Andrew Whittaker
Biographic Data
| ID | 6024458 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Andrew Whittaker |
| GIVEN NAMES | Andrew |
| FAMILY NAME | Whittaker |
| SIGNATURE | WHITTAKER A |
| AFFILIATIONS | London South Bank University |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-4686-1079 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 13 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 27 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 13 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2016 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Sustaining and developing social work knowledge and skills in a changing world
As we prepare this issue at the start of 2026, we are constantly reminded of the rapidly changing global context in which we are writing this Editorial. At present, that context is heavy with confl
The importance of social work in a challenging world
Making Sense of Risk
‘Risk’ has become a central concept for social work practice in countries with more developed social welfare systems. As argued by Hazel Kemshall and colleagues, ‘risk’ has often replaced ‘need’ as the main driver for social work interventions as societies seek to avoid harm to citizens. This shift of focus raises a tension between care (support for the individual or family in their own right) and control (seeking to prevent harm to themselves, e…
Connection and hope in a post-pandemic world
How Can Research and Theory Enhance Understanding of Professional Decision-Making in Reviews of Cases of Child Death and Serious Injury
In most child protection jurisdictions, a case of child death or serious injury through the actions or inaction of a parent or carer is responded to with an inquiry into the circumstances that led to the death of the child. A key objective of such inquiries is to discern what may have been done by public agencies to prevent the child’s death or serious injury and this may, in turn, lead to changes in existing policies or the development of new po…
Group decision-making theories for child and family social work
There is increasing interest in decision making in social work. Much of the attention has been on individual professional judgement rather than on group decisions processes. This paper outlines key theoretical approaches from diverse fields of knowledge for conceptualising professional group decision processes in child and family social work, as a framework for future research and more focused theoretical developments. The main theoretical approa…
Street gangs and coercive control
This article explores young women and girls’ participation in gangs and ‘county lines’ drug sales. Qualitative interviews and focus groups with criminal justice and social service professionals found that women and girls in gangs often are judged according to androcentric, stereotypical norms that deny gender-specific risks of exploitation. Gangs capitalise on the relative ‘invisibility’ of young women to advance their economic interests in count…
Using intuition in social work decision making
Social workers must make ‘justifiable’ decisions, but ‘intuition’ is also important in assessment, decision making and working with risk. We discuss intuition within professional judgement as being part of our cognitive faculties; emotionally-informed reasoning processes connecting workers with clients and families; and intuition making use of internalised learning. Challenges discussed include intuition as a taboo topic; communicating intuition-…
No two gangs are alike
Social media provide novel opportunities for street gangs to operate beyond their traditional borders to sell drugs, recruit members and control their territory, virtually and physically. Although social media have contributed to the means available to street gangs today, it does not mean that every gang agrees on their use. Drawing on different perspectives (ex-gang members, law enforcement) on gangs using a multi-method design in a London borou…
Protecting Children from Faith-Based Abuse through Accusations of Witchcraft and Spirit Possession
Faith-based abuse relating to the practice of witchcraft and spirit possession is a controversial and not well-understood form of child abuse. From its ‘discovery’ in the UK as a cause of abuse, serious injury and death for children, in 2000 to the present, the recent history of witchcraft and spirit possession involves some high-profile cases, involving serious harm and death for some children, which attracted significant publicity. This article…
How Do Child-Protection Practitioners Make Decisions in Real-Life Situations? Lessons from the Psychology of Decision Making
Child-protection social workers must make difficult decisions in real-life circumstances that often involve limited knowledge, uncertainty, time pressures and powerful emotions. These circumstances can pose a significant challenge to reasoning skills, especially when the cost of errors and poor judgement can be unacceptably high. The current study explores the psychological processes that underpin how child-protection practitioners form judgement…
Troubled, Troubling or in Trouble
The Troubled Families (TF) programme is a national initiative launched in 2011 that aims to identify and work with families defined as ‘troubled’. An in-depth case study was undertaken using biographical data from eight ‘troubled families’ in one London borough. Intensive accounts of their lives were collected and analysed to illustrate the historical events, life experiences, and formal and informal support that may have led to their identificat…
Defensive Practice as ‘Fear-Based’ Practice
Defensive practice has received attention through the Munro review of child protection, which has identified that current organisational cultures increase the likelihood of defensive practice. Whilst the wider socio-political climate that gives rise to defensive practice has been explored within the literature, little attention has been paid to the everyday realities of defensive practice. This paper reports the findings of a study into final yea…
How Do Child-Protection Practitioners Make Decisions in Real-Life Situations? Lessons from the Psychology of Decision Making
Child-protection social workers must make difficult decisions in real-life circumstances that often involve limited knowledge, uncertainty, time pressures and powerful emotions. These circumstances can pose a significant challenge to reasoning skills, especially when the cost of errors and poor judgement can be unacceptably high. The current study explores the psychological processes that underpin how child-protection practitioners form judgement…
Using intuition in social work decision making
Social workers must make ‘justifiable’ decisions, but ‘intuition’ is also important in assessment, decision making and working with risk. We discuss intuition within professional judgement as being part of our cognitive faculties; emotionally-informed reasoning processes connecting workers with clients and families; and intuition making use of internalised learning. Challenges discussed include intuition as a taboo topic; communicating intuition-…
Defensive Practice as ‘Fear-Based’ Practice
Defensive practice has received attention through the Munro review of child protection, which has identified that current organisational cultures increase the likelihood of defensive practice. Whilst the wider socio-political climate that gives rise to defensive practice has been explored within the literature, little attention has been paid to the everyday realities of defensive practice. This paper reports the findings of a study into final yea…
Street gangs and coercive control
This article explores young women and girls’ participation in gangs and ‘county lines’ drug sales. Qualitative interviews and focus groups with criminal justice and social service professionals found that women and girls in gangs often are judged according to androcentric, stereotypical norms that deny gender-specific risks of exploitation. Gangs capitalise on the relative ‘invisibility’ of young women to advance their economic interests in count…
Group decision-making theories for child and family social work
There is increasing interest in decision making in social work. Much of the attention has been on individual professional judgement rather than on group decisions processes. This paper outlines key theoretical approaches from diverse fields of knowledge for conceptualising professional group decision processes in child and family social work, as a framework for future research and more focused theoretical developments. The main theoretical approa…
Protecting Children from Faith-Based Abuse through Accusations of Witchcraft and Spirit Possession
Faith-based abuse relating to the practice of witchcraft and spirit possession is a controversial and not well-understood form of child abuse. From its ‘discovery’ in the UK as a cause of abuse, serious injury and death for children, in 2000 to the present, the recent history of witchcraft and spirit possession involves some high-profile cases, involving serious harm and death for some children, which attracted significant publicity. This article…
Troubled, Troubling or in Trouble
The Troubled Families (TF) programme is a national initiative launched in 2011 that aims to identify and work with families defined as ‘troubled’. An in-depth case study was undertaken using biographical data from eight ‘troubled families’ in one London borough. Intensive accounts of their lives were collected and analysed to illustrate the historical events, life experiences, and formal and informal support that may have led to their identificat…
Defensive Practice as ‘Fear-Based’ Practice
Defensive practice has received attention through the Munro review of child protection, which has identified that current organisational cultures increase the likelihood of defensive practice. Whilst the wider socio-political climate that gives rise to defensive practice has been explored within the literature, little attention has been paid to the everyday realities of defensive practice. This paper reports the findings of a study into final yea…
Troubled, Troubling or in Trouble
The Troubled Families (TF) programme is a national initiative launched in 2011 that aims to identify and work with families defined as ‘troubled’. An in-depth case study was undertaken using biographical data from eight ‘troubled families’ in one London borough. Intensive accounts of their lives were collected and analysed to illustrate the historical events, life experiences, and formal and informal support that may have led to their identificat…
Protecting Children from Faith-Based Abuse through Accusations of Witchcraft and Spirit Possession
Faith-based abuse relating to the practice of witchcraft and spirit possession is a controversial and not well-understood form of child abuse. From its ‘discovery’ in the UK as a cause of abuse, serious injury and death for children, in 2000 to the present, the recent history of witchcraft and spirit possession involves some high-profile cases, involving serious harm and death for some children, which attracted significant publicity. This article…
How Do Child-Protection Practitioners Make Decisions in Real-Life Situations? Lessons from the Psychology of Decision Making
Child-protection social workers must make difficult decisions in real-life circumstances that often involve limited knowledge, uncertainty, time pressures and powerful emotions. These circumstances can pose a significant challenge to reasoning skills, especially when the cost of errors and poor judgement can be unacceptably high. The current study explores the psychological processes that underpin how child-protection practitioners form judgement…
No two gangs are alike
Social media provide novel opportunities for street gangs to operate beyond their traditional borders to sell drugs, recruit members and control their territory, virtually and physically. Although social media have contributed to the means available to street gangs today, it does not mean that every gang agrees on their use. Drawing on different perspectives (ex-gang members, law enforcement) on gangs using a multi-method design in a London borou…
Street gangs and coercive control
This article explores young women and girls’ participation in gangs and ‘county lines’ drug sales. Qualitative interviews and focus groups with criminal justice and social service professionals found that women and girls in gangs often are judged according to androcentric, stereotypical norms that deny gender-specific risks of exploitation. Gangs capitalise on the relative ‘invisibility’ of young women to advance their economic interests in count…
Using intuition in social work decision making
Social workers must make ‘justifiable’ decisions, but ‘intuition’ is also important in assessment, decision making and working with risk. We discuss intuition within professional judgement as being part of our cognitive faculties; emotionally-informed reasoning processes connecting workers with clients and families; and intuition making use of internalised learning. Challenges discussed include intuition as a taboo topic; communicating intuition-…
Connection and hope in a post-pandemic world
How Can Research and Theory Enhance Understanding of Professional Decision-Making in Reviews of Cases of Child Death and Serious Injury
In most child protection jurisdictions, a case of child death or serious injury through the actions or inaction of a parent or carer is responded to with an inquiry into the circumstances that led to the death of the child. A key objective of such inquiries is to discern what may have been done by public agencies to prevent the child’s death or serious injury and this may, in turn, lead to changes in existing policies or the development of new po…
Group decision-making theories for child and family social work
There is increasing interest in decision making in social work. Much of the attention has been on individual professional judgement rather than on group decisions processes. This paper outlines key theoretical approaches from diverse fields of knowledge for conceptualising professional group decision processes in child and family social work, as a framework for future research and more focused theoretical developments. The main theoretical approa…
Making Sense of Risk
‘Risk’ has become a central concept for social work practice in countries with more developed social welfare systems. As argued by Hazel Kemshall and colleagues, ‘risk’ has often replaced ‘need’ as the main driver for social work interventions as societies seek to avoid harm to citizens. This shift of focus raises a tension between care (support for the individual or family in their own right) and control (seeking to prevent harm to themselves, e…
The importance of social work in a challenging world
Sustaining and developing social work knowledge and skills in a changing world
As we prepare this issue at the start of 2026, we are constantly reminded of the rapidly changing global context in which we are writing this Editorial. At present, that context is heavy with confl
Psychology (10 works) · Political science (9 works) · Sociology (8 works) · Social Work Education and Practice (7 works) · Law (5 works) · Social Psychology (5 works) · Child Abuse and Trauma (4 works) · Criminology (4 works) · Engineering (4 works) · Homelessness and Social Issues (4 works)