Care, health and wellbeing (CHEW)

Our research in this area explores interactions between lived experience, policy and practice. We adopt a critical perspective on policy, service delivery and the practices of workers within statutory and voluntary sector agencies. We have a particular interest in collective action amongst service users and the contribution of experiential knowledge and lay perspectives to research and public governance.

Our research in this area currently encompasses five areas of activity:

Age and ageing

This very active programme of research is being carried out through collaborations with older people, voluntary sector partners and practitioners. It includes recently completed evaluations of policies and practices; ESRC Follow on Funding for work on older people, wellbeing and participation; and seed corn funding for a second stage of work on dance and dementia. We have strong and expanding international connections and are attracting visitors (from Japan, France, Holland, Australia) wanting to explore our work on older people's participation.

Mental health

This body of research includes two current NIHR-funded projects, one (in collaboration with Kings College, London) exploring the current situation regarding user involvement in mental health services and the other researching the use of Community Treatment Orders from a social care perspective. Work is being carried out across the range of disciplines in the school, including community psychology (current work focuses on debt and its impact on mental health and wellbeing), counselling and psychotherapy.

Information, technology and care

This body of research explores the relationship between information, technology and care, drawing on insights from science and technology studies (STS), sociology of health and critical information systems research. It is led by Flis Henwood, Professor of Social Informatics.

Researchers working in this area include Dr Mary Darking and Dr Dave Harley and PhD students Martin Burns and Cara Redlich.

Current projects include: the Electronic Patient Record Evaluation project and the Patient Record Enhancement Programme http://prep.sussex.ac.uk

Ethic of care

Theoretical and applied work on an ethic of care (see Professor Marian Barnes' staff profile) is contributing to a growing international recognition of the significance of care to achieving social justice. We are hosting an international conference on this topic in September 2012.

Wellbeing

Theoretical work on wellbeing (see Professor David Taylor's staff profile) is offering a critical response to a high profile contemporary policy issue within the UK and elsewhere, and research on the environment (see Dr Michael Cahill's staff profile) and on mobilities explores wellbeing in relation to the spaces and places in which we live.

We are demonstrating the importance of multi- and trans-disciplinary perspectives in which theoretical and applied work enrich each other. We have strong links with policy, practice and with service users and community organisations with whom we carry out collaborative research. Doctoral students working in these areas meet regularly with staff and we welcome informal enquiries from those interested in pursuing doctoral studies in any of the above areas. Contact Professor Marian Barnes Marian.Barnes@brighton.ac.uk

Cluster members

The CHEW cluster is led by Professor Marian Barnes and current members include: