Jess Harris

Jess Harris, MSc, BA is a Research Associate at the Social Care Workforce Research Unit at King’s College London, which she joined in 2006. She previously carried out research into member involvement in voluntary agencies as part of MSc on Voluntary Sector Organisation and has managed strategic projects developing older people’s engagement and empowerment in policy and practice at Better Government for Older People (BGOP), within a London local authority, within a Health Authority Health Improvement Programme (HImP) for Older People, and within a small community organisation. She has worked in a number of voluntary and community organisations and has 15 years' experience in community sector organisational governance.

Currently, Jess is co-ordinating the Longitudinal Care Work Study (LoCS), a project aiming to increase understanding of the factors that facilitate or constrain recruitment and retention in the social care workforce in England.

Previously, she co-ordinated fieldwork for two core Department of Health funded projects across England, the evaluations of the 'Jobs First' demonstration sites and of the pilot Social Work Practices with Adults.
Other areas of research have included: a study of what works in ‘Grow Your Own’ initiatives for social work; a study of the disclosure of disability within social work, teaching and nursing for the (then) Disability Rights Commission; a guide to promoting local government strategic approaches for their black and minority ethnic older citizens; and contributing to the second phase of research into the Protection of Vulnerable Adults (PoVA) List investigation into referral patterns and decision-making.

Jess organises the Unit's annual older people’s social care conference, with Age UK London, and the Unit’s annual mental health social care conference, and links Unit work with that of other voluntary and research groupings.