Jess Harris
Print versionResearch Fellow
Professional background and areas of interest
Jess Harris, MSc, BA is a Research Fellow 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.
Jess Harris was the full-time researcher on the What works in ‘Grow Your Own’ initiatives for social work? research project, which mapped approaches by local authorities and independent sector employers to support their employees, or potential employees, to qualify as social workers. The project had a particular focus on exploring the impact of ‘Grow Your own’ initiatives on the diversity of the social work workforce across England, and on wider developments that improve access to or retention in social work training, or impact on workforce diversity. This project was core funded by the Gateways Development Fund, under the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS), and was supported by a group of stakeholder organisations led by the General Social Care Council (GSCC).
Other recent areas of research include 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 - work now extended in the Vetting and Barring project.
Jess Harris was the full-time researcher on the What works in ‘Grow Your Own’ initiatives for social work? research project, which mapped approaches by local authorities and independent sector employers to support their employees, or potential employees, to qualify as social workers. The project had a particular focus on exploring the impact of ‘Grow Your own’ initiatives on the diversity of the social work workforce across England, and on wider developments that improve access to or retention in social work training, or impact on workforce diversity. This project was core funded by the Gateways Development Fund, under the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS), and was supported by a group of stakeholder organisations led by the General Social Care Council (GSCC).
Other recent areas of research include 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 - work now extended in the Vetting and Barring project.
