Dr Duncan Helm

Senior Lecturer

Social Work Colin Bell Building, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA

Dr Duncan Helm

Contact details

About me

A registered social worker with experience of child welfare and protection work in local authorities and in integrated services. An academic since 2003, my expertise is in child welfare and in assessment and working with risk and uncertainty. I directed undergraduate child protection CPD provision at the University of Dundee before moving to the University of Stirling in 2008 where I was director of the MSc Applied Professional Studies programme until 2019 and Head of Social Work 2020 - 2024. I am currently Programme Director for the MSc Social Work Studies and module coordinator for Social Work Law and Policy.

My doctoral studies were in the field of judgement and decision-making in social work. I have a particular interest in sense-making and analysis in professional practice. I have published books, chapters and journal articles exploring judgement and decision-making in social work. I have researched sense-making in social work and in Safeguarders to the Children's Panel. My work in theory building has promote discussion and critical reflection on the contingent and collaborative nature of professional judgement. I am a member of a number of local, national and international research networks. I am currently supervising PhD students with research interests in the Children's Hearings System, constructions of child neglect and the impact of caregiving on grandparents. I will be happy to discuss research proposals with interested candidates."

Event / Presentation

Ecology of Judgement in Child Welfare and Protection . Ecology of Judgement Seminar

Analysis and Professional Judgement in Child and Family Assessment. BASPCAN Scottish Branch Conference

Testing the application of GIRFEC in child protection practice. BASPCAN Scottish Branch Conference

Sense-making in child and family assessments. Reconstruct Annual Conference

Making the Meaningless Meaningful - Analysis in Assessment. Professional Judgement

Keynote speech. Child Inclusive Practice Annual Forum

Chair. GIRFEC 2013

Analysis in practice: A study of sense-making in a children and families social work team. . WithScotland Webinar December 2014

A webinar presentation of findings from an ethnographic study of judgement in a social work office.

Judgements or Assumptions? The role of analysis in assessing children and young people’s needs. ESRC Seminar ‘Interrogating Harm and Abuse Across the Lifespan’

Analysing and Reporting Children’s Needs and Experiences. Pre-conference workshop - Child Inclusive Practice (Australia)
A day-long workshop developing enhanced skills and knolwedge in analysis of children and young people's needs in assessments.

Judgements or Assumptions?. Making Research Count seminar (York)

Research projects (3)

Evaluation of Edinburgh Child Protection Committee training
PI: Dr Duncan Helm
Funded by: Edinburgh Child Protection Committee
–

NHS Forth Valley Managers' Training
PI: Dr Duncan Helm
Funded by: NHS Forth Valley
–

Safeguarder Post-assessment Training
PI: Dr Duncan Helm
Funded by: Children 1st
–

Outputs (19)

Other

Advancing social work research and practice: celebrating ten years of the Decisions, Assessment and Risk Special Interest Group (DARSIG)

O’Leary D, Alfandari R, Cowley LE, Bertotti T, Gautschi J, Gregory M, Helm D, Killick C, Lwin K, Rölver M, Sicora A, Munkholt Sørensen K, Suarez H, Taylor B & Nirmalarajan LY (2025) Advancing social work research and practice: celebrating ten years of the Decisions, Assessment and Risk Special Interest Group (DARSIG). European Social Work Research. https://doi.org/10.1332/27551768y2025d000000051

Article

The future is here: digital technologies in social work practice

Alfandari R, Whittaker A, Helm D, Killick C, Gautschi J, Rölver M, Taylor B, Yde Nirmalarajan L, Suarez H, Middel F, Agu L, Bolin A, Raudava V & Lamponen T (2024) The future is here: digital technologies in social work practice. European Social Work Research, 2 (1), pp. 88-92. https://doi.org/10.1332/27551768y2024d000000006

Book Chapter

Sense making in professional judgement

Helm D (2023) Sense making in professional judgement. In: Taylor BJ, Fluke JD, Graham JC, Keddell E, Killick C, Shlonsky A & Whittaker A (eds.) The SAGE Handbook of Decision Making, Assessment and Risk in Social Work. 1st ed. SAGE, p. 650. https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/the-sage-handbook-of-decision-making-assessment-and-risk-in-social-work/book276079#description

Article

Using intuition in social work decision making

Sicora A, Taylor BJ, Alfandari R, Enosh G, Helm D, Killick C, Lyons O, Mullineux J, Przeperski J, Rölver M & Whittaker A (2021) Using intuition in social work decision making. European Journal of Social Work, 24 (5), pp. 772-787. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691457.2021.1918066

Conference Paper (unpublished)

The Ecology of Judgement in Child Welfare and Protection: Findings From an Ethnographic Study of Judgement and Decision-Making in a Children and Families Social Work Office

Helm D (2015) The Ecology of Judgement in Child Welfare and Protection: Findings From an Ethnographic Study of Judgement and Decision-Making in a Children and Families Social Work Office. British Association for the Study and Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (BASPCAN) National Congress, Edinburgh, 12.04.2015-15.04.2015. http://www.baspcan.org.uk/files/CongressAbstracts_web%20100415.pdf

Book Chapter

Assessing Neglect

Helm D & Daniel B (2013) Assessing Neglect. In: Calder M & Hackett S (eds.) Assessment in child care: Using and developing frameworks for practice. 2nd ed. Dorset: Russell House Publishing, pp. 51-62. http://www.russellhouse.co.uk/bookpages/9781905541850.htm

Teaching

I have extensive experience of directing and teaching on social work programmes and post-qualifying programmes in human services. I have led modules in Law & Policy, Children and Families Social Work, Theory & Practice and Working with Risk and Uncertainty. I am a Senior Fellow of Advance HE and have contributed to national developments as an external examiner at Universities in Scotland, England and Northern Ireland.

Research centres/groups