Peter Castleton

Director of Social Work Programmes
(BA (Hons) Psychology and Philosophy; BPhil (Social Work); CQSW)

Academic Profile

I joined the Department in April 2001, having come from a local Social Services Department. I am Director of Social Work Programmes and Course Leader for the MA in Social Work.

My background is in child care social work, and post-qualifying training, and in my previous roles I have been a practitioner and manager in both fields. My academic background is Psychology and Philosophy.

Research

I have been involved in research into the evaluation of training provision, and I am currently looking at issues for social work practitioners concerning the sustainability of learning in the context of continuous professional development.

I have a continuing interest in how social workers acquire and apply their knowledge of children´s development, and am currently working to develop a national resource for practitioners, supported by a grant from the General Social Care Council.

Research Projects
Date	Sponsor	Details
March – November 2009	East Midlands Strategic Health Authority	'Getting the Message' – developing mentorship in inter-professional learning about child safeguarding.

Teaching

I teach on the following social work programmes:

MA in Social Work

MA in Professional Practice with Children & Families

Postgraduate Supervision

Social work practice raises many complex and challenging issues for students, practitioners and managers alike. I have a continuing interest in helping people grow and develop in their professional role, and in particular to help them think about and make sense of:

• Child Care Law

• Child Protection and Partnership working

• Effective therapeutic interventions

• Decision-making and practice judgements

• Reflective Practice

• Supervision and mentorship