![Melissa Meindl](https://profiles-cardiff.imgix.net/attachments/6521?w=200&h=200&auto=format&crop=faces&fit=crop&q=90")
Overview
I am a mixed-methods Research Fellow based in the Centre for Adult Social Care Research (CARE).
My academic and professional background spans social care, psychology, and neuroscience. I am passionate about producing research that bridges disciplines, informs policy, and drives meaningful change in practice.
My current research interests strongly focus on realist methodology, health and social care inequalities, complex health and social care needs, neurodivergence, parental substance misuse, and women's health.
I am committed to advancing inclusivity in research and to embedding lived experience at the heart of the research process.
Publication
2026
- Lugg-Widger, F. V. et al. 2026. Understanding inequalities in adult social care in Wales: Protocol for the CARE lab linked administrative data study. International Journal of Population Data Science 11 (1)(10.23889/ijpds.v11i1.3393)
- Westlake, D. et al. 2026. A cluster randomised controlled trial of Social Workers in Schools (SWIS) in England. Research on Social Work Practice 36 (5), pp.651-671. (10.1177/10497315251338227)
- Westlake, D. , Meindl, M. and Bennett, V. 2026. Theory of disruption: A method for understanding context in social policy evaluations with a worked example based on the COVID-19 pandemic. Evaluation (10.1177/13563890261439289)
2025
- Scourfield, J. , Wood, S. and Meindl, M. 2025. The international evidence on Family Group Conferences. In: Sanders, M. , Westlake, D. and Hirneis, V. eds. Experimental Methods and Children's Social Care. The Contribution of Randomised Controlled Trials. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar. , pp.29-42. (10.4337/9781035327157.00011)
- Schroeder, E. et al., 2025. Economic evaluation of a school-based social worker intervention (SWIS) [Abstract]. Presented at: 2nd North American Conference on Integrated Care Calgary, Canada 15-17 October 2024. Vol. 25.Vol. 060. (10.5334/ijic.NACIC24060)
- Meindl, M. and Wilkins, D. 2025. Can social workers forecast future actions, events, and outcomes? A study of referrals to children’s services in England. Child Care in Practice 31 (2), pp.321-335. (10.1080/13575279.2021.2001434)
- Wilkins, D. and Meindl, M. 2025. Can child protection social workers forecast future actions, events and outcomes? A case study of long-term work with five families. Child Care in Practice 31 (2), pp.301-320. (10.1080/13575279.2022.2118674)
2024
- Schroeder, E. et al., 2024. The cost-effectiveness and cost-consequences of a school-based social worker intervention: a within-trial economic evaluation. Children and Youth Services Review 166 107928. (10.1016/j.childyouth.2024.107928)
- Bennett, V. et al. 2024. Student perspectives on school-based social workers: A mixed-methods study. Journal of Children's Services 19 (3), pp.189-221. (10.1108/JCS-04-2023-0021)
- Westlake, D. et al. 2024. Social workers in schools: A feasibility study of three local authorities. Journal of Social Work 24 (5), pp.607-626. (10.1177/14680173241258927)
- Wood, S. et al. 2024. Family group conference provision in UK local authorities and associations with children looked after rates. The British Journal of Social Work 54 (5), pp.2045-2066. (10.1093/bjsw/bcae019)
- Meindl, M. and Westlake, D. 2024. Evaluation of the Family Drug and Alcohol Court in Wales pilot: Final Report. Project Report.Cardiff: CASCADE.
- Wilkins, D. and Meindl, M. 2024. Measuring the ratio of true-positive to false-positive judgements made by child and family social workers in England: A case vignette study. Child & Family Social Work 29 (2), pp.327-338. (10.1111/cfs.13086)
- Wilkins, D. and Meindl, M. 2024. Can social workers estimate the likelihood of future actions and events? A forecasting accuracy study. The British Journal of Social Work 54 (3), pp.1150-1169. (10.1093/bjsw/bcad234)
- Schroeder, E. et al., 2024. The cost-effectiveness and cost-consequences of a school-based social worker intervention: a within-trial economic evaluation. SSRN 4776734. (10.2139/ssrn.4776734)
2023
- Adara, L. et al. 2023. The Social Workers in Schools Trial: An evaluation of school based social work.. Project Report.Early Intervention Foundation.
2022
- Wood, S. et al. 2022. A UK-wide survey of family group conference provision. Project Report.Cardiff: CASCADE.
- Westlake, D. et al. 2022. Devolved budgets in Children’s Social Care: A logic model based on three pilot evaluations. British Journal of Social Work 52 (7), pp.3999-4020. (10.1093/bjsw/bcac019)
- Meindl, M. , Hosch, M. and Westlake, D. 2022. An evaluation of the Family Drug and Alcohol Court in Wales pilot: Interim report. Project Report.[Online].Cardiff University. Available at: https://cascadewales.org/research/evaluation-of-the-family-drug-and-alcohol-court-in-wales-pilot/.
2021
- Wilkins, D. and Meindl, M. 2021. A randomised controlled trial of a ‘checklist’ intervention to mitigate confirmation bias and improve forecasting accuracy in social work.
- Stabler, L. et al. 2021. A scoping review of system-level mechanisms to prevent children being in out-of-home care. British Journal of Social Work 52 (5), pp.2515-2536. bcab213. (10.1093/bjsw/bcab213)
2020
- Westlake, D. et al. 2020. Social workers in schools: an evaluation of pilots in three local authorities in England. Project Report.[Online].London: What Works Centre for Children's Social Care. Available at: https://whatworks-csc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/WWCSC_Social-Workers-in-Schools_pilot-study_full-report_May-2020.pdf.
- Westlake, D. et al. 2020. Devolved budgets: an evaluation of pilots in three local authorities in England. Project Report.[Online].London: What Works Centre for Children's Social Care. Available at: https://whatworks-csc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/WWCSC_Devolved_Budgets_Full_Report_March_2020_FINAL.pdf.
2019
- Meindl, M. et al. 2019. How do family drug and alcohol courts work with parents to safely reduce the number of children in care? A rapid realist review. Project Report.[Online].London: What Works Centre for Children's Social Care. Available at: https://whatworks-csc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/WWCSC_FDAC_rapid_realist_review_Oct2019.pdf.
2018
Articles
- Lugg-Widger, F. V. et al. 2026. Understanding inequalities in adult social care in Wales: Protocol for the CARE lab linked administrative data study. International Journal of Population Data Science 11 (1)(10.23889/ijpds.v11i1.3393)
- Westlake, D. et al. 2026. A cluster randomised controlled trial of Social Workers in Schools (SWIS) in England. Research on Social Work Practice 36 (5), pp.651-671. (10.1177/10497315251338227)
- Westlake, D. , Meindl, M. and Bennett, V. 2026. Theory of disruption: A method for understanding context in social policy evaluations with a worked example based on the COVID-19 pandemic. Evaluation (10.1177/13563890261439289)
- Meindl, M. and Wilkins, D. 2025. Can social workers forecast future actions, events, and outcomes? A study of referrals to children’s services in England. Child Care in Practice 31 (2), pp.321-335. (10.1080/13575279.2021.2001434)
- Wilkins, D. and Meindl, M. 2025. Can child protection social workers forecast future actions, events and outcomes? A case study of long-term work with five families. Child Care in Practice 31 (2), pp.301-320. (10.1080/13575279.2022.2118674)
- Schroeder, E. et al., 2024. The cost-effectiveness and cost-consequences of a school-based social worker intervention: a within-trial economic evaluation. Children and Youth Services Review 166 107928. (10.1016/j.childyouth.2024.107928)
- Bennett, V. et al. 2024. Student perspectives on school-based social workers: A mixed-methods study. Journal of Children's Services 19 (3), pp.189-221. (10.1108/JCS-04-2023-0021)
- Westlake, D. et al. 2024. Social workers in schools: A feasibility study of three local authorities. Journal of Social Work 24 (5), pp.607-626. (10.1177/14680173241258927)
- Wood, S. et al. 2024. Family group conference provision in UK local authorities and associations with children looked after rates. The British Journal of Social Work 54 (5), pp.2045-2066. (10.1093/bjsw/bcae019)
- Wilkins, D. and Meindl, M. 2024. Measuring the ratio of true-positive to false-positive judgements made by child and family social workers in England: A case vignette study. Child & Family Social Work 29 (2), pp.327-338. (10.1111/cfs.13086)
- Wilkins, D. and Meindl, M. 2024. Can social workers estimate the likelihood of future actions and events? A forecasting accuracy study. The British Journal of Social Work 54 (3), pp.1150-1169. (10.1093/bjsw/bcad234)
- Schroeder, E. et al., 2024. The cost-effectiveness and cost-consequences of a school-based social worker intervention: a within-trial economic evaluation. SSRN 4776734. (10.2139/ssrn.4776734)
- Westlake, D. et al. 2022. Devolved budgets in Children’s Social Care: A logic model based on three pilot evaluations. British Journal of Social Work 52 (7), pp.3999-4020. (10.1093/bjsw/bcac019)
- Stabler, L. et al. 2021. A scoping review of system-level mechanisms to prevent children being in out-of-home care. British Journal of Social Work 52 (5), pp.2515-2536. bcab213. (10.1093/bjsw/bcab213)
Book sections
- Scourfield, J. , Wood, S. and Meindl, M. 2025. The international evidence on Family Group Conferences. In: Sanders, M. , Westlake, D. and Hirneis, V. eds. Experimental Methods and Children's Social Care. The Contribution of Randomised Controlled Trials. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar. , pp.29-42. (10.4337/9781035327157.00011)
Conferences
- Schroeder, E. et al., 2025. Economic evaluation of a school-based social worker intervention (SWIS) [Abstract]. Presented at: 2nd North American Conference on Integrated Care Calgary, Canada 15-17 October 2024. Vol. 25.Vol. 060. (10.5334/ijic.NACIC24060)
Monographs
- Meindl, M. and Westlake, D. 2024. Evaluation of the Family Drug and Alcohol Court in Wales pilot: Final Report. Project Report.Cardiff: CASCADE.
- Adara, L. et al. 2023. The Social Workers in Schools Trial: An evaluation of school based social work.. Project Report.Early Intervention Foundation.
- Wood, S. et al. 2022. A UK-wide survey of family group conference provision. Project Report.Cardiff: CASCADE.
- Meindl, M. , Hosch, M. and Westlake, D. 2022. An evaluation of the Family Drug and Alcohol Court in Wales pilot: Interim report. Project Report.[Online].Cardiff University. Available at: https://cascadewales.org/research/evaluation-of-the-family-drug-and-alcohol-court-in-wales-pilot/.
- Wilkins, D. and Meindl, M. 2021. A randomised controlled trial of a ‘checklist’ intervention to mitigate confirmation bias and improve forecasting accuracy in social work.
- Westlake, D. et al. 2020. Social workers in schools: an evaluation of pilots in three local authorities in England. Project Report.[Online].London: What Works Centre for Children's Social Care. Available at: https://whatworks-csc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/WWCSC_Social-Workers-in-Schools_pilot-study_full-report_May-2020.pdf.
- Westlake, D. et al. 2020. Devolved budgets: an evaluation of pilots in three local authorities in England. Project Report.[Online].London: What Works Centre for Children's Social Care. Available at: https://whatworks-csc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/WWCSC_Devolved_Budgets_Full_Report_March_2020_FINAL.pdf.
- Meindl, M. et al. 2019. How do family drug and alcohol courts work with parents to safely reduce the number of children in care? A rapid realist review. Project Report.[Online].London: What Works Centre for Children's Social Care. Available at: https://whatworks-csc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/WWCSC_FDAC_rapid_realist_review_Oct2019.pdf.
- Brand, S. et al. 2018. Mapping the evidence about what works to safely reduce the number of children and young people in statutory care: A systematic scoping review. Technical Report.
Research
I am currently working on the evaluation of the Family Drug and Alcohol Court in Wales pilot https://cascadewales.org/research/evaluation-of-the-family-drug-and-alcohol-court-in-wales-pilot/, and the Family Group Conferencing for Children and Families evaluation https://cascadewales.org/research/family-group-conferencing-for-children-and-families-evaluation-of-implementation-context-and-effectiveness-family-voice/
Biography
Academic Positions
- 2018-2021: Research Assistant, Cardiff University
- 2021-2025: Research Associate, Cardiff University
- 2025-present: Research Fellow, Cardiff University
Education and Qualifications
- 2013: B.Sc. Psychological Science (Minor in Behavioural Neuroscience), LaTrobe University, Australia.
Honours and awards
- 2011, 2012 & 2013: Deans Honours List- Outstanding Academic Performance in the Faculty of Science, Technology and Engineering. Latrobe University, Australia.