Full Profile

Amanda’s background is as a psychiatric social worker for a large Hospital and Community Trust in Northern Ireland; mainly within the field of adult mental health in acute and community services. A large proportion of her work and interest is around the issue of anxiety management and treatment of the same within a group work context.

In addition, she also has had a number of year’s experience, in Northern Ireland, as a social work practitioner with Deaf children and adults, the latter of whom were experiencing and presenting with severe and enduring mental ill health. She has developed a multi-disciplinary referral map and services for both Service-User groups and has left this legacy to be developed from a regional perspective.

Prior to her current position she has been a guest speaker and lectured to BA & MA social work students at Queens University Belfast and the University of Ulster; the latter students being located within outlying colleges.

Her current interests are creative teaching methodologies and engaging students in a dynamic, meaningful and informative manner, as they embark upon their learning and future careers. She is known for her work in the area of ‘Social Media in Social Work Education’ and is the founder of the ‘Use of Book Groups in Social Work Education’, which can be found on Twitter: @SWBookGroup.

Amanda has also recently been named named in the Jisc Top 50 HE Influencers on Social Media. Please also see www.researchinformation.info.

Professional Qualifications

• PGCert in Higher Education / Fellowship of HEA & SEDA (2011)
• Teaching Toolkit Certificate / Associate Fellowship of HEA & SEDA (2010)
• BSc(Hons) in Professional Social Work Practice (2008)
• Diploma in Social Work with Commendation (2006)
• Diploma in Further & Higher Education Commendation (2006)
• CACDP British Sign Language (Level Two) (2006)
• CACDP British Sign Language (Level One) (2005)
• Diploma in Community Mental Health (2000)

PROJECTS

July 2015 Educational Doctorate - Researching the contribution of social work education to the digital socialisation of students for practice:

Nov 2008 Professional Lead for the development of a Referral Pathway. Titled: Paediatric Audiology – Hospital Through to Community Services. The purpose of which was to achieve consistency and continuity of care as a result of standards detailed by the Newborn Hearing Screening Programme piloted in Belfast utilising a multi-disciplinary approach.

May 2008 Professional Lead in the development of Mental Health Services locally for Individuals who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing. The purposes of which was to offer access and reasonable adjustment and to provide a service equal to that of their hearing counterparts.

May 2006 – Oct 2006 HQS (Health Quality Service) Project Lead for Physical Disability & Sensory Support Programme of Care. This role included reviewing the service provision based on specific HQS standards and ensuring that standards were being firstly being met and secondly being maintained. This included drafting of a Policy and Procedural Base for Practice across the Programmes and specific to each individual service provision.

Amanda has also founded a BA (Hons) Social Work Book Group that has attracted and achieved National attention in a recent Online Blog and within a high profile. Using J. K. Rowling's novel to boost social workers' learning. The use of book clubs in social work education. Amanda Taylor enthused social workers about book club and digital practice.