Isobel Drew

Isobel Drew joined the University of Kent as an academic for the second time in 2021 and is a module convenor (undergraduate and postgraduate) and dissertation supervisor for both the Centre for Child Protection and social work programmes. Isobel holds a BA in Sociology, Anthropology, and Gender Studies, and gained an MA in Social Work (University of Hull).

After successfully completing her formal training and professional qualification Isobel chose to hone her skills and knowledge through statutory social work practice, with a clear focus on child welfare and protection. She has held a range of professional positions within statutory service settings (operational and strategic), including frontline services, Cafcass, and LSCB, and is a qualified Practice Teacher (Goldsmiths College, University of London). Isobel has successfully completed a postgraduate teaching qualification (University of Kent) and is a HEA fellow.

Isobel Drew is registered with Social Work England (SWE) and is a member of the British Association of Social Workers (BASW). Isobel is an active member of the social work education anti-racism network (SWEARN) and Chairs an Association of Child Protection Professionals (AoCPP) special interest group ‘Culture and Child Protection’.  

Isobel has decades of experience in the field of child protection practice and has developed research interests in the place of emotion within professional practice. She also has a keen interest in the impact and implications of race and class on both those using services and practitioners. 

Isobel Drew teaches across social work programmes and for the Centre for Child Protection. She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) and holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (PGCHE). Isobel is interested in critical dissent and pedagogical disruption within social work education.

Indicative examples of current teaching

• The 'Unconscious at Work': The Organizational Dimensions of Risk-Management - SOCI9310
• Sociological Perspectives for Social Work SWKX4007
• Social Policy and Social Problems SWKX4005
• Advanced Interventions SWKX5002
• Critical and Reflective Practice SWKX6002

• JSWEC Conference 2023 (University of Strathclyde) 

‘Was that a pivotal historical moment we just went stumbling past?’

Social work is a profession steeped in the ideals and aspirations of social justice. How can we (and the social work profession) survive within a multiplicity of immersive neoliberal systems?

• JSWEC Conference 2022 (Leeds Beckett University)

‘The malignant spectre of institutional racism in safeguarding: How does the case of Child Q confront and disrupt the professional status quo?’

• JSWEC Conference 2018 (Canterbury Christchurch University)

‘The murder of Bijan Ebrahimi and its proximity to social work: othering, oppression and the spectre of institutional racism’