Community Care
