Dr Colin Watt
Colin is a registered Social Worker and a lecturer with extensive experience of operational and strategic management in both the statutory and voluntary sectors. He has contributed to local, regional and national networks with statutory responsibilities to implement, monitor and review government policy and legislation including Local Safeguarding Children Boards, Serious Case Review Panels and local Children Trusts. He chaired a Safeguarding Children Board in the West Midlands from 2006 until 2010 and was an inaugural member of the National Independent LSCB Chairs forum.
His academic and research interests derive from his practice as a Social Worker and include multi-disciplinary and inter-agency Safeguarding, Parenting & Foster Care and Citizen Participation.
Colin’s doctoral research, undertaken at the Institute of Applied Social Studies at the University of Birmingham, explored Foster Care for Young People who have Sexually Abused.
Colin is committed to knowledge exchange between research and practice communities and to the development of professional practice education. He currently represents Birmingham City University at the West Midlands Social Work Teaching Partnership.
Alongside his university role, Colin acts as a consultant to an Independent Fostering Agency and as a trustee of a Multi-Academy Trust providing secondary education in the West Midlands.