Caroline Leah

Dr. Caroline Leah is a Senior Lecturer in Mental Health Social Work at the Department of Social Care and Social Work, Faculty of Health and Education, Manchester Metropolitan University. Her work focuses on mental health inequalities, particularly for individuals with lived experience of psychosis and detention under the Mental Health Act (MHA) 1983.

• Education: BA (Hons) Politics/Sociology, University of York (1993); MA in Social Work Studies, Manchester Metropolitan University (1999); EdD, University of Manchester (2018)

Her research examines systemic discrimination in mental health detention, notably through the ImproveAct project which used co-produced methodologies to address disproportionate detention rates of Black British men. She has contributed to parliamentary-level policy reform discussions and received NIHR funding for her work. She co-leads NIHR ARC Greater Manchester, focusing on social care workforce capacity building.

Research outputs and teaching emphasize Experience-Based Co-Design, Strength-Based Approaches (Care Act 2014), and hybrid professional roles such as the Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP). She has supervised multiple PhD students and taught at undergraduate through postgraduate levels, incorporating qualitative research methods and mental health law.

• Key affiliations: Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, International Academy of Law and Mental Health, British Sociological Association
• Scientific contributions: Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, NIHR-funded research projects, peer reviewer for major social work journals