Role
Academic Leadership Role
Dr Simon Cauvain is Head of the Department of Social Work, Care and Community at Nottingham Trent University, providing academic and strategic leadership across social work, social care, youth work and community based professional education.
He brings over 25 years’ experience spanning higher education, research, policy engagement and frontline social work practice, including children and families, safeguarding, and community care. Since taking up his leadership role at NTU, Simon has led curriculum renewal, portfolio development and organisational integration, while fostering a collegial, research informed and practice engaged departmental culture.
Simon is nationally and internationally recognised for his work on social work recruitment and retention, parent centred and compassionate practice, and ethical, values based and decolonised approaches to social work education. He works extensively with professional bodies, policymakers and universities in the UK, Europe and Africa.
He is an active contributor to School and University leadership, with responsibility for academic quality, student experience, research culture, practice partnerships, international collaboration and is recognised for his compassionate leadership. He is an executive member of the D2N2 Teaching Partnership Social Work Academy of Excellence.
Teaching and Doctoral Supervision
Simon provides academic leadership for qualifying and post qualifying professional programmes and supervises PhD and Professional Doctorate candidates. Current and recent doctoral supervision spans youth work, neurodivergence in social work practice, social pedagogy and the ethical adoption of AI in adult social care.
Sustainable Development Goals
Dr Cauvain’s work aligns closely with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 3 (Good Health and Well‑Being), SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), through his leadership in professional education, workforce sustainability research, and long‑standing international partnerships in Europe and Malawi.
Career overview
Leadership and Academic Roles
- Head of Department, Social Work, Care and Community, Nottingham Trent University (2019–present)
- Acting Head of Department, Social Work and Health, Nottingham Trent University (2018–2019)
- Principal Lecturer, Social Work, Nottingham Trent University (2015–2018)
- Lecturer, Social Policy and Social Work, University of York
- Senior Lecturer, Social Work, Sheffield Hallam University
Simon has published across academic, professional and practitioner audiences. His work includes:
- Book chapters in major international handbooks on social work theory and education (Routledge), including on task‑centred practice, parental advocacy, and decolonisation and Ubuntu in practice education.
- Peer‑reviewed journal articles, including in the European Journal of Social Work, examining the role of universities in shaping the future of social work in Europe.
- Commissioned reports for funders including the Department for Education on social worker retention.
- Professional and public scholarship, including contributions to Professional Social Work and practitioner‑focused media on workforce wellbeing and social justice.
Research areas
Research and Scholarly Interests
- Recruitment, retention and wellbeing of the social work workforce
- Parent centred practice, parental advocacy and compassion in child protection
- Ethics, values and anti oppressive practice
- Decolonising social work education and international knowledge exchange
- Practice education, professional identity and workforce sustainability
External activity
International Partnerships and Knowledge Exchange
Simon has a long standing commitment to international collaboration and civic engagement.
He is Deputy Chair of the International Parent Centred Network (IPCN), a sustained European partnership involving seven universities, focused on research, teaching innovation and student engagement in parent centred and compassionate practice.
He is also a core academic member of Supporting Social Work in Malawi (SSWIM), contributing to practice education, professional development and leadership capacity building. This work has supported the professionalisation of social work in Malawi, including curriculum development, practice education, support for a national professional association and contributions towards a national Social Work Bill.
He has supported development of NTU social work academic partnerships with Kharkiv National Medical University (KhNMU), Ukraine, the University of Applied Sciences, in Potsdam, Germany, and the University of Malawi in Zomba.
Publications
Cauvain, S. (forthcoming) Parental advocacy in child protection: its importance, associated barriers, mindset and the role of power. In: Borg, C. (ed.) Parenthood in perspective. London: Routledge.
Walker, J., Cauvain, S., Kakowa, F. and Fometu, A. (2024) ‘Social work and practice education, decolonisation and Ubuntu: making connections in Malawi’. In: The Routledge handbook of African social work education. London: Routledge.
Cauvain, S. and Foster, B. (2023) D2N2 social worker retention: insights from within. Report to the Department for Education. Nottingham: Nottingham Trent University.
Cauvain, S. (2019) ‘Task‑centred practice’. In: Payne, M. and Reith‑Hall, E. (eds.) The Routledge handbook of social work theory. London: Routledge.
Cauvain, S. (2017) ‘The Social Work Barometer’. Professional Social Work.
Cauvain, S. (2017) ‘Mouthpiece’. In: Doel, M. (ed.) Social work in 40 objects (and more). St Albans: Kirwin Maclean Associates.
Webber, M., Hardy, M., Cauvain, S., Kääriäinen, A., Satka, M., Yliruka, L. and Shaw, I. (2016) ‘An exploration of the role of university social work in shaping the future of social work in Europe’. In: The Routledge international handbook of social work education. London: Routledge.
Cauvain, S. (2015) ‘Highlighting social inequality, power and oppression through learning and teaching activities’. In: Bartoli, A., Chopping, T., Douglas, V. and Tedam, P. (eds.) Embedding equality and diversity in the curriculum: a social work practitioner’s guide. York: Higher Education Academy.
Webber, M., Hardy, M., Cauvain, S., Kääriäinen, A., Satka, M., Yliruka, L. and Shaw, I. (2014) ‘W(h)ither the academy? An exploration of the role of university social work in shaping the future of social work in Europe’. European Journal of Social Work, 17(5), pp. 627–642.
Press expertise
Simon is regularly engaged as a commentator on:
- Social work workforce challenges, recruitment and retention
- Child protection, parental advocacy and ethical practice
- Professional education, values and compassion in public services
- Decolonising curricula and international social work development
He has contributed to professional and sector media and is available for expert comment and informed analysis.
Sustainable Development Goals
Dr Cauvain’s work aligns closely with the following UN Sustainable Development Goals:
