Dr Lou Oliver

Louise is a lecturer in social work and is the lead for the Social Work Practice Educator Units: Enabling Work Based Learning and Supervising a Learner in Practice. She also teaches within the pre-qualifying Bachelors and Masters programmes, including the Post-Graduate Diploma, Step Up To Social Work.

Louise received the Vice Chancellor Scholarship to undertake and complete her PhD, on problematic communications in the form of secrets and secrecy and the influence this has upon child-to-parent violence and abuse. She continues to conduct research focusing upon family conflict, violence and abuse. She is also interested in game-based learning and gamification and is working on several collaborative projects, using these methods, to enhance learning in health and social care practice.

Previous career: Louise has worked within children’s social care since 2004, as a Family Support Worker and later a qualified as a Social Worker. Prior to that she worked within the independent sector, working with adults who were homeless and using substances and also in a residential setting to support adults develop independent living skills.