Dr Beth Neil
Senior Lecturer Director of Research
| Job Title | Contact | Location |
|---|---|---|
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Senior Lecturer
Director of Research |
E dot Neil at uea dot ac dot uk
Tel: +44 (0)1603 59 3562 |
Elizabeth Fry Building 2.21 |
Biography
My undergraduate degree was a BSc in Psychology from Leicester University. After working for several years in the social care field, I came to UEA in 1992 to study for my master’s degree in Social Work. After two years in child care practice, I returned in 1996 to undertake my PhD on the topic of contact after adoption. I gained a faculty position in 1999 and was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2007. In both my teaching and my research, I'm interested in exploring issues relevant to social work using psychological perspectives. I'm interested in adoption practices around the world, and in 2006 I organised and chaired the Second International Conference on Adoption Research here at UEA
Representative Publications
Neil, E., Cossar, J., Lorgelly, P. &Young, J. (2010) Helping Birth Families: Services, costs and outcomes, London: BAAF.
Neil, E. and Wrobel, G.(eds) (2009), International Advances in Adoption Research for Practice. Chichester: Wiley.
Neil, E. (2009) ‘The corresponding experiences of adoptive parents and birth relatives in open adoptions’. In Wrobel, G. and Neil, E. (Eds.) International advances in adoption research for practice. Chichester: Wiley.
Young, J. and Neil, E. (2009), "Contact after adoption" in G. Schofield and J. Simmonds (eds) The Child Placement Handbook: Research, Policy and Practice. London: BAAF.
Wrobel, G. and Neil, E. (2009), "Connecting research to practice" in G. Wrobel and E. Neil International Advances in Adoption Research for Practice. Chichester: Wiley.
Cossar, J. and Neil, E. (2009), "Supporting the birth relatives of adopted children: How accessible are services?", British Journal of Social Work, DOI: 10.1093/bjsw/bcp061
Neil, E. (2008) "Making sense of what it means to be adopted for children in middle childhood": Poster presentation at International Society for Study of behavioural Development (ISSBD) biennial meeting, Wurzburg, Germany, July 2008.
Neil, E. (2008) Supporting post adoption contact for children adopted from care: a study of social workers' attitudes. Adoption Quarterly 10 (3/4) pp 3-28.
Neil, E. (2008) Guest Editorial. Adoption Quarterly 10 (3/4) pp 1-2.
Neil, E. (2007). Post adoption contact and openness in adoptive parents’ minds: consequences for children’s development. London: British Journal of Social Work- Advance Access: doi: 10.1093/bjsw/bcm087. Click here for abstract.
Neil, E. (2007). ‘Coming to Terms with the Loss of a Child: The Feelings of Birth Parents and Grandparents about Adoption and Post-Adoption Contact’, Adoption Quarterly, 10 (1), pp. 1-23. Click here for abstract.
Neil, E. (2006) Het verlies van een kind accepteren. Hoe de biologische familie contact na de adoptie ervaart (Accepting the loss of a child to adoption: birth relatives' views of post adoption contact). Adoptietijdschrift (The Adoption Magazine), 9/2, 15-16.
Neil, E. (2006) ‘Contact with adult birth relatives after adoption: a longitudinal study of children aged under 4 at placement’, Final Report to Nuffield Foundation, February 2006. For a summary click here: (link to PDF)
Neil, E. and Howe, D. (Eds) (2004) Contact in Adoption and Permanent Foster Care: Research, Theory and Practice. London: British Agencies for Adoption and Fostering (BAAF).
(see http://www.baaf.org.uk/res/pubs/books/authors/neil_elsbeth.shtml)
Neil, E. and Howe, D. (2004) Introduction in E. Neil and D. Howe (Eds) Contact in Adoption and Permanent Foster Care: Research, Theory and Practice, London: British Agencies for Adoption and Fostering.
(see http://www.baaf.org.uk/res/pubs/books/authors/neil_elsbeth.shtml).
Neil, E. (2004) The “Contact after Adoption” Study: indirect contact and adoptive parents’ communication about adoption, in E. Neil and D. Howe (Eds) Contact in Adoption and Permanent Foster Care: Research, Theory and Practice, London: British Agencies for Adoption and Fostering.
(see http://www.baaf.org.uk/res/pubs/books/authors/neil_elsbeth.shtml).
Neil, E. (2004) The “Contact after Adoption” study: face-to-face contact, pages 65-84, Contact in Adoption and Permanent Foster Care: Research, Theory and Practice, in E. Neil and D. Howe (Eds) Contact in Adoption and Permanent Foster Care: Research, Theory and Practice, London: British Agencies for Adoption and Fostering.
(see http://www.baaf.org.uk/res/pubs/books/authors/neil_elsbeth.shtml).
Young, J. and Neil, E. (2004) The ‘Contact after Adoption’ study: The perspective of Birth Relatives after non-voluntary Adoption In E. Neil and D. Howe. Contact in Adoption and Permanent Foster Care: Research, Theory and Practice. London: British Agencies for Adoption and Fostering.
http://www.baaf.org.uk/res/pubs/books/authors/neil_elsbeth.shtml
Neil, E. and Howe, D. (2004) Conclusions: a transactional model for thinking about contact, In E. Neil and D. Howe. Contact in Adoption and Permanent Foster Care: Research, Theory and Practice. London: British Agencies for Adoption and Fostering.
http://www.baaf.org.uk/res/pubs/books/authors/neil_elsbeth.shtml
Neil, E. (2003) Contact after Adoption: A Research Review, in Bainham, M, Lindley, B, Richards, M and Trinder, L (eds) Children and their families: Contact, rights and welfare. Hart. 2004.
Neil, E. (2003) 'Understanding other people's perspectives: tasks for adopters in open adoptions' , pp. 3-30, Adoption Quarterly, 6/3. 2003. Click here for abstract.
Neil, E. (2002) Managing face-to-face contact for young adopted children, in H. Argent (ed) Staying Connected: Managing Contact Arrangements In Adoption, London, BAAF.
http://www.baaf.org.uk/res/pubs/books/book_staycon.shtml
Neil, E., Beek, M. and Schofield., G. (2003) ‘Thinking about and managing contact in permanent placements: the differences and similarities between adoptive parents and foster carers’ Journal of Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 8 (3). Full PDF version available from publishers website. Click here.
Neil, E. (2003)'Accepting the reality of adoption: birth relative's experiences of face-to-face contact', Adoption and Fostering, 27/2.
Neil, E. (2002) 'Contact after Adoption: The role of agencies in making and supporting plans', pp. 25-38, Adoption and Fostering, 26/1.
Neil, E. and Sellick, C. (2001) ‘A description and evaluation of a social work training programme in Moldova’ Social Work Education, 20(5).
Neil, E. (2000) ‘The reasons why young children are placed for adoption: Findings from a recently placed sample and implications for future identity issues’, Child and Family Social Work. 5 (4)
Conferences/ Presentations
July 2010, 'The dynamics and outcomes of post adoption contact - a view from UK experience', 3rd Internation Conference on Adoption Research, Leiden.July 2010, 'Making sense of difficult adoption stories: children's feelings and adoptive parents' communicative openness', 3rd International Conference on Adoption Research, Leiden.
July 2010, 'Supporting Contact: What is complex about direct contact for children, adoptive parents and birth relatives?', Annual Conference, CRCF, UEA: London.
July 2010, 'Helping Birth Families: Birth relative support services - what difference do they make?', Annual Conference, CRCF, UEA: London.
June 2010, 'Learning from contact in adoption placements', Facing up to Facebook, BAAF: London.
June 2010, 'Presentation of findings of Helping Birth Families study', Launch of the Next Step birth relatives support service, Northern Ireland.
Feb 2010, 'Post-Adoption contact with Birth Relatives who have Mental Health problems', CAFCASS Annual Research Conference: What helps Children? Evidence Based Analysis for Family Court, CAFCASS:London.
Key Research Interests
Family relationships, attachment, separation, loss and identity, and developmental impact of early harm are what fascinate me, and the field of adoption demands exploration of all these issues, whilst also allowing me to pursue my interest in social work practice. In particular I have been carrying out research looking adopted children's contact with their birth relatives, and in the area of post-adoption support, including support for the birth relatives of adopted children. In my research I tend to combine qualitative and quantitative methods, and I try to include the perspective of adopted children/young people, adoptive parents, birth relatives, and adoption professionals.
Current research projects
The Contact after Adoption Study.
The "contact after adoption" research study aims to answer questions about what post-adoption contact arrangements are like from the point of view of children, adoptive parents, and birth relatives. The study has focused on children adopted in England who were under the age of four when placed for adoption. The families in the study have experienced a range of different post-adoption contact plans from no contact through to face-to-face contact. The study is longitudinal and has three stages:
Stage one: 1996-2000. Dr Beth Neil began the research as her Ph.D. study. A survey (completed by social workers) of 168 adopted children was carried out. Interviews took place with adoptive parents and birth relatives, all of whom were involved in face-to-face contact arrangements
Stage 2: 2002-2004. The Nuffield Foundation funded an extension of the project to follow up families approximately 7 years after adoption. The study included families where indirect contact was the plan as well as the original families having face-to-face contact. Interviews were carried out with 62 adoptive families, 43 adopted children, and 73 birth relatives (mostly parents and grandparents).
Stage 3: 2012-13. The Nuffield Foundation is funding this further stage of the study. We will be returning to the people who took part in the study at stage 2; the adopted young people will now be mainly aged between 16 and 20 years old.
Click here to link to the project website which includes a full list of publications, and summaries of the findings from the research so far.
2004-2008 Researching Adoption Support
(with Julie Young, Clive Sellick, Paula Lorgelly, Jeanette Cossar, and Christine Jones). Part of the Adoption Research Initiative.
This study was a response to new adoption legislation aiming to improve adoption support services. This research project explored how agencies were translating these policy objectives into practice, providing an evidence base for further development. The project focused on two types of support services: those provided to support the birth relatives of adopted children; and those provided to support face-to-face post-adoption contact between adopted children and members of their birth family. The first stage of the research mapped support service provision in these two areas across England and Wales.
The second stage consisted of two separate studies: the "Helping birth families" study explored the provision of support services for the birth relatives of adopted children, and 73 birth relatives took part in the study. A survey of the take-up of these support services was carried out with participating agencies. Birth relatives were followed up over a 15 month period and the project's attempted to look at whether receiving (or not receiving) support service made any difference to how birth relatives coped with adoption, and to their mental health. The project also costed birth relative support services.
The "Supporting direct contact after adoption" study followed up families whose children were having face-to-face contact with birth relatives and where adoption agencies were involved in supporting this contact. 55 adoptive parents and 39 birth relatives took part. The study describes the services to support contact that people received, and their views about these. The study also describes how adoptive parents and birth relatives experienced contact arrangements and how well they felt contact was working out for the child.
The adoption research initiative website http://www.adoptionresearchinitiative.org.uk/study5.html
contains a fuller description of the studies, and makes available summaries of the findings. The website also includes two audio interviews with myself, and audio clips of birth parents talking about their experiences of adoption.
Post-graduate supervision
I am experienced at supervising students at research Masters and doctoral level. Topics my PhD students have explored include:
· adoptive parent recruitment (Emma Ward)
· Foster carers experiences of fostering babies (Michelle Pyman)
· experiences of birth fathers in adoption (John Clifton)
· adopted adults experiences of sibling relationships (Heather Ottaway)
· looked after children's use of social networking (Andrew Sach)
I welcome both national and international students interested in researching family placement issues, or the broader field of child and family welfare, particularly students interested in taking a psychological approach to these issues.
Teaching Interests
My current teaching is as follows:
MA in Social Work
Year 1: Human Growth and Behaviour, Supporting parents of looked after and adopted children
Year 2: Social work with children and families: adoption. Young child observation project.
BA in Social Work
Year Two: Human Growth and Behaviour, Supporting parents of looked after and adopted children
Year 3: Social Work with Children and Families: adoption.
Post qualifying courses-social work with children and families - teaching on adoption.
