Iona Colvin

Professor Iona Colvin OBE serves as an Honorary Professor with extensive leadership in social work and social care policy. She held an 8-year tenure as Chief Adviser to Scottish Ministers and previously directed integrated health and social care services at North Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership and NHS Ayrshire and Arran, specializing in mental health and addiction services.

Her research focuses on policy impacts in social work delivery, with key interests including:

• Social care workforce development
• Integrated health-social care models
• Child and family safeguarding systems
• Drug/alcohol treatment frameworks
• Mental health service coordination
• Legislative reform in care systems

She received the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her contributions to social care.

Professor Colvin has chaired critical national policy groups including the Foster Care Allowances Review, Social Care in Prisons Review, Children and Families Leadership Group, and Ukraine Safeguarding Group. She currently advises the national drug and alcohol misuse strategy and mentors students exploring policy implementation in social work contexts.