Communities, Young People and Family Lives

The Communities, Young People and Family Lives Research Unit is led by Professor Kathryn Almack. It is a multi-disciplinary team of researchers with research interests broadly addressing aspects of family lives, health and well-being across the life-course.

For further information, contact Professor Rebecca O'Connell.

Unit staff

StaffJob title
Professor Kathryn AlmackProfessor of Family Lives and Care
Professor Wendy WillsProfessor of Food and Public Health
Professor Brian LittlechildProfessor of Social work and Research Lead for Social Work
Dr Angela DickinsonSenior Research Fellow
Dr Claire ThompsonReader in Food Inequalities and Health
Dr Jennifer LynchReader in Social Care Technology and Knowledge Mobilisation
Dr Alison TingleResearch Fellow
Dr Laura HamiltonResearch Fellow
Professor Mark WhitingVisiting Professor of Community Children's Nursing
Terry Hall Communications Research Assistant
Professor Rebecca O'ConnellProfessor of Food, Families and Society

Additional research

Professor Kathryn Almack is also the research lead in the School for Children's Nursing and Midwifery. She works with:

  • Dr Lisa Whiting (Professional lead for Children’s Nursing)
  • Dr Julia Petty
  • Dr Rosemary Godbold
  • Dr Catherine Hamilton (Professional lead for Midwifery)
  • Dr Laura Abbott

Together, their activities fall under the following areas:

  • Evaluating the use of simulation dolls to assess parenting capacity
  • Providing care and support for parents of premature babies at home
  • Children’s palliative care nursing workforce which is responsive to patient need.
  • Neonatal Nurses Engagement with Research
  • Digital storytelling and the parent experience in neonatal care
  • Pregnancy and separation of women from new-born babies in prison
  • Midwifery Practices during the Second Stage of Labour
  • Induction of labour: how do women get information and make decisions
  • Asylum seekers and trafficked women’s experiences of pregnancy and birth.
  • High Risk pregnant women’s experiences of High Dependency Care
  • The impact of 12-hour shift patterns on the maternity workforce

We also have several members of staff undertaking doctoral studies in some of the above research areas.