Lesley van Scheppingen

Lesley van Scheppingen is a Lecturer and Researcher at Leiden University of Applied Sciences, where she also leads the Social Work in Healthcare (LVB) profile. She bridges academic research and teaching by integrating real-world studies into her Social Work curriculum and disseminating findings to professional fields. Her career focuses on youth within care, judicial, and police systems.

Research Interests: Lesley investigates societal challenges for people with intellectual disabilities, emphasizing the balance of 'distance and proximity' in caregiver-client relationships. She examines how organizational contexts influence care dynamics and develops practical tools to foster trust. Her work spans:

• Housing problems for youth with mild intellectual disabilities
• Probation service frameworks
• Development of assessment tools like the SCIL for adolescents

Her 2022 co-authored book, Basic book on intellectual disabilities for social workers, synthesizes research into accessible educational material for practitioners.

Collaborations: Lesley partners with organizations like Middin to align academic training with industry needs, enabling care supervisors to complete specialized LVB profiles.

Lab Affiliation: She conducts research within the LVB and risky behaviour research group.