Dr Sue Peckovers.peckover@hud.ac.uk | 01484 473131
I am Reader in Child and Family Health at the Centre for Applied Childhood Studies and joined the University of Huddersfield in 2005.
Following undergraduate study at the London School of Economics (1977-1980) I pursued a career as a nurse undertaking general nurse training at St Mary’s Hospital, London (1980-1983) and later midwifery training in Sheffield (1985-6). Interspersed with some international travel, I held staff nurse positions in gynaecology and on a paediatric unit, before training as a health visitor (1987-8) subsequently working in this role in both Rotherham and Sheffield. My taste for academic study developed as a result of undertaking an MMed.Sci. in Primary and Community Care at the University of Sheffield (1993-1994) which was awarded with distinction.
A short period of employment in health services research at the University of Sheffield (1994-5) was followed by a full-time ESRC Postgraduate Research Training Studentship held at the University of Warwick. My PhD study was supervised by Dr Cathy Humphreys and entitled ‘Regulation and Resistance: An analysis of the practices of health visitors and women experiencing domestic violence’. In 1999 I was appointed as lecturer at the University of Sheffield School of Nursing and Midwifery, gaining a Postgraduate Certificate in Education for Health and Social Care Practice (2001). Following a brief return to the NHS (2004-5) I joined the University of Huddersfield as Senior Research Fellow in June 2005.
My research interests lie in the field of child and family health and welfare and include professional knowledge and practices particularly in relation to contemporary public health, safeguarding children, domestic abuse and e- technologies. My research has an applied focus and has drawn upon a range of qualitative methodologies including feminist post-structuralism, ethnographic and discourse analytical approaches.
Peckover, S (2013) ‘From ‘public health’ to ‘safeguarding children’: British health visiting in policy, practice and research’ Children and Society , 27 (2), pp. 116-126. ISSN 0951-0605
Peckover, S (2013) ‘Domestic Abuse, Safeguarding Children and Public Health: Towards an Analysis of Discursive Forms and Surveillant Techniques in Contemporary UK Policy and Practice’ British Journal of Social Work . ISSN 0045-3102
Saario, S., Hall, C. and Peckover, S. (2012) ‘Inter-professional electronic documents and child health: A study of persisting non-electronic communication in the use of electronic documents’ Social Science and Medicine , 75 (12), pp. 2207-2214. ISSN 0277-9536
Peckover, S. and Trotter, F. (2012) ‘Keeping the focus on children: the challenges of safeguarding children affected by domestic abuse. ’. In: Equinox 2012: An Academic Conference for Teaching, Learning and Research, 18th June 2012, University of Huddersfield
Peckover, S. and Everson , A. (2012) ‘Engaging families, engaging fathers: Domestic abuse and safeguarding children ’. In: NSPCC New Horizons in Safeguarding Children , 23-24 May 2012, Manchester
Pithouse, A., Broadhurst, K., Hall, C., Peckover, S., Wastell, D. and White, S. (2012) ‘Trust, risk and the (mis)management of contingency and discretion through new information technologies in children's services’ Journal of Social Work , 12 (2), pp. 158-178. ISSN 1468-0173
Peckover, S (2011) ‘‘From ‘public health’ to ‘safeguarding children’: British health visiting in policy, practice and research. ’. In: CPHVA Annual Conference , 19-20 October 2011, Brighton Centre, Brighton
Peckover, S. and Smith, S. (2011) ‘Guest Editorial: Public Health Approaches to Safeguarding Children’ Child Abuse Review , 20 (4), pp. 231-237. ISSN 0952-9136
Wastell, D., Peckover, S., White, S., Broadhurst, K., Hall, C. and Pithouse, A. (2011) ‘Social Work in the Laboratory: Using Microworlds for Practice Research’ British Journal of Social Work , 41 (4), pp. 744-760. ISSN 0045-3102
Peckover, S (2011) ‘The Fallacy of Formalisation: Practice Makes Process in the Assessment of Risks to Children’. In: Good Practice in Assessing Risk. : Jessica Kingsley. pp. 84-101. ISBN 9781849050593
Hall, C., Parton, N., Peckover, S. and White, S. (2010) ‘Child-Centric Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and the Fragmentation of Child Welfare Practice in England’ Journal of Social Policy , 39 (03), pp. 393-413. ISSN 0047-2794
Wastell, D., White, S., Broadhurst, K., Peckover, S. and Pithouse, A. (2010) ‘Children's services in the iron cage of performance management: street-level bureaucracy and the spectre of Švejkism’ International Journal of Social Welfare , 19 (3), pp. 310-320. ISSN 1369-6866
Peckover, S (2009) ‘Health and Safeguarding Children: An ‘Expansionary Project’ or ‘Good Practice?’. In: Critical Perspectives on Safeguarding Children. Chichester: John Wiley and Sons. pp. 149-170. ISBN 978-0-470-68232-6
White, S., Hall, C. and Peckover, S. (2009) ‘The Descriptive Tyranny of the Common Assessment Framework: Technologies of Categorization and Professional Practice in Child Welfare’ British Journal of Social Work , 39 (7), pp. 1197-1217. ISSN 0045-3102
Peckover, S., Hall, C. and White, S. (2009) ‘From Policy to Practice: The Implementation and Negotiation of Technologies in Everyday Child Welfare’ Children and Society , 23 (2), pp. 136-148. ISSN 0951-0605
Pithouse, A., Hall, C., Peckover, S. and White, S. (2009) ‘A Tale of Two CAFs: The Impact of the Electronic Common Assessment Framework’ British Journal of Social Work . ISSN 0045-3102
Peckover, S (2009) ‘Domestic Abuse and Safeguarding Children’. In: Good Practice in Safeguarding Children: Working Effectively in Child Protection. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. . ISBN 978-1-84310-945-7
Broadhurst, K., Wastell, D., White, S., Hall, C., Peckover, S., Thompson, K., Pithouse, A. and Davey, D. (2009) ‘Performing 'Initial Assessment': Identifying the Latent Conditions for Error at the Front-Door of Local Authority Children's Services’ British Journal of Social Work . ISSN 0045-3102
Connolly, M., Hall, C., Peckover, S. and White, S. (2008) ‘E-technology and information sharing in child welfare Learning from the English experience’ Children Australia , 32 (4), pp. 4-8.
Hall, C., Peckover, S. and White, S. (2008) ‘Social work in the information age’ Community care , 19 May, pp. 26-27. ISSN 0307-5508
Peckover, S., White, S. and Hall, C. (2008) ‘Making and managing electronic children: E-assessment in child welfare’ Information Communication and Society , 11 (3), pp. 375-394. ISSN 1369118X
Kenyon, L. and Peckover, S. (2008) ‘‘A Juggling Act’: An analysis of the impact of providing clinical placements for pre-registration students on the organisation of community nursing and health visiting work’ Nurse Education Today , 28 (2), pp. 202-209. ISSN 02606917
Featherstone, B. and Peckover, S. (2007) ‘Letting them get away with it: Fathers, domestic violence and child welfare' ’ Critical Social Policy , 27 (2), pp. 181-202. ISSN 0261-0183
Peckover, S. and Chidlaw, R. (2007) ‘Too frightened to care? Accounts by district nurses working with clients who misuse substances’ Health and Social Care in the Community , 15 (3), pp. 238-245. ISSN 0966-0410
Peckover, S. and Chidlaw, R. (2007) ‘The (un)-certainties of district nurses in the context of cultural diversity’ Journal of Advanced Nursing , 58 (4), pp. 377-385. ISSN 03092402
Ellis, L. and Peckover, S. (2004) ‘Research governance and postgraduate nurse education: the tensions and some solutions’ Nurse Researcher , 11 (1), pp. 32-45. ISSN 1351-5578
Peckover, S (2003) ‘Health visitors' understandings of domestic violence’ Journal of Advanced Nursing , 44 (2), pp. 200-208. ISSN 0309-2402
Peckover, S. and Winterburn, S. (2003) ‘Teaching research to undergraduate community nursing students: reflections upon curriculum design’ Nurse Education in Practice , 3 (2), pp. 104-111. ISSN 1471-5953
Peckover, S (2003) ‘'I could have just done with a little more help': an analysis of women's help-seeking from health visitors in the context of domestic violence ’ Health and Social Care in the Community , 11 (3), pp. 275-282. ISSN 0966-0410
Peckover, S (2002) ‘Domestic violence: the role of the practice nurse’ Nursing in Practice (8), pp. 38-40. ISSN 1473-9445
Peckover, S (2002) ‘Domestic abuse and women's health: the challenge for primary care’ Primary Health Care Research and Development , 3 (3), pp. 151-158. ISSN 1463-4236
Peckover, S (2002) ‘Supporting and policing mothers: an analysis of the disciplinary practices of health visiting ’ Journal of Advanced Nursing , 38 (4), pp. 269-377. ISSN 0309-2402
Peckover, S (2002) ‘Focusing upon children and men in situations of domestic violence: an analysis of the gendered nature of British health visiting ’ Health and Social Care in the Community , 10 (4), pp. 254-261. ISSN 0966-0410
Peckover, S (2001) ‘Domestic violence and protecting babies; the role of health care professionals’. In: Fragile: Handle With Care: A Reader. : National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. pp. 125-134. ISBN 1842280252
Peckover, S (1998) ‘Domestic violence: on the health visiting agenda?’ Community practitioner , 71 (12), pp. 408-409. ISSN 1462-2815
I am currently supervising six postgraduate research students. Topics being examined include child neglect, pregnant teenagers’ experience of domestic abuse, alcohol use and young people, The health needs of young fathers leaving care and occupational-based occupational therapy within child and adolescent mental health services.
Areas for interest for doctoral supervision include:
My teaching reflects my research interests and focuses upon supporting professional practice and knowledge developments in the field of child and family health and welfare. Thus my teaching has been largely with professionals across the disciplines of nursing, health visiting, and social work and reflects particular interest in relation to safeguarding children and public health within contemporary policy and practice frameworks.
