Jonathan Parker

Dr Jonathan Parker is Professor of Society & Social Welfare and Director of the Centre for Social Work and Social Policy at Bournemouth University.

He moved to Bournemouth in 2006 after 11 years at the University of Hull where he was one of the founders and director of the Family Assessment and Support Unit, a practice placement agency attached to the University and awarded the Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher Education in 1996, and latterly Head of Department of Social Work.

Jonathan's research projects focus on disadvantage and marginalisation, cross cultural aspects of social work, research ethics and violence, conflict and religion. He has also researched and published in theories and methods in social work and dementia care. He has recently conducted cross cultural research on learning and practice with colleagues in Southeast Asia. He is currently working on projects concerning the meanings constructed during church visiting, constructions of adult safeguarding, gendered rituals in professional practice, and research ethics and learning disabled people.

He has published widely, including over 25 books and over 150 academic papers, chapters and reports. Jonathan is the co-editor of the highly successful series of Social Work text books Transforming Social Work Practice and editor of the Journal of Practice Teaching and Learning, and joint editor-in-chief of the international journal Social Policy & Social Work in Transition.