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Charlotte Waits
(she/her)
Teams and roles for Charlotte Waits
Research Associate
Computer Science And Informatics
Research student
Social Science
Publication
2026
- Mulcahy, J. et al. 2026. Together, a Chance: piloting family social workers in two women’s prisons in England, UK. In: Bald, C. J. and Martinez Herrero, M. I. eds. The Routledge International Handbook of Criminal Justice Social Work. Routledge. , pp.179-187. (10.4324/9781003717270-20)
2025
- Waits, C. 2025. Outstanding practice and the rhetoric of change: from an ethnographic study of leadership practice in child protection social work. Presented at: 14th European Conference for Social Work Research Munich, Germany 12-14 March 2025.
2024
- Waits, C. 2024. The extent of consent and other stories - From an ethnography of child protection services. Presented at: 17th Annual Ethnography Symposium Cardiff, UK 28 - 30 August 2024.
- Waits, C. 2024. Leadership in children’s services: three different approaches. Presented at: CASCADE Seminar Series for the Welsh Government Cardiff, UK 10 July 2024.
- Rees, A. et al. 2024. Social work across boundaries: Findings from an evaluation of a service supporting mothers in prison. Evaluation of the Together a Chance pilot project 2021-23. Presented at: 13th European Conference for Social Work Research Vilnius, Lithuania 17-19 April 2024.
- Rees, A. , Waits, C. and Bezeczky, Z. 2024. Final report. Together a chance: Evaluation of the social workers for Mother in Prison pilot project, 2021-2023. Project Report.Cardiff, Wales: CASCADE Research Centre.
- Waits, C. , Rees, A. and Bezeczky, Z. 2024. Insights from prison research with mothers: Does a prison-based social worker help where there are child welfare concerns?. Presented at: CASCADE 10 Year Anniversary Event Cardiff, UK 23 May 2024.
2023
- Waits, C. et al. 2023. What works in prison research? The experience of evaluating the Together a Chance pilot project. Presented at: Joint Social Work Education and Research Conference (JSWEC) Glasgow, UK 15-16 June 2023.
- Rees, A. , Waits, C. and Bezeczky, Z. 2023. Together a chance. Evaluation of the Social Worker for Mothers in Prison pilot project, 2021-2023 : Second interim report. Project Report.[Online].Cardiff Univeristy. Available at: https://cascadewales.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/06/Together-a-Chance-Evaluation-Y2-Interim-Report-22-June-.pdf.
- Rees, A. , Waits, C. and Mulcahy, J. 2023. Evaluation of Together a Chance: How effective is it to have social workers in women’s prisons?. Presented at: Exchange Wales online event with Pact Online 22nd June 2023.
2022
- Rees, A. , Bezeczky, Z. and Waits, C. 2022. Together a Chance: Evaluation of the Social Worker for Mothers in Prison pilot project, 2021-2023: 1st Interim Report. Project Report.[Online].Cardiff: Children’s Social Care Research and Development Centre (CASCADE), Cardiff University. Available at: https://cascadewales.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/03/TaC-evaluation-1st-interim-report-June-2022.pdf.
- Forrester, D. et al. 2022. Children's social services and care rates in Wales: A survey of the sector. Project Report.[Online].Cardiff: Wales Centre for Public Policy. Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.54454/20220311.
2019
- Forrester, D. et al. 2019. What is the relationship between worker skills and outcomes for families in child and family social work?. British Journal of Social Work 49 (8), pp.2148-2167. (10.1093/bjsw/bcy126)
2018
- Forrester, D. et al. 2018. A randomized controlled trial of training in motivational Interviewing for child protection. Children and Youth Services Review 88 , pp.180-190. (10.1016/j.childyouth.2018.02.014)
2015
- Waits, C. , Killian, M. and Forrester, D. 2015. Parental engagement in child and family social work: assessment from parent, social worker and observer perspectives. Presented at: BASPCAN 9th International Congress Edinburgh, Scotland 12-15 April 2015.
2014
- Waits, C. and Forrester, D. 2014. Knowledge-building in child and family social work through 'velcro' research: researchers and practitioners collaborating to inform future research, training and practice. Presented at: 3rd International Conference on Practice Research New York, USA 9 -11 June 2014.
2013
- Waits, C. and Antonopoulou, V. 2013. Assessing parental engagement in child and family social work: learning from a UK research study. Presented at: UK Joint Social Work Education and Research Conference London, UK 10-12 July 2013.
Articles
- Forrester, D. et al. 2019. What is the relationship between worker skills and outcomes for families in child and family social work?. British Journal of Social Work 49 (8), pp.2148-2167. (10.1093/bjsw/bcy126)
- Forrester, D. et al. 2018. A randomized controlled trial of training in motivational Interviewing for child protection. Children and Youth Services Review 88 , pp.180-190. (10.1016/j.childyouth.2018.02.014)
Book sections
- Mulcahy, J. et al. 2026. Together, a Chance: piloting family social workers in two women’s prisons in England, UK. In: Bald, C. J. and Martinez Herrero, M. I. eds. The Routledge International Handbook of Criminal Justice Social Work. Routledge. , pp.179-187. (10.4324/9781003717270-20)
Conferences
- Waits, C. 2025. Outstanding practice and the rhetoric of change: from an ethnographic study of leadership practice in child protection social work. Presented at: 14th European Conference for Social Work Research Munich, Germany 12-14 March 2025.
- Waits, C. 2024. The extent of consent and other stories - From an ethnography of child protection services. Presented at: 17th Annual Ethnography Symposium Cardiff, UK 28 - 30 August 2024.
- Waits, C. 2024. Leadership in children’s services: three different approaches. Presented at: CASCADE Seminar Series for the Welsh Government Cardiff, UK 10 July 2024.
- Rees, A. et al. 2024. Social work across boundaries: Findings from an evaluation of a service supporting mothers in prison. Evaluation of the Together a Chance pilot project 2021-23. Presented at: 13th European Conference for Social Work Research Vilnius, Lithuania 17-19 April 2024.
- Waits, C. , Rees, A. and Bezeczky, Z. 2024. Insights from prison research with mothers: Does a prison-based social worker help where there are child welfare concerns?. Presented at: CASCADE 10 Year Anniversary Event Cardiff, UK 23 May 2024.
- Waits, C. et al. 2023. What works in prison research? The experience of evaluating the Together a Chance pilot project. Presented at: Joint Social Work Education and Research Conference (JSWEC) Glasgow, UK 15-16 June 2023.
- Rees, A. , Waits, C. and Mulcahy, J. 2023. Evaluation of Together a Chance: How effective is it to have social workers in women’s prisons?. Presented at: Exchange Wales online event with Pact Online 22nd June 2023.
- Waits, C. , Killian, M. and Forrester, D. 2015. Parental engagement in child and family social work: assessment from parent, social worker and observer perspectives. Presented at: BASPCAN 9th International Congress Edinburgh, Scotland 12-15 April 2015.
- Waits, C. and Forrester, D. 2014. Knowledge-building in child and family social work through 'velcro' research: researchers and practitioners collaborating to inform future research, training and practice. Presented at: 3rd International Conference on Practice Research New York, USA 9 -11 June 2014.
- Waits, C. and Antonopoulou, V. 2013. Assessing parental engagement in child and family social work: learning from a UK research study. Presented at: UK Joint Social Work Education and Research Conference London, UK 10-12 July 2013.
Monographs
- Rees, A. , Waits, C. and Bezeczky, Z. 2024. Final report. Together a chance: Evaluation of the social workers for Mother in Prison pilot project, 2021-2023. Project Report.Cardiff, Wales: CASCADE Research Centre.
- Rees, A. , Waits, C. and Bezeczky, Z. 2023. Together a chance. Evaluation of the Social Worker for Mothers in Prison pilot project, 2021-2023 : Second interim report. Project Report.[Online].Cardiff Univeristy. Available at: https://cascadewales.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/06/Together-a-Chance-Evaluation-Y2-Interim-Report-22-June-.pdf.
- Rees, A. , Bezeczky, Z. and Waits, C. 2022. Together a Chance: Evaluation of the Social Worker for Mothers in Prison pilot project, 2021-2023: 1st Interim Report. Project Report.[Online].Cardiff: Children’s Social Care Research and Development Centre (CASCADE), Cardiff University. Available at: https://cascadewales.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/03/TaC-evaluation-1st-interim-report-June-2022.pdf.
- Forrester, D. et al. 2022. Children's social services and care rates in Wales: A survey of the sector. Project Report.[Online].Cardiff: Wales Centre for Public Policy. Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.54454/20220311.
Biography
My broad research interest is in identifying systems and approaches that promote effective social work with children and families.
I am currently undertaking ESRC-funded doctoral research and am part of the Doctoral Community within CASCADE, the Children's Social Care and Research Development Centre. My PhD explores leadership in child protection social work through an ethnographic study of leaders in local authority children's services, supervised by Professor Donald Forrester and Professor Martin Kitchener. My aim is to advance our understanding of leadership in children’s social care.
I am actively engaged in other research projects alongside my doctoral training. I am currently employed as a Research Associate within SCALE, the Centre for Social Care and Artificial Learning, recently established to undertake transdisciplinary research to harness the power of AI in social care. As Co-Investigator for 'SWEET' (Social Worker Evidence Engagement Tool), a collaborative project with Neath Port Talbot Council funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), I am working with social work practitioners, managers, acaedemic experts, researchers and computer scientists to explore whether a bespoke Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool can help social workers and managers make better use of research evidence in children's social care.
In 2024, I completed an evaluation of 'Together a Chance', a three-year pilot project delivered by Pact (the Prison Advice and Care Trust), embedding social workers in two women's prisons in England to support mothers whose children are involved with children's social care.
Prior to that I was part of the research team for a study commissioned by the Welsh Government, surveying the children’s social care workforce to better understand the factors influencing care rates in Wales. The report and policy briefing were jointly produced by the Wales Centre for Public Policy and CASCADE.
I bring experience from both children's social care and management consulting, having retrained as a social worker in 2010 after an early career working on projects with public and private sector clients, mainly in the UK and Trinidad & Tobago.
Although my initial motivation for social work came from my experience as the parent of a disabled child and voluntary work setting up a parent and carer participation network, my focus in recent years has been on safeguarding and child protection. I have held interesting and varied roles in social work practice, management and research. Before coming to Cardiff University, I worked in Australia overseeing quality assurance and practice improvement in child protection for a regional health authority.
Qualifications
MSc Social Science Research Methods (Merit, Cardiff University)
MSc Social Work (Distinction, University of Bedfordshire)
BSc (Hons) Computer Science with Management (King's College London)
Honours and awards
2019—2026: Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) PhD studentship, through the Welsh Graduate School for the Social Sciences (WGSSS) Doctoral Training Partnership
2025: Social Workers' Educational Trust and MHCF awards to fund conference expenses (ECSWR, Munich)
2014—2017: Visiting Research Fellow, Tilda Goldberg Centre for Social Work and Social Care
2014: Emerging Practice-Research Scholar Award to fund conference expenses (3rd International Conference on Practice Research, New York)
2012: Tilda Goldberg Scholarship to support Masters dissertation research
1994—1995: EPSRC studentship for postgraduate study in Management Science and Operational Research at Warwick Business School, University of Warwick
Professional memberships
Registered Social Worker (Social Work England)
Member of the British Sociological Assocation (BSA)
Academic positions
2026—ongoing: Research Associate, SCALE Centre for Social Care and Artificial Learning, Cardiff University
2019— ongoing: Doctoral Researcher, CASCADE Children's Social Care and Research Development Centre, Cardiff University
2014—2017: Visiting Research Fellow, Tilda Goldberg Centre for Social Work and Social Care, University of Bedfordshire
2013—2014: Research Fellow and Project Manager, Tilda Goldberg Centre for Social Work and Social Care, University of Bedfordshire
2012—2013: Research Assistant, Tilda Goldberg Centre for Social Work and Social Care, University of Bedfordshire
Committees and reviewing
Public Management Research Group (PUMAR) founding SOCSI member (since 2025)
Reviewer for Child Care in Practice (since 2023)
Safeguarding Governor and Chair of the Safeguarding and Welfare Committee at a co-educational day and boarding school for 2-13 year olds, rated ISI excellent (2015—2022)