The University has established an internal Strategy Group to provide both oversight on the operational practice of the Institute and facilitates cross institutional working where appropriate.
ISR External Advisory Group
ISR has an Advisory Board of external members and who have been asked to act as a ‘critical friend’ both to the Institute in particular but to the Edge Hill community of practice as a whole.
Strategy Group
The ISR Strategy Group provides both oversight on the operational practice of the Institute and facilitates cross institutional working where appropriate. The Director of ISR is an ex-officio member of the University’s Research Committee and reports to the Committee on the work of the Institute on regular basis including the submission of an annual plan which both outlines the forthcoming work of the Institute as well as reflecting on the previous year.
Terms of reference for the ISR strategy group
To set the strategic objectives for ISR on a four year cycle
To report these to the University Research Committee
To recommend the four year plan to the External Advisory Group
To review the yearly strategic objectives for ISR on an annual basis
To reflect on the progress made annually with the EAG
To receive reports from the Director on the work of ISR
To meet at least twice a year
Membership
Chair: PVC (Research) Professor George Talbot
ISR Director: Professor Jo Crotty
FAS Associate Dean (Research): Professor Kevern Verney (or nominee)
FHSC&M Associate Dean (Research and Innovation): Professor Chris Littlewood (or nominee)
FoE Associate Dean (Students and External): Dr Helen O’Keeffe (or nominee)
Director of the Research Office: Anna Grey
Head of Corporate Communications: Nicky Speed
ISR Associate Director (External Relations & CPD): Dr Victoria Foster
ISR Fellow (Research and External Funding): Dr Laura Eastlake
External Advisory Group
The ISR External Advisory Group provides an external reference point for the University to review, reflect and to develop both its strategic objectives and to respond to new developments in both policy formulation as well as implementation. The Advisory Group is drawn from a wide geographical, organisational and professional background and colleagues have been invited to be members on the basis that they are acting as our ‘critical friends’ in this initiative.
ISR external members
Chair – Dr Katy Goldstraw (Staffordshire University)
Dr Katy Goldstraw is passionate about creative and participatory approaches to learning. Katy specialises in participatory arts-based research methods to include and empower the voices of previously unheard communities within her research. Katy is a senior lecturer in Health and Social Care at Staffordshire University and works in an independent capacity with the APLE Collective, an anti-poverty collective led by people with lived experience. Katy has worked with members of the voluntary and community sector to co-produce a Sustainable Livelihoods Resource Book. This resource book is a toolkit that VCS organisations can use to facilitate an assets based organisational evaluation. She has worked in higher education and the Voluntary Sector throughout her career. A fellow of the higher education Academy and the Royal Society of Arts, Katy has published extensively on topics including VCS assets, citizens voice, and anti-poverty participatory approaches.
Dr Hannah Andrews (University of Lincoln)
Hannah is an Associate Professor at the Lincoln School of Film and Media. She is a researcher, writer and teacher specialising in teaching film, TV and media. She has published widely on aesthetic and institutional relationships between film and television, on biographical television programming, and on television representations of real people in drama and comedy. Her current project is on televisual caricature – that is, exaggerated, comedic depictions of real individuals for television.
Now a freelance consultant, Liz had spent many years as CEO of Youth Focus NW (formerly the North West Regional Youth Work Unit). Having worked there since late 2003 she was responsible for the strategic direction and development of the Unit along with the operational management. Working in a number of youth work organisations over the past 30 years in urban and rural settings and in the statutory and voluntary sectors has given her a broad base of experience. Retaining a passion for youth work and in particular Youth Voice Liz advocates for it at every opportunity. As part of her role Liz develops and maintains strong relationships with local providers and regional and national partners. Liz has worked with a range of cultural and health organisations to both promote good practice of young people’s participation and to develop further the voice and influence of young people on a regional level. She supports Youthforia, the youth led North West Youth Forum and works with the British Youth Council supporting UKYP and other voice initiatives. Liz grew up in Dorset, has lived in Manchester for the last 30 years and chairs two community based youth projects in South Manchester.
Dr Mel Hughes (Bournemouth University)
Mel is Associate Professor in social work at Bournemouth University (BU). Mel champions lived experience expertise through her roles as Academic Lead for the PIER (Public Involvement in Education and Research) partnership and Deputy Lead for the Research Centre for Seldom Heard Voices. Mel is committed to ensuring that those who are most affected by social, economic and health inequalities have a voice in shaping and informing research, education and practice. She is editor and co-author of the textbook: ‘A Guide to Statutory Social work interventions: the lived experience’. Chapters are co-authored with people with first-hand experience of statutory interventions including having a child removed, being detained under the Mental Health Act, and going through the adoption process. Mel is an editorial board member of the British Journal of Social Work and an Advance HE National Teaching Fellow.
Michael is the ‘Director of Health and Sport’ at Everton in the Community, the official charity of Everton Football Club. This role delivers a range of community-based and place-based programmes to tackle health inequalities and improve health outcomes across some of the most deprived communities in the Liverpool City Region. More than 20,000 people are reached each year, who are at-risk of premature mortality and a poorer quality of life. Michael’s work provides life-course provision supporting various at-risk population groups, with clinical support from a GP and monitoring and evaluation from Edge Hill University. This approach has generated £14.74 of societal value for every £1 invested. Separate to Michael’s role at Everton in the Community, he is a Trustee at Liverpool Charity and Voluntary Services (LCVS), which works to improve the wellbeing of individuals and communities in Liverpool.
Ciiku is 4Wings’ service director whose academic background includes studies in Sociology, Criminology and Communication (University of Liverpool). She has trained in Personal Development Coaching, Mindfulness, Family/Community Mediation and Mental Health Advocacy. Ciiku is also a qualified workshop facilitator and deliverer. One of the programmes she has designed and delivered is the WINGS Empowerment Programme- a ‘next steps’ forward-facing personal development course that inspires participants, many of who have traumatic pasts to discover their own strengths and be in charge of their future plans. Her personal experience was her drive to found 4Wings after she identified a gap in the aftercare service of abuse victims.