Professor Rick Hood
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
- Centre for Health and Social Care Research
- Kingston Hill
Professor of Social Work
- Email:
- [email protected]
About
I lead on research in the department with responsibility for undertaking applied research in the field of social work and social care, developing proposals and applications for external funding, supervising doctoral students, and supporting research and scholarship within the team. I am a registered social worker with over 10 years' experience of statutory child and family social work, and teach across a range of modules in pre- and post-qualifying social work courses. I have written two academic textbooks, Complexity in Social Work (2018) and Inequality and Social Work (2023), both published by Sage. I am co-chair of the BASW thematic group for children and families, and am a member of the editorial board of the British Journal of Social Work.
My research takes a mixed methods approach to applying systems ideas to social care, particularly services for children and families. Recent grant-funded research has explored the link between system conditions and welfare inequalities in children's social care, the outcomes of services for different types of demand, and the social gradient of intervention using the national datasets for England. Other recent projects include a study of reunification and re-entry to care, an evidence review of decision-making and risk assessment, and an analysis of patterns of demand and provision in adult social care. I am currently leading on two mixed methods studies, the first exploring the link between financial precarity and child welfare interventions, funded by Nuffield Foundation, and the second examining stability and outcomes for children in children's homes, funded by the NIHR.
I believe that research, teaching and scholarship can make a difference to people's lives. The difference I would like to make is to promote systems thinking in social care policy, management and practice, draw attention to social inequalities, and harness the potential of human relationships and capabilities.
Qualifications
- PgCert, Professional Education and Training, Kingston University and St Georges, University of London
- PhD, 'Complexity and Interprofessional Working in Children's Services', Royal Holloway, University of London
- MSc, Social Work, Royal Holloway, University of London
- BA (Hons), German and Spanish, Jesus College, University of Cambridge
Domains
Selected grants and projects
- 2024–2026
NIHR, £349,821, What kinds of children's homes work well for which children? A mixed methods study of stability and outcomes using national administrative data (PI) - 2023–2025
Nuffield Foundation, £298,770, Linking household benefits, financial precarity and child welfare (PI) - 2022–2026
NIHR, £1.3m, What CAMHS interventions predict positive outcomes for which young people with a social worker: A mixed-methods study of clinical support and cost-effectiveness utilising linked operational data (Co-I) - 2022–2024
Nuffield Foundation, £429,802, Rethinking Domestic Abuse in Child Protection: Responding differently (Co-I) - 2021–2023
Nuffield Foundation, £184,129, Studying the outcomes of different types of demand in children's social care (PI). - 2021–2022
What Work Centre for Children's Social Care, £19,962, Improving the chances of successful reunification for children who return home from care: a rapid evidence review (PI) - 2018–2021
Nuffield Foundation, £317,659, Identifying and understanding the link between system conditions and welfare inequalities in statutory children's social care services (PI)
Consultancy and training
- 2023–24 Re-imagining pre-proceedings - Family Rights Group
- 2023 Overcoming cultural and behavioural barriers to information sharing in children's social care - Oxford/LB Newham
- 2020–2021 DIMA (Digital Maturity Project) - Achieving for Children / Home Office
- 2020–2021 Applying complexity concepts to the management of children's social care - Kent Children's Services
Publications
Care leaver outcomes for children in children’s homes: a retrospective cohort study using national administrative data for England
Goldacre, Allie, Martin, Emma, Jones, Ed, Coady, Caroline, Clements, Keith, Tempest, Hannah, Vincent, Rebecca, Wang, Chao and Hood, Rick, 2026, Children and Youth Services Review (185), Published
Attachment theory and research: what should be on the core curriculum for child and family social workers?
Foster, Sarah L., Schofield, Gillian, Geoghegan, Luke, Hood, Rick, Sagi-Schwartz, Abraham, Bakkum, Lianne, Hutchinson, Dustin, Balk, William, Devine, Richard, Steele, Miriam, Steele, Howard, Duncan, Ross, Guthrie, Jenni, Mannes, Julia, Talia, Alessandro, Pickerden, Jane E., Senior, Lucy, Bailey, Luke, Stanton, Cathrine, Allen, Brian, Dagan, Or, Opie, Jessica E., Verhage, Marije L., Reijman, Sophie, Sterkenburg, Paula S., Costa-Cordella, Stefanella, Spies, Ruan, Tharner, Anne, Granqvist, Pehr, Forslund, Tommie, Madigan, Sheri, Schuengel, Carlo, Hammarlund, Mårten, Fonagy, Peter and Duschinsky, Robbie, 2026, Social Work Education (45), 3pp 803-820, Published
Just because we can does not mean we should: responsible and meaningful uses of administrative data in the evaluation of complex interventions in children’s social care
Holmes, Lisa, Hood, Rick, Mc Grath-Lone, Louise, Méndez Pineda, Rocio, Park, Jeongeun, Scourfield, Jonathan, Soraghan, Joanna and Woodman, Jenny, 2026, British Journal of Social Work, E-pub ahead of print
What factors are associated with placement instability for children in children’s homes in England? A retrospective cohort analysis using national administrative data
Hood, Rick, Goldacre, Allie, Martin, Emma, Jones, Edward, Coady, Caroline, Clements, Keith and Tempest, Hannah, 2025, British Journal of Social Work, E-pub ahead of print
The social must be stabilised: how are the social needs of young people with social work involvement characterized in their mental health case notes?
Morgan, Tessa, Crozier-Roche, Francesca, Graham, David, Smith, Jack, Drayak, Taliah, Mary, Sophie, Cossar, Jeanette, Mannes, Julia, Pilimatalawwe, Dihini, Parker, Pamela, Coughlan, Barry, Hood, Rick, Hutchinson, Dustin, Woolgar, Matt and Duschinsky, Robbie, 2025, Social Science and Medicine (374), E-pub ahead of print
Predictors of re-referral to children's social care services: an analysis of the national datasets for England
Goldacre, Allie, Jones, Ed, Martin, Emma, Clements, Keith, Webb, Calum and Hood, Rick, 2025, Children and Youth Services Review (169), Published
Knowledge brokering inside the policymaking process: an analysis of evidence use inside a UK government department
Shaxson, Louise, Hood, Rick, Boaz, Annette and Head, Brian, 2025, Evidence & Policy (21), 1pp 6-25, Published
Typological and cumulative approaches to risk and adversity in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS): retrospective cohort analysis in South London
Coughlan, Barry, Marshall, Nicole, Woolgar, Matt, Mannes, Julia, Erkiert, Paige, Humphrey, Ayla, Smith, Jack, Drayak, Taliah, Crozier-Roche, Francesca, Morgan, Tessa, Hutchinson, Dustin, Graham, David, Hood, Rick and Duschinsky, Robbie, 2024, Comprehensive Psychiatry, E-pub ahead of print
Inequality and its implications for the social work profession: reflections on the UK Joint Universities Social Work Association Conference
Hood, Rick, 2024, British Journal of Social Work (54), 8pp 3425-3428, Published
Factors associated with the school exclusion gap for children with social work involvement: a retrospective cohort study using national administrative data
Hood, Rick, Goldacre, Allie, Jones, Edward, Martin, Emma, Clements, Keith and Webb, Calum, 2024, British Journal of Social Work, E-pub ahead of print
Intervention pathways following a social work assessment: an analysis of national administrative data for children's social care in England
Hood, Rick, Goldacre, Allie, Jones, Ed, Martin, Emma, Clements, Keith and Webb, Calum, 2024, British Journal of Social Work, E-pub ahead of print
Risk rates and profiles at intake in child and adolescent mental health services: A cohort and latent class analyses of 21,688 young people in South London
Coughlan, Barry, Woolgar, Matt, Hood, Rick, Hutchinson, Dustin, Denford, Ella, Hillier, Amy, Clements, Keith, Geraghty, Teresa, Berry, Ava, Bywaters, Paul, Bilson, Andy, Smith, Jack, Drayak, Taliah, Graham, David, Crozier-Roche, Francesca and Duschinsky, Robbie, 2024, JCPP Advances, E-pub ahead of print
Negotiating the budget for evidence-informed policymaking: insights from a UK government department
Shaxson, Louise, Hood, Rick, Boaz, Annette and Head, Brian, 2024, Public Money & Management, E-pub ahead of print
Categorising demand for child welfare services using latent class analysis: a study of the national data-sets on children in need in England
Hood, Rick, Goldacre, Allie, Jones, Ed, King, Adam, Clements, Keith and Webb, Calum, 2023, British Journal of Social Work, E-pub ahead of print
Reunification and re-entry to care: an analysis of the national datasets for children looked after in England
Goldacre, Allie, Hood, Rick, Jones, Ed, King, Adam and Wang, Chao, 2022, British Journal of Social Work (52), 8pp 4756-4777, Published
Patterns of demand and provision in English adult social care services
Hood, Rick, Goldacre, Allie, Abbott, Simon and Jones, Ray, 2022, British Journal of Social Work (52), 7pp 3858-3880, Published
Factors affecting the social gradient in children's social care
Goldacre, Allie and Hood, Rick, 2022, British Journal of Social Work (52), 6pp 3599-3617, Published
What linking children's social care and benefits data can tell us
Hood, Rick, 2022, Policy in Practice, Published
Exploring the impact of Ofsted inspections on performance in children's social care
Hood, Rick and Goldacre, Allie, 2021, Children and Youth Services Review (129), Published
Beyond the toxic trio: exploring demand typologies in children's social care
Hood, Rick, Goldacre, Allie, Webb, Calum, Bywaters, Paul, Gorin, Sarah and Clements, Keith, 2021, British Journal of Social Work (51), 6pp 1942-1962, Published
Using outcome measures in child protection work
Hood, Rick, Lansley, Sue, Mitchell, Toni and Gaskell-Mew, Elaine, 2021, Child & Family Social Work (26), 3pp 318-328, Published
New development: using the Vanguard Method to explore demand and performance in people-centred services
Hood, Rick, O’Donovan, Brendan, Gibson, Jo and Brady, Dermot, 2021, Public Money & Management (41), 5pp 422-425, Published
Exploring drivers of demand for child protection services in an English local authority
Hood, Rick, Gorin, Sarah, Goldacre, Allie, Muleya, Wilson and Bywaters, Paul, 2020, Child & Family Social Work (25), 3pp 657-664, Published
Screen, ration and churn: demand management and the crisis in children's social care
Hood, Rick, Goldacre, Allie, Gorin, Sarah and Bywaters, Paul, 2020, British Journal of Social Work (50), 3pp 868-889, Published
Theories of power in interprofessional research: developing the field
Cohen Konrad, Shelley, Fletcher, Simon, Hood, Rick and Patel, Kunal, 2019, Journal of Interprofessional Care (33), 5pp 401-405, Published
An analysis of Ofsted inspection reports for children's social care services in England
Hood, Rick, Nilsson, David and Habibi, Ruth, 2019, Child & Family Social Work (24), 2pp 227-237, Published
A study of practitioner-service user relationships in social work
Hood, Rick, Brent, Maria, Abbott, Simon and Sartori, Daniele, 2019, British Journal of Social Work (49), 3pp 787-805, Published
Demand management is making problems worse for local authorities under pressure
Hood, Rick, 2019, Community Care, Published
What to measure in child protection?
Hood, Rick, 2019, British Journal of Social Work (49), 2pp 466-484, Published
Why are children treated unequally by social care services?
Hood, Rick, Gorin, Sarah and Goldacre, Alexander, 2018, Community Care, Published
[Book Review of] Blinded by Science: The Social Implications of Epigenetics and Neuroscience, David Wastell and Susan White
Hood, Rick, 2017, British Journal of Social Work (47), 6pp 1824-1826, Published
Complex systems, explanation and policy: implications of the crisis of replication for public health research
Grant, Robert L. and Hood, Rick, 2017, Critical Public Health (27), 5pp 525-532, Published
Collaborating across the threshold: the development of interprofessional expertise in child safeguarding
Hood, Rick, Price, Jayne, Sartori, Daniele, Maisey, Daryl, Johnson, Jessica and Clark, Zoe, 2017, Journal of Interprofessional Care (31), 6pp 705-713, Published
A study of performance indicators and Ofsted ratings in English child protection services
Hood, Rick, Grant, Robert, Jones, Ray and Goldacre, Allie, 2016, Children and Youth Services Review (67)pp 50-56, Published
Exploring demand and provision in English child protection services
Hood, Rick, Goldacre, Allie, Grant, Robert and Jones, Ray, 2016, British Journal of Social Work (46), 4pp 923-941, Published
How deprivation affects the way social work referrals are handled
Hood, Rick, 2016, Community Care, Published
Child protection interventions are on the rise - and the trend shows no sign of slowing
Hood, Rick, 2016, Community Care, Published
How professionals talk about complex cases: a critical discourse analysis
Hood, Rick, 2016, Child and Family Social Work (21), 2pp 125-135, Published
Be careful what you measure in child protection because it influences practice
Hood, Rick, 2016, Community Care, Published
Combining phenomenological and critical methodologies in qualitative research
Hood, Rick, 2016, Qualitative Social Work (15), 2pp 160-174, Published
A conceptual review of interprofessional expertise in child safeguarding
Hood, Rick, Gillespie, Judy and Davies, Jonathon, 2016, Journal of Interprofessional Care (30), 4pp 493-498, Published
How professionals experience complexity: an interpretative phenomenological analysis
Hood, Rick, 2015, Child Abuse Review (24), 2pp 140-152, Published
A socio-technical critique of tiered services: implications for interprofessional care.
Hood, Rick, 2015, Journal of Interprofessional Care (29), 1pp 8-12, Published
Early experiences in extending personal budgets in one local authority
Norrie, Caroline, Weinstein, Jenny, Jones, Ray, Hood, Rick and Bhanbro, Sadiq, 2014, Working with Older People (18), 4pp 176-185, Published
Complexity and integrated working in children's services
Hood, Rick, 2014, British Journal of Social Work (44), 1pp 27-43, Published
The definition and deployment of differential core professional competencies and characteristics in multiprofessional health and social care teams
Jones, Ray, Bhanbhro, Sadiq M., Grant, Robert and Hood, Rick, 2013, Health and Social Care in the Community (21), 1pp 47-58, Published
A critical realist model of complexity for interprofessional working
Hood, Rick, 2012, Journal of Interprofessional Care (26), 1pp 6-12, Published
Studying the outcomes of children's social care provision for different types of demand
Hood, Rick, Goldacre, Allie, Clements, Keith, Jones, Edward, King, Adam, Martin, Emma and Webb, Calum (2024). [Published]
Overcoming behavioural & cultural barriers to multi-agency information sharing in children's social care
Feinstein, Leon, Hood, Rick, Hyde-Dryden, Georgia and Baginsky, Mary (2023). Oxford, U.K.: [E-pub ahead of print]
Inequality and social work
Hood, Rick (2023). London, U.K.: [Published]
Covid-19 and trends in children's social care: an analysis of the national datasets for England
Hood, Rick, Goldacre, Allie, King, Adam and Jones, Ed (2022). Kingston upon Thames, U.K.: [Published]
Improving the quality of decision making and risk assessment in children's social care: a rapid evidence review
Hood, Rick, Abbott, Simon, Nilsson, David, Coughlan, Barry, Duschinsky, Robbie, Parker, Pamela and Mannes, Julia (2022). [Published]
Improving the chances of successful reunification for children who return home from care: a rapid evidence review
Hood, Rick, Abbott, Simon, Nilsson, David, Baginsky, Mary and Dimond, Claire (2022). [Published]
Reunification and re-entry to care: an analysis of national children's datasets for England
Hood, Rick, Jones, Ed, King, Adam and Goldacre, Allie (2021). [Published]
The social gradient in English child welfare services: an analysis of the national children's social care datasets
Hood, Rick and Goldacre, Allie (2021). [Published]
Identifying and understanding the link between system conditions and welfare inequalities in children's social care services: Final Report
Hood, Rick, Goldacre, Allie, Gorin, Sarah, Bywaters, Paul and Webb, Calum (2020). Kingston upon Thames, U.K.: [Published]
Prevent SOC pilot evaluation report
Brady, Dermot, Hood, Rick and Watson, Susan (2018). Kingston Upon Thames: [Accepted/In press]
Complexity in social work
Hood, Rick (2018). London, U.K.: [Published]
Caring Dads: multi-site evaluation in London 2013-2015: final report
Hood, Rick, Lindsay, Jane and Muleya, Wilson (2015). [Published]
Evaluation of Caring Dads: a single site evaluation in an urban local authority: interim report
Hood, Rick, Lindsay, Jane and Muleya, Wilson (2014). [Published]
Evaluating the experience of older people and people with mental health issues of being assessed for and receiving a personal budget in Wandsworth
Hood, Rick, Jones, Ray, Weinstein, Jenny and Ellison, Sarah (2012). London, U.K.: [Published]
Using evidence in social care
Ghate, Deborah and Hood, Rick (2019). In: Boaz, Annette, Davies, Huw, Fraser, Alec, Nutley, Sandra, (eds.), Bristol, U.K.:pp 89-109 [Published]
Assessment for social work practice
Hood, Rick (2016). In: Davies, Keith, Jones, Ray, (eds.), London, U.K.:pp 82-104 [Published]
Prevention and protection: the development of safeguarding in children‘s services
Hood, Rick (2015). In: Evans, Tony, Keating, Frank, (eds.), London, U.K.:pp 48-65 [Published]
Dilemmas of a caring profession: the implications of inequality for social work
Hood, Rick(2024). [Published]
Welfare inequalities: an existential challenge for social work?
Hood, Rick(2024). [Published]
Social work, systems thinking and digital technology
Hood, Rick(2021). [Published]
Reflexive regulation: Exploring the impact of Ofsted inspections on children‘s social care services.
Hood, Rick(2021). [Published]
Evidence and public health policy in complex systems: a view from the UK after COVID-19
Grant, Robert and Hood, Rick(2021). [Published]
Socioeconomic inequalities: reforming an unjust child welfare system
Hood, Rick(2021). [Published]
Measuring what matters: a systems approach to evaluating impact and effectiveness in children's social care
Hood, Rick and Brendan, O'Donovan(2021). [Published]
Concentrations of inequality in children's social care: lessons for policy and practice
Hood, Rick and Goldacre, Allie(2021). [Published]
The challenges facing children: what's driving the demand for children's services
Hood, Rick(2020). [Published]
Managing demand for children's social care
Hood, Rick(2019). [Published]
Identifying and understanding the link between system conditions and welfare inequalities in statutory children's social care services
Hood, Rick(2018). [Published]
Regulation, risk and blame culture in social work
Hood, Rick(2018). [Published]
An analysis of performance and inspection in English child protection services
Hood, Rick(2017). [Published]
Measuring outcomes and performance in child protection services
Hood, Rick(2017). [Published]
Inspection and the measurement of services
Hood, Rick(2016). [Published]
Exploring performance measures in child protection
Hood, Rick and Goldacre, Allie(2015). [Published]
How professionals experience complexity and joint working in child protection
Hood, Rick(2012). [Published]
Outcomes, indicators and professional work in integrated children's services
Hood, Rick(2011). [Published]
The tail and the dog: the role of research in developing integrated children's services
Hood, Rick(2011). [Published]
How do policy officials allocate their resources to support evidence-informed policymaking? Towards a research agenda
Shaxson, Louise, Hood, Rick, Boaz, Annette and Head, Brian (2024). Kingston upon Thames, U.K.: [Published]
Impact of investing in prevention on demand for statutory children's social care
Hood, Rick, Webb, Calum, Bennett, Davara and Bywaters, Paul (2022). London, U.K.: National Children's Bureau [Published]
The case for change: a response
Bywaters, Paul, Gupta, Anna, Bilson, Andy, Morris, Kate, Hood, Rick, Featherstone, Bird and Webb, Calum (2021). [Published]
Evidence for system reform needed to address the socio-economic drivers of demand and reduce inequalities in child welfare provision.
Hood, Rick, Featherstone, Brid, Bywaters, Paul, Gupta, Anna, Bilson, Andy, Morris, Kate and Webb, Calum (2021). [Submitted]