Kelly Devenney

Dr Kelly Devenney is a Senior Lecturer in Social Policy at the University of York, affiliated with the School for Business and Society. She holds a BA in Social Work from the University of Bradford, an MRES in Social Work from the University of York, and a PhD from the same institution. As Programme Leader for Social Work, she oversees academic and professional training programs.

Her research focuses on migration, refugees, and young migrants' experiences, particularly unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in the UK and marketization practices in Global South refugee camps. She is a member of the University of York Migration Network (Mignet) and the University of Sanctuary Monitoring and Evaluation Group. Her anti-racism work includes interventions recognized in the 2022 Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Impact Awards.

Current research projects include NIHR-funded studies on care leavers' transitions, marketization in refugee camps, and an anti-racism book club pilot. She supervises PhD topics in childhood & youth, migration, and social policy.

• Education:
  • PhD, University of York
  • MRES Social Work, University of York
  • BA Social Work, University of Bradford
• Awards:
  • Highly commended, University of York Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Impact Awards 2022
• Grants & Projects:
  • NIHR-funded care leavers' transitions study
  • Marketization in Global South refugee camps research
  • Anti-racism book club evaluation
• Labs/Teams:
  • University of York Migration Network (Mignet)
  • University of Sanctuary Monitoring and Evaluation Group
  • Community of Researchers in Transition (CORIT)