Shelly Stoops
Since 2021, Shelly has been a lecturer in Policing, Law Enforcement and Investigation studies at the University. She teaches across a range of policing programmes. Her specialist areas of interest are sex work and particularly violence against sex workers, policing sex work, domestic and sexual violence and CSE/CCE. Shelley is an experienced trainer in these fields and has presented papers at conferences nationally and internationally about these subjects.
Shelly's work has been published in several academic and professional journals and books around the issues of sex work and policing.
In the late 1990s, Shelly studied Social Sciences at University. During this time, she initially worked as a volunteer at a domestic violence project in Merseyside and went on to be a full-time worker. She volunteered at a sex work support project in Liverpool between doing sessional outreach and supporting the sex worker drop-in. Alongside this, she studied for a postgrad in Gendered Criminology, rights, and justice.
She joined the NHS in 2005 as an outreach worker for street sex workers. In 2006, Shelly secured Home Office funding for a specialist post to support sex workers who had been victims of rape and sexual assault, she became the first Specialist Independent Sexual Violence Advisor (SWISVA) in the UK (or in the world) to work exclusively with sex workers, a project that went on to receive critical acclaim both nationally and internationally and is known as the ‘Merseyside Model’. This changed the way sex workers are viewed and policed strategically in the UK and has had some international impact too.
She became a Crisis Worker in 2008 when Merseyside opened SAFE Place, its adult SARC. She was then promoted and became its Operational Manager. She continues to do crisis work at the SARC. Shelly worked on many strategic projects and SAFE Place was part of a multi sited project to find the best service for rape victims in Europe. SAFE Place was ultimately voted as the best service.
Shelly sat on the planning group for the National Rape Action Plan for the UK alongside the DPP giving her expertise on victim care to ensure that the policy was trauma informed and victim centred.
She carried out the Home Office funded UKNSWP (UK Network of Sex Work Projects) consultation project around setting up a National ‘Ugly Mugs’ Scheme which she wrote up and published in Summer 2011 and presented to The Rt Honourable Teresa May. This meeting secured the for the implementation of National Ugly Mugs.
She was a director of National Ugly Mugs and a board member of UK NSWP, sat on the National Police Prostitution Working Group at the National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC formerly ACPO) and is involved in several local and regional forums relating to domestic and sexual violence, sex work and CSE. Shelly is a passionate advocate of Decriminalisation for sex work/ers. She has been involved with sex workers and fighting for their rights since the late 1990ss.
- 2007 - ISVA/IDVA, CAADA UK
- 2005 - PG Cert in Criminology, Rights and Justice, Edge Hill
- 2002 - BA Hons ‘Applied Social Sciences’, Edge Hill (awarded by Lancaster University)
- February 2015 - Won LCH Star Award for care of clients and staff
- June 2015 - Nominated for Liverpool Community Health Award for Care
- June 2015 - Nominated for Community Health Equality & Diversity Award
- June 2014 - Nominated for Liverpool Community Health Award for Commitment
- June 2013 - Nominated for Liverpool Community Health Award for Care
- June 2012 - Won Liverpool Community Health Commissioners Innovation Award
- May 2012 – Won Liverpool Community Health ‘Award for Collaboration’
- April 2012 -Became a board member of UKNSWP (UK Network of Sex Work Projects)
- September 2011 - Presented with the Public Servant Woman of the Year Award-nominated by Baroness Vivien Stern CBE for services to victims of sexual violence
- June 2011 –Presented with a Chief Constable’s Commendation from Merseyside Police
- April 2011 - Presented with runner-up award from Merseyside Police Authority for Best Community Project
- March 2011 - Won– ‘Award for Courage’ Liverpool Community Health
- March 2011 - Won -‘Award for Commitment’ Liverpool Community Health
- November 2010 - Presented with a Chief Constable’s Commendation from Merseyside Police
- December 2009 - CitySafe ‘Community Champion’ Award-runner up
- November 2009 - Nominated for NHS Liverpool Community Health ‘The Chair’s Award for Equality and Diversity’ for ‘Recognition of Outstanding Performance’
- November 2009 - Liverpool Community Health ‘Community Award’ for ‘Recognition of Outstanding Performance’(runner up)
- Safety, violence & policing sex work
- Child sexual/criminal exploitation
- Sexual/domestic violence/abuse
- Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Authority (AFHEA)
Email: Email:Shelly Stoops