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Dr Sarah Thompson
(she/her)
Teams and roles for Sarah Thompson
Research Associate, CASCADE
Overview
I am a Research Associate working in the Children's Social Care Research and Development centre (CASCADE) and the Centre for Development, Evaluation, Complexity and Implementation in Public Health Improvement (DECIPHer).
Since June 2025 I have been undertaking a HCRW Advancing Researcher Award developing the research area of neurodivergence and children's social care. This is building on the work I undertook during my HCRW Fellowship titled 'How can we improve the experiences and outcomes of autistic children in care? A mixed methods study of needs, services and good practice'.
Since joining CASCADE in 2019 I have worked on numerous projects including:
- An evaluation of Action for Children's Serious Organised Crime Early Intervention Service
- A randomised control trial of Schwartz Rounds, a group intervention seeking to improve social work staff wellbeing
- An evaluation of the use of a trauma informed approach in domestic abuse services
- What Works for Children's Spocial Care funded projects on social workers in schools and devolved budgets
My role in DECIPHer is working on the Horizon Europe funded SERENA project (Assessing and improving access to health and social care services for children rendered vulnerable by abuse), working alongside colleagues in Denmark and France to identify barriers and enablers for service access for children who have experienced abuse or neglect.
Previously, I completed a PhD in the Wales Autism Research Centre at Cardiff University in 2018. Since then I have undertaken a research role in the public sector working for Estyn on education research in Wales and been a research associate in Durham University evaluating a support programme for parents of autistic children.
Publication
2025
- Wilkins, D. et al. 2025. Implementing Schwartz Rounds in children’s social care: enablers and barriers. Journal of Social Work 25 (1), pp.61-82. (10.1177/14680173241278249)
2024
- 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)
2023
- Jones, R. et al. 2023. How did levels of psychological distress and perceptions of workplace support among children’s social work staff change during the Covid-19 pandemic?. British Journal of Social Work 53 (1), pp.405-424. (10.1093/bjsw/bcac126)
2022
- 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)
- Jones, R. K. et al., 2022. How did levels of psychological distress and perceptions of workplace support amongst children’s social work staff change during the Covid-19 pandemic?. The British Journal of Social Work 53 (1), pp.405–424. (10.1093/bjsw/bcac126)
- Maxwell, N. et al. 2022. Serious Organised Crime Early Intervention Service: Interim Evaluation Report. Project Report.[Online].Cardiff: CASCADE. Available at: https://cascadewales.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/10/Serious-Organised-Crime-Early-Intervention-Service-Evaluation-Report.pdf.
2021
- Wilkins, D. et al. 2021. A randomised controlled trial of Schwartz Rounds: An intervention to reduce psychological distress for staff in children's services.
2020
- Wilkins, D. , Thompson, S. and Bezeczky, Z. 2020. Child and family social work during the COVID-19 pandemic: a rapid review of the evidence in relation to social work practice, natural disasters and pandemics. Project Report.[Online].London: What Works Centre for Children's Social Care. Available at: https://whatworks-csc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/WWCSC_Natural-Disasters-Rapid-Review_Aug-2020.pdf.
- Wilkins, D. , Thompson, S. and Bezeczky, Z. 2020. Child and family social work during the COVID-19 pandemic: a rapid review of the evidence in relation to remote leadership. Project Report.[Online].London: What Works Centre for Children's Social Care. Available at: https://whatworks-csc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/WWCSC_Rapid_Review_Remote_Leadership_June_2020.pdf.
- 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
- Thompson, S. J. et al. 2019. Attention to the face is characterised by a difficult to inhibit first fixation to the eyes. Acta Psychologica 193 , pp.229-238. (10.1016/j.actpsy.2019.01.006)
Articles
- Wilkins, D. et al. 2025. Implementing Schwartz Rounds in children’s social care: enablers and barriers. Journal of Social Work 25 (1), pp.61-82. (10.1177/14680173241278249)
- 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)
- Jones, R. et al. 2023. How did levels of psychological distress and perceptions of workplace support among children’s social work staff change during the Covid-19 pandemic?. British Journal of Social Work 53 (1), pp.405-424. (10.1093/bjsw/bcac126)
- 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)
- Jones, R. K. et al., 2022. How did levels of psychological distress and perceptions of workplace support amongst children’s social work staff change during the Covid-19 pandemic?. The British Journal of Social Work 53 (1), pp.405–424. (10.1093/bjsw/bcac126)
- Thompson, S. J. et al. 2019. Attention to the face is characterised by a difficult to inhibit first fixation to the eyes. Acta Psychologica 193 , pp.229-238. (10.1016/j.actpsy.2019.01.006)
Monographs
- Maxwell, N. et al. 2022. Serious Organised Crime Early Intervention Service: Interim Evaluation Report. Project Report.[Online].Cardiff: CASCADE. Available at: https://cascadewales.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/10/Serious-Organised-Crime-Early-Intervention-Service-Evaluation-Report.pdf.
- Wilkins, D. et al. 2021. A randomised controlled trial of Schwartz Rounds: An intervention to reduce psychological distress for staff in children's services.
- Wilkins, D. , Thompson, S. and Bezeczky, Z. 2020. Child and family social work during the COVID-19 pandemic: a rapid review of the evidence in relation to social work practice, natural disasters and pandemics. Project Report.[Online].London: What Works Centre for Children's Social Care. Available at: https://whatworks-csc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/WWCSC_Natural-Disasters-Rapid-Review_Aug-2020.pdf.
- Wilkins, D. , Thompson, S. and Bezeczky, Z. 2020. Child and family social work during the COVID-19 pandemic: a rapid review of the evidence in relation to remote leadership. Project Report.[Online].London: What Works Centre for Children's Social Care. Available at: https://whatworks-csc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/WWCSC_Rapid_Review_Remote_Leadership_June_2020.pdf.
- 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.
Biography
Education
PhD Psychology, Cardiff University (2013-2017)
MSc Psychology, University of Essex (2011-2012)
BA Geography, University of Sheffield (2001-2005)
Academic positions
Research associate DECIPHer, Cardiff University (2025-present)
Research associate, CASCADE, Cardiff University (2019-present)
Research associate, Psychology, Durham University (2018-2019)