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Biography

Jess Harris is a Research Fellow at the Health & Social Care Workforce Research Unit (HSCWRU) at King’s College London, and joined its predecessor, SCWRU, in 2006. She is co-leading the NIHR SSCR funded study Opening the ‘Too Difficult Box’: Strengthening Adult Safeguarding Responses to Homelessness and Self-neglect and is undertaking a follow-on project Evidencing the social work role within responses to multiple exclusion homelessness. She has just completed a project engaging people with experience of homelessness in the production of a short film about participating in research and previously co-led a series of impact activities to promote Strengthening Pathways Out of Hospital for People who are Homeless. Jess is co-investigator on the major Housing Model Evaluation (HOME) study (2023-26).

Jess runs the Homelessness Event Series, webinars on different aspects of homelessness research and innovative practice which are open to all, and links Unit work with other research, policy and practice groupings on multiple exclusion homelessness.

Jess is also part of the team Examining the Introduction of the Nursing Associate Role in Health and Social Care. She organises the Unit's annual older people’s social care conference and annual mental health & social care conference. Previously, she co-ordinated the Longitudinal Care Work Study (LoCS), and the fieldwork for the evaluations of 'Jobs First' and ‘Social Work Practices with Adults’. Other research has included studies of what works in ‘Grow Your Own’ initiatives for social work, of disclosure of disability within social work, teaching and nursing for the (then) Disability Rights Commission, of the Protection of Vulnerable Adults (PoVA) List, and a guide to local government strategic approaches for black and minority ethnic older citizens.

She has an MSc in Voluntary Sector Organisation from LSE and previously worked on projects developing older people’s engagement in policy and practice at Better Government for Older People, within a London local authority, a Health Authority Health Improvement Programme for Older People, and a small community organisation. She has 15 years' voluntary experience in community sector organisational governance.

Jess Harris: Recent publications | ORCID iD | Research Profile at King's