Janet Read
Reader, Emeritus
Email: j.m.read@warwick.ac.uk
Reserach Profile
My teaching and research centre on theorising disability; the experiences and needs of disabled children and adults and those close to them; effective service development in relation to disabled children and adults and family carers; disabled children and the law; human rights issues in relation to disabled children and adults. Much of this work is multi-disciplinary with colleagues whose expertise is in medicine, law and health inequalities research.
A major focus of interest in the past ten years has been on socio-legal aspects of disability and this has resulted in a sustained collaboration in writing and publication with Professor Luke Clements, Cardiff University Law School. In addition, in the past five years with colleagues Professor Nick Spencer and Dr Clare Blackburn in the Institute of Health at Warwick, I have undertaken research on the prevalence and measurement of childhood disability in the UK and elsewhere, and on the characteristics and circumstances of the children and their households. Also within the past three years, I have been one of the team members undertaking four DCSF-funded research projects aimed at evaluating key provision for disabled children and their families. I currently have funded research collaborations with the Universities of Bristol and
Background
I have extensive experience of teaching social work students at qualifying level, social work and social care staff at post-qualifying levels and graduate entry medical students. I supervise PhD students undertaking research on topics related to disability and social care. I have substantial experience as a practitioner and manager in the public and not-for-profit sectors and I have been undertaking training and consultancy in the public and voluntary sectors for around fifteen years. I am an editor of the journal Disability and Society.
current research projects
2009: Funded by: Department for Children Schools and Families, with C. Blackburn (University of Warwick), the National Centre for Social Research and the Norah Fry Research Centre, University of Bristol, to evaluate disabled children’s access to childcare pilot (DCatch)
past research projects
2008: Funded by: Department for Children Schools and Families, with C. Blackburn, and N. Spencer (University of Warwick), the National Centre for Social Research and the School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol, to develop a survey on services for disabled children.
2008: An incubation award from the University of Warwick Institute of Advanced Studies, with C. Blackburn, N. Spencer, D. Simkiss and J. Oucho, to develop a multi-disciplinary international research network on childhood disability: measurement, prevalence and social circumstances in different national contexts.
2006: Funded by: ESRC with C. Blackburn and N. Spencer to scope and evaluate the quality of existing quantitative national and regional data sets on disabled children and to undertake a detailed analysis of data from the Family Resources Survey and the Families and Children’s Study on the prevalence, characteristics and circumstances of disabled children in the UK.
2004: Funded by: Pocklington Trust with G. Hundt and A. Gibson to investigate approaches to homecare and support for adults with sight loss.
2001: Funded by: DETR, Devon County Council and Carers UK, with C. Blackburn to evaluate the Carers Online initiative.
2000: Awarded by the University of Warwick Research and Innovations Fund, with C. Blackburn to research graduate entry medical students’ experience of studying social science.
2000: Funded by: University of Warwick Research and Innovations Fund to scope the market for taught Masters level courses in Health and Social Care Law.
1999: Funded by: University of Warwick Research and Innovations Fund, with C. Blackburn, N.Spencer and C.Coe, to pilot the use of a child assessment profile on travellers’ sites
1998: Funded by:Warwickshire Social Services Department, with C. Humphreys, to research the training needs of managers.
1997: Funded by: Warwickshire Social Services Department, to develop a tool to research the needs of low income families with children.
1989: Funded by: DoH/Foundation for Conductive Education, to research the information needs of British families in Budapest and to produce a guide.
1987: Funded by: University of Warwick Research and Innovations fund, to undertake an initial investigation of the problems encountered by UK families attending the Peto Institute in Budapest.
1982: Funded by: Equal Opportunities Commission, to research open studies work with parents of disabled children.
