Profile

Professor Nigel Thomas

Professor of Childhood and Youth Research

School of Social Work

Harrington Building, HA 309

01772 894514

npthomas@uclan.ac.uk

My research with children and young people includes child welfare, children’s rights and theories of childhood, with a particular focus on children and young people’s participation. I have worked with children in care, young carers, school pupils and members of youth councils, using a range of innovative methods. I am co-director and co-founder of The Centre, which supports children and young people to do their own research. I co-edit the journal Children & Society.

Qualifications

PhD Applied Social Studies, University of Wales, 1999
AdvDipEd in Child Development, Open University, 1996
MSc in Applied Social Studies (CQSW), University of Oxford, 1976
BA in Philosophy and Politics, University of Oxford, 1971

Membership of Professional and Learned Bodies  

British Association of Social Workers

Research

Recent research projects

• Children in Care Councils: the London Picture, with Barry Percy-Smith and colleagues for London Councils, 2010. View report (.pdf)
• Good Practice in Social Care for Asylum Seekers and Refugees, with Karen Newbigging and colleagues for Social Care Institute for Excellence, 2009-10. View report (.pdf)
• Promoting Positive Mental Health and Recovery in Young People: Evaluation of the UThink Project, with David Pilgrim for Rethink, 2009-10. View report (.pdf)
• Steps to effective engagement with children and young people, with Sarah Callaghan for Lancashire Children’s Trust Partnership Board, 2009. View report (.pdf)
• ‘How’s my worker doing?’ The Young People’s Appraisal and Assessment Project , with Andy Bilson and Lancashire Children’s Rights Service for Children’s Workforce Development Council, 2008-9. View report (.pdf)
• Evaluating the Children’s Commissioner for Wales, with Mandy Cook and others for the Children’s Commissioner for Wales, 2005-8. View report (.pdf)
  

Publications

2012

• Thomas, N. Pilgrim, D., Street, C. and Larsen, J. (2012) ‘Supporting young people with mental health problems: lessons from a voluntary sector pilot’, Mental Health Review Journal 17 (1), 14-25.

Just published in 2011!

• Editors Nigel Thomas and John Devaney (2011) Child Abuse Review Special Issue: ‘Safeguarding Refugee and Asylum-Seeking Children’, Volume 20 Issue 5.
• Editors Helen Stalford, Nigel Thomas and Eleanor Drywood (2011) International Journal of Children’s Rights Special Issue: ‘The European Union and Children’s Rights’, Volume 19 Issue 3. 

Books:

• Percy-Smith, B. and Thomas, N. (eds) (2010) A Handbook of Children and Young People’s Participation: perspectives from theory and practice, Routledge.
• Thomas, N. (ed.) (2009) Children, Politics and Communication: Participation at the Margins, Policy Press.
• Thomas, N. (2005) Social Work with Young People in Care: Looking after children in theory and practice, Palgrave Macmillan (Chinese edition 2010, Beijing: Renmin University Press).
• Maynard, T. and Thomas, N. (eds) (2004) An Introduction to Early Childhood Studies, Sage (2nd edition 2009).
• Thomas, N. (2000) Children, Family and the State: Decision-making and Child Participation, Macmillan (paperback edition 2002, Policy Press).
• Jackson, S. and Thomas, N. (1999) On the Move Again? what works in creating stability for looked after children, Barnardos. (2nd edition 2001, What works in creating stability for looked after children?)
• Sanders, R. and Thomas, N. (1997) Area Child Protection Committees, Ashgate.

Book chapters:

• Thomas, N. (2010) ‘Introduction: The concept of children’s participation’ in Valuing Children’s Potential: How children’s participation contributes to fighting poverty and social exclusion, Brussels: Eurochild.
• Thomas, N. (2009) ‘Children and Politics’ in Kellett, M. (ed.) Children and Young People’s Worlds: Frameworks for Integrated Practice, Policy Press.
• Thomas, N. (2009) ‘Sociology of Childhood’ and ‘Children’s Rights and the Law’ in Maynard, T. and Thomas, N. (eds) An Introduction to Early Childhood Studies (2nd edition), Sage.
• Thomas, N. (2009) ‘Listening to Children and Young People’ in Schofield, G. and Simmonds, J. (eds) The Child Placement Handbook, British Association for Adoption and Fostering.
• Thomas, N. and O’Kane, C. (2009) ‘Children’s participation in reviews and planning meetings when they are ‘looked after’ in middle childhood’ in Courtney, M. and Thoburn, J. (eds) Children in State Care, Ashgate (reprinted from Child & Family Social Work).
• Thomas, N. (2008) ‘Consultation and Advocacy’ in Luckock, B. and Lefevre, M. (eds) Direct Work: Social work with children and young people in care, British Association for Adoption and Fostering.
• Thomas, N. (2008) ‘Cymdeithaseg Plentyndod’ in Siencyn, S.W. (ed.) Y Plentyn Bach: Cyflwyniad i Astudiaethau Plentyndod Cynnar, Carmarthen: Coleg y Drindod.
• Thomas, N. (2007) ‘Childhood in Preseli’ in Osmond, J. (ed.) The Preseli Papers, Institute of Welsh Affairs.
• Thomas, N. (2005) ‘Children, parents and the state’ in Hendrick, H. (ed.) Child Welfare and Social Policy: An essential reader, Policy Press.
• Thomas, N. (2005) ‘Interpreting children’s needs: contested assumptions in the provision of welfare’ in Goddard, J., McNamee, S., James, A. and James, A. (eds) The Politics of Childhood: International Perspectives, Contemporary Developments, Palgrave Macmillan.
• Thomas, N. (2004) ‘The Sociology of Childhood’ and ‘The Law Relating to Children’ in Maynard, T. and Thomas, N. (eds) An Introduction to Early Childhood Studies, Sage.
• Thomas, N. (2000) ‘Listening to children’ in Foley, P., Roche, J. and Tucker, S. (eds) Children in Society: contemporary theory, policy and practice, Open University/Palgrave.

Papers in refereed academic journals:

• Thomas, N. (2012) ‘Love, rights and solidarity: studying children’s participation using Honneth’s theory of recognition’, Childhood, accepted for publication.
• Thomas, N. (2011) ‘The role and impact of independent children’s rights institutions in the UK and Europe’, Journal of Social Welfare & Family Law, 33(3), 279-288.
• Thomas, N. and Percy-Smith, B. (2011) ‘‘It’s about changing services and building relationships’: evaluating the development of Children in Care Councils’, Child & Family Social Work, published online 17 October (DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2206.2011.00806.x).
• Thomas, N., Gran, B. and Hanson, K. (2011) ‘An independent voice for children’s rights in Europe? The role of independent children’s rights institutions in the EU’, International Journal of Children’s Rights 19(3), 429-449.
• Newbigging, K. and Thomas, N. (2011) ‘Good practice in social care for refugee and asylum seeking children’, Child Abuse Review 20(5), 374-390.
• Thomas, N. (2011) ‘Care planning and review for looked after children: fifteen years of slow  progress?’, British Journal of Social Work 41(2), 387-398.
• Thomas, N., Gran, B. and Hanson, K. (2011) ‘An independent voice for children’s rights in Europe? The role of independent children’s rights institutions in the EU’, International Journal of Children’s Rights, accepted for publication.
• Newbigging, K. and Thomas, N. (2011) ‘Good practice in social care for refugee and asylum seeking children’, Child Abuse Review, accepted for publication.
• Vis, S.A., Holtan, A., Strandbu, A. and Thomas, N. (2010) ‘Participation and health - a research review of child participation in planning and decision-making’, Child & Family Social Work, published online 13 Dec 2010 (DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2206.2010.00743.x).
• Vis, S.A., Holtan, A. and Thomas, N. (2010) ‘Obstacles for child participation in care and protection cases – why Norwegian social workers find it difficult’, Child Abuse Review, published online 17 Oct 2010 (DOI: 10.1002/car.1155).
• Thomas, N., Cook, M., Cook, J., France, H., Hillman, J., Jenkins, C., Pearson, T., Pugh-Dungey, R., Sawyers, B., Taylor, M. and Crowley, A. (2010) ‘Evaluating the Children’s Commissioner for Wales: report of a participatory research study’, International Journal of Children’s Rights 18(1), 19-52.
• Vis, S.A. and Thomas, N. (2009) ‘Beyond talking – children’s participation in Norwegian child protection cases’ (‘Ikke bare snakk – barns deltakelse i Norske barnevernssaker’), European Journal of Social Work 12(2), 155-168.
• Miles, G. and Thomas, N. (2007) ‘‘Don’t grind an egg against a stone’ – Children’s rights and violence in Cambodian history and culture’, Child Abuse Review 16(6), 383-400.
• Thomas, N. (2007) ‘Towards a theory of children’s participation’, International Journal of Children’s Rights 15(2), 199-218.
• Thomas, N. and Crowley, A. (2006) ‘Children’s rights and wellbeing in Wales’, Contemporary Wales 19, 161-179.
• Bogolub, E. and Thomas, N. (2005) ‘Parental consent and the ethics of research with foster children: beginning a cross-cultural dialogue’, Qualitative Social Work 4(3), 271-292.
• Thomas, N. (2005) ‘Has anything really changed? Managers’ views of looked after children’s participation in 1997 and 2004’, Adoption & Fostering 29(1), 67-77.
• Thomas, N., Stainton, T., Jackson, S., Cheung, W. Y., Doubtfire, S. and Webb, A. (2003) ‘‘Your friends don’t understand’ - invisibility and unmet need in the lives of ‘young carers’,’ Child & Family Social Work 8(1), 35-46.
• Mathias-Williams, R. and Thomas, N. (2002) ‘Great Expectations? the career aspirations of social work students’, Social Work Education 21(4), 421-435.
• Thomas, N. and O’Kane, C. (2000) ‘Discovering what children think: connections between research and practice’, British Journal of Social Work 30, 817-33.
• Thomas, N. (2000) ‘Putting the family in the driving seat: the development of family group conferences in England and Wales’, Social Work & Social Sciences Review 8(2), 101-15.
• Thomas, N. and O’Kane, C. (1999) ‘Experiences of decision-making in middle childhood: the example of children `looked after' by local authorities’, Childhood 6(3), 369-88.
• Thomas, N. and O’Kane, C. (1999) ‘Children’s participation in reviews and planning meetings when they are ‘looked after’ in middle childhood’, Child & Family Social Work 4(3), 221-30.
• Thomas, N. and O’Kane, C. (1998) ‘When children’s wishes and feelings clash with their ‘best interests’’, International Journal of Children’s Rights 6(2), 137-54.
• Thomas, N. and O’Kane, C. (1998) ‘The ethics of participatory research with children’, Children & Society 12(5), 336-48.
• Sanders, R., Jackson, S. and Thomas, N. (1997) ‘Policy priorities in child protection: perception of risk and agency strategy’, Policy Studies 18(2), 139-58.
• Sanders, R., Jackson, S. and Thomas, N. (1997) ‘Degrees of involvement: the interaction of focus and commitment in Area Child Protection Committees’, British Journal of Social Work 27, 871-92.
• Sanders, R., Jackson, S. and Thomas, N. (1996) ‘The balance of prevention, investigation, and treatment in the management of child protection services’, Child Abuse & Neglect 20(10), 899-906.
• Sanders, R., Jackson, S. and Thomas, N. (1996) ‘A comparison of child protection local procedures handbooks’, Practice 8(3), 31-44.
• Sanders, R., Jackson, S. and Thomas, N. (1996) ‘The police role in the management of child protection services’, Policing & Society 6, 87-100.
• Thomas, N. (1995) ‘Child abuse and allegations of abuse in local authority foster care’, Practice 7(3), 35-44.
• Thomas, N. and Simm, M. (1994) ‘Child welfare services in Russia: the need for collaboration’, Children & Society 8(4), 327-32.
• Thomas, N. (1994) ‘The social worker as ‘bad object’: a response to Marguerite Valentine’, British Journal of Social Work 24(6), 749-54.
• Thomas, N. and Beckett, C. (1994) ‘Are children still waiting? New developments and the impact of the Children Act 1989’, Adoption & Fostering 18(1), 8-16.

Articles in professional journals or general publications:

• Thomas, N. (2011) Children’s Rights: Policy into Practice (Centre for Children and Young People Background Briefing No.4), Lismore: Southern Cross University.
• Newbigging, K. and Thomas, N. (2010) Good Practice in Social Care for Asylum Seekers and Refugees: a Resource Guide, London: SCIE.
• Thomas, N. (2010) ‘Research review: Care planning and reviews for looked after children’, Community Care Inform  (http://www.ccinform.co.uk/).
• Thomas, N. and Crowley, A. (2009) ‘A champion for children: evaluating the Children’s Commissioner for Wales’, childRIGHT 258, 21-23.
• Thomas, N. (2009) ‘Trailblazers: report on an evaluation of the role of the Children’s Commissioner for Wales’, Agenda (journal of the Institute of Welsh Affairs) 37, 55-57.
• Thomas, N. (2005) ‘The role of a children’s commissioner’, Integrate (Newsletter of the British Association for Early Childhood Education) 4, 5.
• Thomas, N. and O’Kane, C. (1998) ‘Why can’t I stay with my friends?’, Community Care 19 December.
• Thomas, N. and Beckett, C. (1995) ‘Striking difference’, Community Care 16-22 February.

Audiovisual and training materials:

• Thomas, N., Phillipson, J., O’Kane, C. and Davies, E. (1999) Children and Decision Making: a training and resource pack. University of Wales Swansea, International Centre for Childhood Studies.
• Thomas, N. and O’Kane, C. (1998) Voices with Volume. Audiotape from University of Wales Swansea, International Centre for Childhood Studies.

Teaching

I am actively involved in supervising research students, and I contribute to teaching on social work and social policy degrees.