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Kar Man Au

Kar Man Au

Research Assistant, CASCADE

School of Social Sciences

Overview

Kar Man is a research assistant and peer researcher at CASCADE, the Children's Social Care Research and Development Centre at Cardiff University. She is involved in several significant research projects, including an NIHR-funded study led by Professor Jonathan Scourfield, titled  "Family Group Conferencing for Children and Families: Evaluation of Implementation, Context, and Effectiveness (Family VOICE)," and a Nuffield Foundation-funded project led by Clive Dias,  "Parental Advocacy in England: A Realist Evaluation of Implementation." Additionally, Kar Man participated in another NIHR-funded research project led by Professor Jerry Tew at Birmingham University, focusing on "Family Group Conferencing in Adult Social Care and Mental Health: Exploring How it Works and What Difference It Can Make in People's Lives."

Beyond her research work, Kar Man is a Visiting Tutor at Royal Holloway, University of London, and collaborates with the University of Sussex. She also serves as a  Parent Advocate for Child Protection and Family Group Conferences at the London Borough of Camden. Kar Man is a member and coordinator of the Camden Family Advisory Board. Furthermore, she is a lay member of the Camden Safeguarding Children Partnership. She is an Independent Consultant (Social Work-related) for the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Kar-Man is also a accredited Family Group Conference coordinator.

Kar Man is a multifaceted professional who embodies the principles of Relational Activism in her various roles as an activist, consultant, and administrator at Relational Activism. She is deeply committed to leveraging her experience and relationships to drive social change, focusing on many interconnected areas. Her interests span Family Group Conferences, Peer/Parent Advocacy, Participation, Co-Design, Child Protection, Child Development, and Domestic Abuse.

As a relational activist, Kar Man deeply believes in the transformative power of personal and informal relationships to effect sustained change. Her approach, which emphasises empathy, compassion, and network-building, is not just a strategy but a deeply held belief. Her work at Relational Activism involves advocating for these causes, consulting on projects, and managing administrative tasks to further the organisation's mission of making change happen through relational means.

 

Publication

2024

2022

Articles

Monographs

Research

Research Project:

 

 

Conference Presentation:

 

(2023) Circling the issues. How do we act to love and heal for justice, A Call to Action to Change Child Welfare Conference, The Kempe Conference US

(2023) Parent Advocacy - Developing Parental Advocacy in Camden, EUSARF Symposium, EUSARF 2023, University of Sussex

(2023) Relational Activism and Developing Parental Advocacy in Camden, Social Work Education, Research and Practice in turbulent times, JSWEC 2023, University of Strathclyde

(2023) Can complex systems be captured in real-world routine evaluation? Reflections from research on family group conferences, 12th European Conference of Social Work Research – ESWRA, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore

(2022) Examining the Roots of Harm(s) in Child Welfare to Unlock Possibilities for Healing and Restoration, A Call to Action to Change Child Welfare Conference, The Kempe Conference US

(2022) Coming together to promote change: The development of parent advocacy, Royal Holloway University London

Biography

Education:

  • 2020'  Anglia Ruskin University London - International Business Management : First Class Honours

Honours and awards

  • Top Achiever Award - Undergraduate Major Project, Anglia Ruskin University London (2020) 
  • Top Achiever Award - Business Strategy,  Anglia Ruskin University London (2020)
  • Top Achiever Award - Business Information, Anglia Ruskin University London (2019)
  • Graduate Young Enterprise Professional - Young Enterprise, Leeds University Business School (2009)

Academic positions

(2024) Visiting Tutor - Royal Holloway University, London

Speaking engagements

(2024) Keynote Speaker - It's All Relational, A Call to Action to Change Child Welfare Conference, The Kempe Conference US

(2024) Keynote Speaker - Staying with the Trouble: Citizens and Social Workers Reflect on 10+ Years of "Togethering" and Relational Activism, A Call to Action to Change Child Welfare Conference, The Kempe Conference US

(2024) Parent - Peer Advocacy and Support in Child Protection: An International Exchange, A Call to Action to Change Child Welfare Conference, The Kempe Conference US

(2024) Keynote Speaker - The Lived Experience Perspective from a Working Advocate, Edinburgh City Council - Participation, Edinburgh City Council

(2023) Circling the issues. How do we act to love and heal for justice, A Call to Action to Change Child Welfare Conference, The Kempe Conference US

(2023) Parent Advocacy - Developing Parental Advocacy in Camden, EUSARF Symposium, EUSARF 2023, University of Sussex

(2023) Relational Activism and Developing Parental Advocacy in Camden, Social Work Education, Research and Practice in turbulent times, JSWEC 2023, University of Strathclyde

(2023) Can complex systems be captured in real-world routine evaluation? Reflections from research on family group conferences, 12th European Conference of Social Work Research – ESWRA, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore

(2022) Examining the Roots of Harm(s) in Child Welfare to Unlock Possibilities for Healing and Restoration, A Call to Action to Change Child Welfare Conference, The Kempe Conference US

(2022) Coming together to promote change: The development of parent advocacy, Royal Holloway University London

Contact Details

Email AuKM@cardiff.ac.uk