Deanna Edwards

Deanna Edwards serves as a Lecturer in Social Work at the University of Salford's School of Health & Society, bringing over 30 years of professional experience as a qualified social worker, teacher, and counsellor specializing in children and families. She is actively affiliated with the Centre for Research on Inclusive Society and maintains current engagement through 2024 publications.

Her research centers on Family Group Conferences (FGCs) as family-led decision-making frameworks and strengths-based approaches across child welfare and adult social care contexts. Edwards explores adaptations of FGCs during crises like the Covid-19 pandemic, emphasizing children's voices and psychological theory applications in practice. Her work consistently advocates for families as experts in their own situations.

Edwards' publication trends (2018-2024) reveal deepening focus on FGC implementation across diverse populations, from looked-after children to elder abuse cases. Recent outputs highlight evolving academic-practice integration, particularly in her 2024 reflective paper on transitioning from frontline practice to academia and her 2023 textbook operationalizing strengths-based approaches.

She leads practical research initiatives including the 'Evaluation of FGC Service' project (2020-2021) and contributes to the Centre for Research on Inclusive Society's interdisciplinary mission of developing socially inclusive policies through evidence-based practice.