Profile

Thesis supervisors

• Dr Robert Gunn

Research interests

• Youth justice
• Visual methods
• Social geography
• Sustainable development

PhD Research topic

Supported by the ESRC, this research aims develop a cohesive understanding of the spaces that are associated with the youth justice practice and service users. It is anticipated that such an investigation has the capacity to inform the effective design of youth justice policies, while enhancing the consistency of service delivery.

Use is being made of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) in order to evaluate spatial disparities that are present within the English Youth Justice System. Varied modes of enquiry will then support our local level understandings, with visual participatory research methods being used to consult service users who are commonly considered as being ‘hard to reach’ in research.

Teaching

Guest lecturing in the Department of Social Policy and Social Work relates to modules Youth Justice, and Sustainable Development and Social Inclusion. Teaching has also been delivered for Introducing Social Policy and Social Research Methods. 

Employment

My current academic interests are cemented by previous employment, prior to re-entering education.  After qualifying in photography, a range of activities were undertaken that fundamentally developed my understandings of visual communication.  In addition to sole and collaborative exhibitions, commissions and editorial photography, I have worked on a number of projects with young people experiencing social disadvantage.  This sparked my interest to work with under-represented, marginalised children and young people further.   

Alongside my studies I became a Youth Worker, supporting groups of marginalised children and young people with complex needs.  The strategic focus of this role was varied and with an underlying theme of social inclusion.  Advice and guidance was primarily focused on: city centre based sexual health during the evening; supporting young people that were not in education employment or training (NEET); and intervention strategies through the Positive Activities for Young People (PAYP) initiative.  Throughout this period regular support was provided for young people in police custody through a Youth Offending Team. Additional responsibilities that followed included the coordination of a mobile youth provision for the local authority, as well as supporting convicted young people during their mandatory reparative activity.

Research work was undertaken from April 2009 in the Department of Social Policy and Social Work, initially through an investigation into fuel and water poverty in the UK. Subsequent employment was then secured as a Research Associate on a project investigating the National Framework for Sustainable Schools. This involved an evaluation of policy implementation as well as an exploration of ranging stakeholder views and experiences.  As a result, visual participatory research methods facilitated some of the discussions including those with young children, and with pupils attending a special school, hospital school and a pupil referral unit.  During this period I gained an MRes in Social Policy, funded by a studentship that was connected with the National Framework for Sustainable Schools project.   

Independent research work has involved consulting with NEET young people residing in Hull about their essential services.  In this case, the chosen mode of enquiry was visual, allowing the dialogue to be significantly broadened.  Currently, an exploration into the accessibility of local services for marginalised children and young people is taking place for a local authority.  

Since July 2011 I have been on the Executive Committee of the UK Social Policy Association as a Postgraduate Representative.

Publications and conferences

Publications

Book review: Fitzpatrick, T., (2012), Understanding the Environment and Social Policy, Bristol: Policy Press, for the Journal of Social Policy (in press).

Wilson, S.J., and Snell, C., (2010), ''Bad for the penguins … because they need ice and that to live on': an exploratory study into the environmental views, concerns and knowledge of socially disadvantaged young people', Journal of Youth Studies, 13: 2, 151 - 168 .

Horton, M., Grayson, J., and Wilson, S., (2010), Learning for Life, Learning for Resilience: ‘Can Do’ and informal adult education in the Warren Centre, Hull, AdEd Knowledge Company.

Snell, C., and Wilson, S., (2010), Sustainable Schools Project: Deliverable Two, The University of York.

Snell, C., and Wilson, S., (2010) , Millennium Development Goals, Green Education, London: Sage.

Snell, C., Wilson, S., and Main, G., (2009), Sustainable Schools Project: Deliverable One, The University of York.

Conferences

Brooks-Wilson, S., (2011), ‘The lightbulbs what we get them off council, by the time you’ve actually done the thing you went into the room for it’s just lighting on’ : using an adaptive visual research approach to consult with overlooked pupils about sustainable development, paper presented at the Social Policy Association Conference, The University of Lincoln, 4-6th July 2011. 

Snell, C., and Brooks-Wilson, S., (2011), Education for sustainable development under the coalition government? paper presented at the Social Policy Association Conference, The University of Lincoln, 4-6th July 2011.

Brooks-Wilson, S., (2011), Workshop Chair, Good Practices of Community Conflict Management - European Union Crime Prevention Network Conference 6-7 June 2011, Budapest, Hungary.

Brooks-Wilson, S., (2011), 'She looks nice, she looks like a granny.  She's got peas, carrots, potatoes, gravy... She's a bit old.  She's got a different dress.  She's got different hair': creating a visual participatory research toolkit to undertake an effective policy consultation with 'hard to reach' children and young people, paper presented at the Power and Empowerment Conference, The University of Sheffield, 26th May 2011.