Gedminte Mikulenaite

What Works Centre for Wellbeing/Universities UK

Gedminte is a Policy Researcher at Universities UK, with a specific focus on mental health in higher education​ and research culture and talent. ​She has previously worked as a project administrator for student support and a project officer for postgraduate research education teams at the University of Essex. Gedminte studied International Relations at the ​University of Essex.

Jamila Boughelaf 

What Works Centre for Wellbeing/Universities UK

Jamila is Head of Programmes, Governance and Operations at the What Works Centre for Wellbeing. Jamila is also independent consultant in the fields of education and prevention and Associate Researcher for the Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (DARC) at Middlesex University London, with focus on mental ill-health and substance use prevention among young people.

Prior to this, Jamila was Head of Programmes and Evidence at Mentor UK, leading on policy and research projects promoting evidence-based practice in the field of substance use prevention, and a member of the European Society for Prevention Research (EUSPR).

Anna Bacchoo

What Works for Children’s Social Care

Anna is responsible for ensuring social work practice is at the heart of the What Works Centre for Children’s Social Care. This involves leading engagement with the sector, with a particular focus on creating a culture of evidence-minded practice.

Anna studied politics at the University of Sussex and has a Masters in Social Work from the University of Brighton. She enjoys teaching skills workshops on social work courses at Sussex.
Before joining the WWC, Anna worked in statutory child protection social work for 13 years at Brighton and Hove City Council and was part of the leadership team that implemented a whole system change in children’s services. Anna is particularly interested in strengths-based assessments, relationship-based practice and organisational development.

Suzanne Mooney

Lecturer in Social Work
Systemic Practice and Family Therapy Programme Director
Queen's University Belfast

With 25 years’ clinical experience with children, young people, adults and their families as a social worker and systemic family therapist in the statutory and voluntary sectors, Suzanne joined the Queen’s Social Work research and teaching faculty in 2014. Suzanne combines her research interests in the impact of adverse experiences across the life course with improving clinical practice and service integration.
 
Suzanne and Queen’s SW colleagues were involved with the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust’s pilot implementation of the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) research with child welfare teams in 2015-16. This applied research development led to ACE training with over 700 Children’s Services SWs across HSC Trusts in 2017-18 to enhance the outcomes for vulnerable children and families. As part of this initiative, Suzanne designed the Family Life Stories workbook and accompanying guidance to assist practitioner engagement with parents impacted by childhood adversity. Suzanne and Queen’s colleagues have recently undertaken a rapid evidence review of trauma-informed care in support of the regional Trauma-Informed Practice Project, part of the inter-departmental Early Intervention Transformation Programme led by the Safeguarding Board NI. This project aims to support the adoption of trauma-informed practice across health, social care, justice, education and the voluntary and community sectors.

Montserrat Fargas Malet

Research Fellow
Queen's University Belfast

Montse has worked doing social research in Queen’s University Belfast since 2005. Her background is in Sociology (BSsc), Women’s Studies (MA) and Education (PhD). Her research has mainly focused on looked after children and care experienced young people since 2007, although she has also done research in mental health, trauma, and the social and psychological legacy of the Troubles. She has worked on the third phase and currently working on the fourth phase of a longitudinal study following a group of young people who were in care at a young age in 2000. She has published a range of journal articles and presented in numerous national and international conferences.

 

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