Liz is Emeritus Professor of Social Work at the school of Social Sciences and Professions.
Biography
Dr Liz Davies is a registered social worker (Reg 696170). She qualified in 1972 at the London School of Economics specialising in Community Action and co-founded the Mental Patients Union. Her professional experience includes mental health, generic and children's social work. In the 90s she exposed the Islington child abuse scandal, a campaign which continues to this day. As child protection manager in the London Borough of Harrow for 12 years she specialised in the investigation of organised crime against children and trained professionals in the investigative interviewing of children. Whilst a senior lecturer and later a Reader in social work at London Metropolitan University she obtained her doctorate Protecting Children - A Critical Contribution to Policy and Practice Development. She retired in 2015 after being a co-founder of Whiteflowers a national survivor and whistleblower campaign which led to the National Inquiry ( IICSA). As Emeritus Professor of Social Work she founded and now coordinates Islington Survivors Network, a campaign for healing and justice for survivors of non-recent child abuse in Islington's 41 children's homes. The network has established survivor support services in coproduction with Islington Council , a Trauma Service at St Pancras Hospital and a Council Payment Scheme. The work involves civil litigation and working with police in seeking prosecutions. Liz has contributed to media coverage of child protection issues and co-authored 4 books, two with London Met lecturers and written as key texts for modules. LizDavies.net is an archive website and the Islington Survivors website is islingtonsurvivors.co.uk (email islingtonsn@gmail.com).
Teaching and interests
- Child protection policy and practice
- Institutional and organised abuse of children
- Investigation of crimes against children
- Interviewing children for criminal proceedings
- Trauma and recovery
- Healing and survival
- Civil litigation and child protection
- A perpetrator focus in child protection
- Researching organised crime networks to protect children
- Working with the media to protect children
Publications
Davies L & Duckett N (2016) Proactive Child Protection and Social Work. Second Edition. London Sage
Davies L & Kerrigan Lebloch E (2013) Communicating with Children and their Families. Maidenhead. Open University Press
Davies L & Townsend D (2008) Joint Investigation in Child Protection - Working Together Training Together. Lyme Regis. Russell House
Davies L & Townsend D (2008) Investigative Interviewing of Children. Achieving Best Evidence. Lyme Regis. Russell House
Full details of media - print, audio & TV available on LizDavies.net website & islingtonsurvivors.co.uk
Duckett N & Spandler H: Radically seeking social justice for children & survivors of abuse. Article explores the contribution of Liz Davies to the radical social work tradition in the UK' Pioneers of Radical Tradition' Journal of Critical and Radical Social Work. Vol.6:1 2018.
