Professor Michelle Lefevre
Professor of Social Work, University of Sussex, United Kingdom
Email: M.Lefevre@sussex.ac.uk
Profile
Michelle Lefevre is Professor of Social Work at the University of Sussex, where she is Director of the Centre for Innovation and Research in Childhood and Youth (www.sussex.ac.uk/esw/circy). She leads the Innovate Project (www.theinnovateproject.co.uk), a four year pan-UK research study funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, exploring innovation in social care methods and systems to address extra-familial risks facing young people. Prior to her academic career, Michelle practised as a social worker and psychotherapist with children and families where there had been child protection concerns. Michelle was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship in 2015 for her work advancing the pedagogy of social workers’ communication skills with children.
Research
Publications
- Preston, O., Godar, R., Lefevre, M., Boddy, J., Firmin, C. (2021) Considerations in the use of local and national data for evaluating innovation in children’s social care, Journal of Children’s Services, Vol. 16 No. 3, pp. 233-248, DOI 10.1108/JCS-12-2020-0081
- Hampson, M., Goldsmith, C. and Lefevre, M. (2021) ‘Towards a framework for ethical innovation in children’s social care’, Journal of Children’s Services, Vol. 16, No. 3, pp. 198-213, DOI 10.1108/JCS-12-2020-0080, ISSN: 1746-6660.
- Lefevre, M., Preston, O., Hickle, K. et al., (2020) Evaluation of the Implementation of a Contextual Safeguarding System in the London Borough of Hackney. Project Report. Department for Education.
- Lefevre, M., Hickle, K. & Luckock, B. (2019) ‘Both/and’ not ‘either/or’: reconciling rights to protection and participation in working with child sexual exploitation, British Journal of Social Work, Volume 49, Issue 7, pp.1837–185.
- Lefevre, M. (2018) Communicating and Engaging with Children and Young People: Making a Difference. Bristol: The Policy Press, 2nd Edition.
- Lefevre, M., Hickle, K., Luckock, B. & Ruch, G. (2017) Building trust with children and young people at risk of Child Sexual Exploitation: the professional challenge British Journal of Social Work, 47(8), pp. 2456–2473.