Dr Sian Lucas

Lecturer

Social Work Colin Bell Building, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA

Dr Sian Lucas

Contact details

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http://www.stir.ac.uk/people/selucas

About me

About me

I am a registered social worker and have research interests in migration, linguistic discrimination and social justice. My PhD explored the phenomenon of child language brokering – the process in which children provide linguistic and cultural mediation for adults who do not share a common language.

I have carried out research with migrant children and young people about their experience of child language brokering. I have worked on various research projects to explore dimensions of wellbeing and service delivery (ESOL students, care experienced young people, service users, carers, practitioners, service managers, women with mental health difficulties) with focus on implications for practice and policy. 

I have used creative, qualitative, visual and participatory research methods including the development an interactive learning tool for social work students based on young people's care experience.

Event / Presentation

The regulation of child language brokering in a social work context. 2nd International Conference on Non-Professional Interpreting and Translation

http://www.fb06.uni-mainz.de/ikk/402.php

Children that interpret: a small tragedy in a larger social work space?. British Sociological Association Annual Conference

http://www.britsoc.co.uk/…ce-archives.aspx

Child Interpreting in Social Work - perspectives from the UK. The University of Tallinn, Social Work Summer School

http://summerschool.tlu.ee/…rogramm-2012.pdf

Child Language Brokering: Voice, Power, Representation. Children, Young People and Adults: Extending the Conversation

https://www.crin.org/…ing-conversation

Multilingualism: social work perspectives. The South West Doctoral Social Work Research Day 2012

http://www.wales.nhs.uk/sitesplus/972/news/21483

The peculiarities of fieldwork: Zumba, Coffee and Sweets. Celebrating Research Day, University of Salford

https://prezi.com/…ee-sweets-zumba/

To interpret or not to interpret: child language brokering in a social welfare context. University of Salford Postgraduate Research Conference SPARC 2012

http://www.salford.ac.uk/…sparc/sparc-2012

Getting the Balance Right: Developing a Cost Evaluation Tool for 'Team around the Family' approaches in Wales 2011. TiSSA 2011: 9th Conference of the International "Social Work Society" Academy (TiSSA): Politics of Identity - The Changing Face of Social Work

https://www.tissa.net/archive/7#tab_abstracts

Respectful and Beneficial Research with Minority Groups. British Sociological Society Annual Conference 2011 - 60 Years of Sociology

http://content.yudu.com/…--Full-Programme

Child Language Brokering in a Social Welfare Context. Child Language Brokering Group

Other Project

Quarriers: Evaluation of Family Centre Services
Quarriers and Big Lottery Fund UK

Quarriers provides a wide range of creative activities to support parenting and families in the local area. This project is exploring how the services provided for children and parents (funded by the BLF) are making a difference to the lives of children and families.  The research methods include critical reflective dialogue, observation, interviews and focus groups. The evaluation team includes Sian Lucas and Andressa Gadda.

Research (7)

My research is grounded in the desire to improve outcomes; reduce injustice and discrimination and enhance people's wellbeing and improve service delivery. I am particularly interested in the role that language plays in social work encounters, with a view to understand how social workers can engage with marginalised linguistic communities.

In February 2019 I used Connect+ funding and co-ordinated a symposium: 'On the move: children and family's communication and wellbeing' with keynote speaker Prof. Jemina Napier, academics from the UK and Turkey and theatre company Sans Accent. The event provided space to explore issues of wellbeing & communication for children and families and their education, health and social care needs. Academics, practitioners and policymakers explored issues, challenges, and contributing factors (such as child language brokering, brokering across the life course, racism, discrimination, austerity) that arise due to language barriers. See: https://player.vimeo.com/external/333789659.source.mp4?s=8a720c805c00fa236ccf0b0a2ac0f111bbbf1aca&download=1

I am interested in supervising PhD students in the following topic areas: children in the generational order, child and family social work, child language brokering; intercultural communication in public services, social work for migrant children and families.

Projects

Living Archives in Residential Child Care: using the past to inform the future
PI: Professor Ruth Emond
Funded by: Arts and Humanities Research Council
–

From fuel to pot: an interdisciplinary partnership to address the role of solid fuel use in food preparation in the household in Kenya and Malawi.
PI: Dr Isabelle Uny
Funded by: Arts and Humanities Research Council
–

'Vulnerable' families in a time of pandemic
PI: Professor Jane Callaghan
Funded by: Chief Scientist Office
–

Experiences and impact of child language brokering in health care settings
PI: Dr Sian Lucas
Funded by: Chief Scientist Office
–

Peri-natal Evaluation
PI: Dr Sian Lucas
Funded by: Quarriers
–

Towards best practice in educating and supporting separated children in Scotland Research Tender Specification
PI: Dr Sian Lucas
Funded by: Scottish Refugee Council
–

Evaluation of the Ruchazie Family Resource Centre
PI: Dr Sian Lucas
Funded by: Quarriers
–

Outputs (29)

Outputs

Research Report

Spoken language interpreters in social work

Lucas SE (2020) Spoken language interpreters in social work. IRISS. Insights: A Series of Evidence Summaries, 52. Glasgow. https://www.iriss.org.uk/sites/default/files/2020-04/insights-52.pdf

Book Chapter

'Mum, if you’ve got a doctor's appointment take me or my sister': contributions of a child language broker

Lucas S (2014) 'Mum, if you’ve got a doctor's appointment take me or my sister': contributions of a child language broker. In: Westwood J, Larkins C, Moxon D, Perry Y & Thomas N (eds.) Participation, Citizenship and Intergenerational Relations in Children and Young People's Lives: Children and Adults in Conversation. Basingstoke: Palgrave Pivot, pp. 82-93. http://www.palgrave.com/page/detail/participation,-citizenship-and-intergenerational-relations-in-children-and-young-people's-lives-joanne-westwood/?sf1=barcode&st1=9781137379702

Conference Paper (unpublished)

The regulation of child language brokering in a social work context

Lucas S (2014) The regulation of child language brokering in a social work context. 2nd International Conference on Non-Professional Interpreting and Translation, Germersheim, Germany, 29.05.2014-31.05.2014. http://www.fb06.uni-mainz.de/ikk/Dateien/NPIT2_Programme.pdf

Conference Proceeding

Children that interpret: a small tragedy in a larger social work space?

Lucas S (2013) Children that interpret: a small tragedy in a larger social work space?. In: British Sociological Association Annual Conference 2013: Engaging Sociology Conference Programme and Abstract Book. British Sociological Association Annual Conference, London, 03.04.2013-05.04.2013. Durham: British Sociological Association, p. 95. http://www.britsoc.co.uk/media/50981/AC2013_Full_Prog_Web2.pdf?1425305963872

Lecture

Child Interpreting in Social Work - perspectives from the UK

Lucas SE (2012) Child Interpreting in Social Work - perspectives from the UK (Presentation) The University of Tallinn, Social Work Summer School, Tallinn, Estonia, 03.08.2012-03.08.2012. http://summerschool.tlu.ee/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/SS-programm-2012.pdf

Lecture

The peculiarities of fieldwork: Zumba, Coffee and Sweets

Lucas S (2012) The peculiarities of fieldwork: Zumba, Coffee and Sweets (Presentation) Celebrating Research Day, University of Salford, Manchester, 07.12.2012-07.12.2012. https://prezi.com/uvqvutj-0-xs/the-peculiarities-of-research-coffee-sweets-zumba/

Lecture

Multilingualism: social work perspectives

Lucas S (2012) Multilingualism: social work perspectives (Presentation) The South West Doctoral Social Work Research Day 2012, Cardiff, 26.01.2012-26.01.2012.

Conference Paper (unpublished)

Getting the Balance Right: Developing a Cost Evaluation Tool for "Team around the Family" approaches in Wales

Lucas S (2011) Getting the Balance Right: Developing a Cost Evaluation Tool for "Team around the Family" approaches in Wales. TiSSA 2011: 9th Conference of the International "Social Work Society" Academy (TiSSA): Politics of Identity - The Changing Face of Social Work, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic, 24.08.2011-26.08.2011. https://www.tissa.net/archive/7#tab_abstracts

Lecture

Respectful and Beneficial Research with Minority Groups

Lucas S (2011) Respectful and Beneficial Research with Minority Groups (Presentation) [S.E (2011) ‘’, British Sociological Association Annual Conference, 60 Years of Sociology, London.]. British Sociological Society Annual Conference 2011 - 60 Years of Sociology, London, 06.04.2011-08.04.2011. http://content.yudu.com/Library/A1ri7h/BSAAnnualConference2/resources/index.htm?referrerUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.yudu.com%2Fitem%2Fdetails%2F306351%2FBSA-Annual-Conference-2011---Full-Programme

Teaching

Teaching

I teach on the qualifying social work programmes (BA (Hons) and MSc/PG Diploma, SCQF levels 9-10).

• Convenor of Unity, the University Service User and Carers’ Group (2014-2018)

Research programmes

Research centres/groups

Research themes