Ms Susan Watson
Faculties, departments and locations
- Faculty of Health, Science, Social Care and Education
- Department of Social Work and Social Care
- School of Education, Midwifery and Social Work
- Kingston Hill
Associate Professor and Head of Department of Social Work and Social Care
- Email:
- [email protected]
About
I am an Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Social Work and Social Care at Kingston University. As a dual-qualified social worker and lawyer, I bring over three decades of frontline experience, academic leadership, and interdisciplinary expertise to my role. I joined Kingston University in 2013 and has since held a range of leadership positions within the Faculty, including Course Leader for the BA (Hons) Social Work Integrated Degree Apprenticeship.
My professional journey began in child and family social work, and evolved to include legal practice, and higher education. I am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and an accredited mediator, with a strong commitment to inclusive education, ethical practice, and community engagement.
My research has included particularly in areas such as stalking advocacy, sex work exit strategies. I have co-authored commissioned reports and peer-reviewed publications that reflect Kingston University’s commitment to real-world impact and social innovation. Currently I am engaged in doctoral research studying Higher Education Teachers of Social Work experiences of race and racism in the classroom.
“At Kingston, we don’t just teach social work—we live it. Our department is built on the belief that education should transform lives, not just careers. We prepare our students to lead with compassion, think critically, and advocate for those who need it most.”
Qualifications
- Accredited Mediator, Mediation, Regents University
- MRes, Law, Culture and Identity, Birkbeck College
- PgCert, Higher Education, Kingston University
- Legal Practice Certificate, Law, College of Law, Guildford
- LLB (Hons), Law, Kingston University
- PgDip, Counselling and Psychotherapy, Roehampton Institute
- PgDip, Social Work, University of Aberdeen
- BA, English, University of Stirling
Domains
Courses taught
I have a strong interest in the student experience of students in Higher education and undertook research funded by the OIA into the early resolution of student complaints. (2016)
I have been involved in several evaluations of social work and social care service provision:
- Services offered to victims of stalking (2016)
- Services for sex workers (2017)
- Services offered to young people at risk of involvement in serious organised crime (2018)
Publications
Plagiarism in UK law schools: is there a postcode lottery?
Bermingham, Vera, Watson, Susan and Jones, Martin, 2010, Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education (35), 1 pp 1-14, Published
Prevent SOC pilot evaluation report
Brady, Dermot, Hood, Rick and Watson, Susan (2018). Kingston Upon Thames: [Accepted/In press]
An evaluation of the SPIRES Streetlink programme
Lindsay, Jane, Nilsson, David and Watson, Susan (2017). [Published]
An evaluation of services provided to high-risk victims of stalking by Paladin: The National Stalking Advocacy Service
Lindsay, Jane and Watson, Susan (2016). [Published]
A study of the effectiveness of using early resolution methods to resolve student complaints in Higher Education
Scott-Hunt, Susan, Watson, Susan, Lindsay, Jane, Kalogeropoulou, Konstantina and Proyer, Michelle (2016). Kingston upon Thames, U.K.: [Published]
Nutshells: Tort
Bermingham, Vera, Hodgson, John and Watson, Susan (2014). London, U.K.: (Sweet & Maxwell) [Published]
Plagiarism in UK law schools: policies, procedures and penalties
Jones, Martin, Bermingham, Vera and Watson, Susan (2008). Warwick, U.K.: [Published]
Legal skills for social workers
Watson, Susan (2016). In: Davies, Keith, Jones, Ray, (eds.), London, U.K.: pp 121-141 [Published]
Assisting female sex-workers to exit prostitution. Report of an evaluation of a successful community based initiative.
Lindsay, Jane, Watson, Susan and Nilsson, David(2018). [Accepted/In press]
Enabling victims of stalking to access justice
Watson, Susan and Lindsay, Jane(2016). [Published]
Safeguarding from harm or safeguarding rights?
Watson, Susan and Daly, Jacob(2012). [Published]
Academic misconduct in UK law schools: categories of misconduct, penalties imposed and assessment-led solutions to the problem
Bermingham, Vera, Watson, Susan and Jones, Martin(2006). [Published]