Building on an established research centre, Michael Little is co-founder with Roger Bullock of the Warren House Group at Dartington. He is lead researcher on the Common Language project and at the University of Chicago’s Chapin Hall Center for Children leads a study of child development in the context of residential education.

An acknowledged expert on child protection, out of home care, youth justice and aspects of the mental health of children, Michael has also supported efforts to improve international networks of policy makers, managers, researchers and practitioners working with children in need. He is a member of several committees and boards and holds appointments at the Universities of Bath, Chicago and Exeter. He is author of over 150 publications including 15 books and eight practice tools aimed at helping put research into practice.

Telephone: + 44 1803 762400 (UK) or + 1 773 256 5170 (US)
E-mail: mlittle@dartington.org.uk

Helen joined the Warren House Group in October 2004 having worked in Performance Management for Enfield Social Services. During her Psychology degree, she has conducted research into the inclusive education debate and the effects of teacher attitudes on the success of mainstreaming special needs students.

Helen also has experience in the voluntary sector; she has taught at a special needs school in Indonesia and mentored drug users at a rehabilitation centre in the UK. She has also worked as a volunteer on interventions to improve sexual behaviour among adolescents (APAUSE) and to promote psychological recovery after spinal injury (Back-Up).

Telephone: + 44 1803 763421
E-mail: hharris@dartington-i.org

 

Amelia Kohm joined the Warren House Group in April 2007 to review journal articles for the Prevention Action Project. Based at the Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago, Amelia has directed studies on residential education for children, bullying, mergers among nonprofit organizations, and arts programming for children.

Amelia has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Haverford College and a Master of Science in Social Work from the University of Chicago. She is pursing a Ph.D. in Social Policy from the University of Bath. She has served on the board of The Employment Project, a voluntary organization in Chicago that serves homeless adults.

Telephone: + 1 773 256 5154
E-mail: akohm@uchicago.edu

Sarah joined the Warren House Group in October 2004. She graduated from the University of Bath with a BSc in Psychology (First class honours), with a one-year placement in the Serious Crime Analysis Section of the National Crime and Operations Faculty, based in Hampshire.

Sarah has also worked for the East Devon Primary Care Trust as a patient care advisor, and in the Prison Service as a psychology assistant working on a project investigating the causes and possible solutions to sickness absence amongst prison staff.

Telephone: + 44 1803 763414
E-mail: sblower@dartington-i.org

 

Rebecca joined the Warren House Group in September 2005, as a researcher enrolled on the PhD programme. Prior to this, Rebecca spent a year working for the Research and Development Department and the Peninsula Medical School, at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital. She is working on a range of research and development projects, and supporting Nick Axford on the Journal of Children's Services.

Rebecca has also volunteered on projects teaching English to children in Togo, West Africa and on community projects run in South Africa, aiming to develop healthy living and provide life-skills guidance to children. Rebecca has a BSc in Psychology and Human Biology and an MSc in Exercise and Health Science.

Telephone: + 44 1803 763421
E-mail: rwhear@dartington.org.uk

Nick has been at Dartington Social Research Unit since October 1997 after working for two years in a Shaftesbury Society family centre in London. He was jointly responsible for the Department of Health study Children Supported and Unsupported in the Community and currently works on an evaluation of an innovative programme for anti-social young people using an experimental design.

He has been heavily involved with others in developing several practice tools, including Aggregating Data - a method for helping children's services agencies to collect and analyse quantitative data on need - and Threshold - for measuring the extent of impairment to children's development. He also co-authored Refocusing Children's Services Towards Prevention, published in 2004 by the DfES. Nick was awarded a Ph.D. in Summer 2003 on the relationship between need, rights, poverty, quality of life and social exclusion. He has a degree in Geography and a Masters in European Social Policy Analysis.

Telephone: + 44 1803 763412
E-mail: naxford@dartington.org.uk

Tim joined the Warren House Group in September 2005 as a researcher enrolled on the PhD programme. Tim works alongside Dwan Kauokji supporting Michael Little on a wide variety of research and development projects.

Tim graduated from Staffordshire University with a BSc in Psychology and Criminology. He has worked as a psychology assistant in a neuropsychology hospital department and as a researcher evaluating day-services for those with learning disabilities. He has also worked in support-worker roles for children with Asperger's Syndrome and in community and residential services for individuals with brain injuries.

Telephone: + 44 1803 763416
E-mail: thobbs@dartington.org.uk

Vashti joined the Research Unit as a researcher in 2001. She has co-managed an random allocation evaluation of an innovative programme for anti-social young people as well as a representative community study in the east region of Ireland looking at the needs of children and young people and the take-up of services by families. Vashti has completed a Ph.D. in 2008 on the impact of family conflict and violence on children's outcomes (examination pending).

Prior to work at Dartington Social Research Unit, she worked with the Equal Opportunities Policy Team at Northamptonshire County Council and as an academic tutor, particularly with English second-language students, in South Africa. She has a degree in Psychology and a Masters in Research Psychology from the University of Natal-Durban in South Africa.

Vashti is currently on maternity leave until January 2009. Please contact Kay Turner on 01803 762400.

Telephone: + 44 1803 763413
E-mail: vberry@dartington.org.uk

Dwan Kaoukji joined the research unit in September of 2005 as a research analyst. She also works at the Chapin Hall Center for Child Development at the University of Chicago, where she assists with a study of child development in the context of residential education. Dwan works alongside Tim Hobbs, supporting Michael Little on a range of research and development projects.

Prior to her work at Chapin Hall, Dwan received a Master's degree in urban planning and public policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) in 2005. There, she worked as a research assistant at the UIC Neighborhoods Initiative, a program assisting in the development of community organizations in the Chicago area. Her research interests are in community development and urban development of post conflict cities.

Telephone: + 1 773 256 5160
Email: dkaoukji@chapinhall.org

 

Louise joined the Dartington Social Research Unit in August 1997 after working for four years as a community health development co-ordinator with North Staffordshire Health Authority. At the Unit she took joint responsibility for a major Department of Health study called Children Supported and Unsupported in the Community.

Louise now leads development work at Dartington-i. She is particularly interested in the design, implementation and evaluation of services based on local evidence about need, evidence-based strategic development and the training of children’s services professionals. She was awarded her PhD in Autumn 2004 on the effect of the organisation of children's services on outcomes for children in need. She has a degree in Psychology and a Masters in Health Promotion.

Telephone: + 44 1803 763420
E-mail: lmorpeth@dartington.org.uk

Located in Ireland, Carmel Corrigan joined the Dartington Social Research Unit on a part-time basis in September 2006. She works alongside other staff to support the Unit’s work with the Atlantic Philanthropies Disadvantaged Children and Youth Programme in Ireland. In addition to her work for the Social Research Unit, she works as an independent research and evaluation consultant and has worked in the areas of child poverty and child income, child protection legislation, childcare and child impact assessment. 
         
Carmel has a Degree in History and Sociology and a Masters in Sociology. She has previously worked as a researcher and social policy analyst and in the provision of technical assistance in both the private and public sector in Ireland.

Tel: + 353 41 6852194
Email: cmcorrigan@eircom.net

Vicky joined Dartington Social Research Unit in December 2007 as a research assistant to support staff working on a range of research and development projects. She recently graduated with a BSc in Psychology from the University of Exeter.

Prior to completing her degree, Vicky has worked with children with special educational needs and mental health difficulties in number of environments including schools, CAMHS, and the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme. In addition, whilst studying for her degree, Vicky worked as a voluntary research assistant at the Mood Disorders Centre, University of Exeter, on a MRC funded RCT trial examining preventing depression relapse in NHS practice using Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT).

Tel: +44 (0)1803 762400
Email: vgreen@dartington.org.uk