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Supporting children and young people to flourish

For Professor Michelle Lefevre, developing new tools and frameworks to support social work practitioners is key to enabling more children and young people to thrive.

Professor Michelle LeFevre standing outside a red brick building

Introducing...

As former Director of our Centre for Innovation and Research in Childhood and Youth (CIRCY), Professor Michelle Lefevre brings together extensive insights from her time in practice to tackle some of the most complex issues facing vulnerable members of society.

Having joined Sussex in 2003, Michelle has worked for over two decades within our Department of Social Work and Social Care. Alongside her research into areas such as extra-familial risk, Michelle has also authored a number of influential works, and was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship in 2015.

We recently caught up Michelle to discuss the importance of working with sensitivity, growing your professional resilience, and cultivating spaces where people can thrive.

Where did your professional journey begin, and how has it developed over time?

My journey has been quite non-traditional! My first degree is in music, which seemed like a logical choice at 18. I was the first person in my family to go to university, and my parents encouraged me to follow my interests.

However, studying music took the joy out of something I loved. By the time I graduated, I’d lost my confidence in becoming a musician, so I turned to voluntary work, which inspired me to qualify as a social worker.

During my eight years at a specialist unit where I worked with children and adults who’d experienced severe abuse and neglect, I trained as an arts psychotherapist to help them express complex feelings through music and play.

My work connected me with colleagues at Sussex who’d invite me to give the odd guest lecture, and I started teaching on their CPD (Continuous Professional Development) courses. I decided to move into academia full-time in 2003, and I’ve been here ever since.

Looking back, I realise how much my background in music has underpinned my career. If you’re playing in an orchestra, you have to tune into the people around you, and my practice has felt very similar.

As a researcher, what are your main areas of focus?

For all of us at CIRCY, the needs, experiences and perspectives of children are at the heart of everything we do.

I’ve just completed a four-year funded project, , on the issue of extra-familial risk and harm – essentially, dangers outside the family home, such as child sexual exploitation or county lines, where children are used to traffic illicit substances. We explored how social care providers can be supported to better understand these challenges and apply more effective approaches to protect children’s wellbeing.

I’m also passionate about collaboration, and I’ve recently been working with the Sussex Centre for Research on Kindness to explore what role kindness should play in social work. In child protection, the giving and receiving of kindness can be challenging. Parents and children who feel powerless and vulnerable may not trust that it’s genuine when a professional attempts to be friendly and compassionate. And sometimes, professionals struggle to feel or behave kindly if overworked or distressed by seeing a child harmed within the family. We have to make an active, conscious choice to be kind if we’re going to make a positive difference in the lives of vulnerable and marginalised people, so I’m interested in how we can help families in proactive, empathetic ways.

We have to make an active, conscious choice to be kind if we’re going to make a positive difference in the lives of vulnerable and marginalised people.” Professor Michelle Lefevre
Professor of Social Work

Social workers often confront incredibly complex issues. How can practitioners be supported to process these experiences?

It's important to be honest about the fact that social work has a profound emotional impact. One of the first things we teach our students is how to pinpoint healthy ways of dealing with difficult experiences.

As a first step, we need to understand our own triggers – some people are uncomfortable with tears, for example, while others are more uncomfortable with anger. We also need to understand our own signs of stress. For me, it’s struggling to sleep, while others might begin drinking too much, or experience bursts of rage. Once social work professionals understand their own behaviours, we can work together to discover how best to help them feel supported.

Social work is action research. We work with people to understand their world, and figure out the support that might be useful to them. Trying to help families in the midst of poverty, abuse and violence can feel distressing and relentless for practitioners, but supporting people through these challenges can enable us to make a meaningful difference – both to individuals and society.

What’s been the driving force behind your career?

I was drawn to social work because I wanted to help people. When many of us start out, we don’t quite realise the depth of help that people actually need – not just because of personal experiences and trauma, but due to social disadvantage too. Sometimes, you feel a bit like a sticking plaster, but supporting people in difficulty can make a profound and lasting impact.

I feel this impact in an even greater way through my work as an academic. I joined Sussex as an individual social worker who helped individual children and individual families. I was proud to do that, but once I started teaching and researching, I thought: ‘Wow, now I can empower many more people through my work!’

Professor Michelle LeFevre standing inside an outdoor structure gesturing as she speaks to a listener

How can we build a research environment that helps people to flourish?

Confidence can be difficult. People talk about Imposter Syndrome, and in my earlier years, I couldn’t help but think: ‘Oh gosh, how did I end up here? I’m not clever enough. If people find out, I’ll be kicked out!’

Knowing that we all feel like that is important, which is why I’ve tried to cultivate an environment where we lift everyone up. We all do our best work when we’re feeling assured in who we are and what we want to achieve.

It’s also important for people to enjoy what they’re doing. Academic life can bring an enormous amount of pressure, so you need to feel that your work is valued and meaningful.

Why have you continued conducting your research at Sussex?

Sussex has a proud tradition of critiquing the status quo – we were exploring the interpersonal, emotional aspects of social work way before they emerged in mainstream practice.

We're also responsive to the issues faced by our field. Recently, there was a public inquiry about a case where a child sadly died, so we developed training that could upskill practitioners in analysing related risks. I’m proud that we’re so mindful of practitioners’ needs and responsibilities.

People tend to stay in our department, and our School, for a long time. My colleagues are a significant reason why I’ve stayed for 20 years – we take each other seriously, and help each other feel secure and creative.

I’ve felt empowered to do some of my best work here, like publishing my first book, Communicating with Children and Young People. It was everything I’d always wanted to write, and the words poured out of me. Practitioners still reach out to tell me it’s helped them, which means so much.

What advice would you give to those interested in pursuing a research career?

When I started to focus on the work I really cared about, opportunities began opening up for me, so I’d advise anyone to follow their passion and see where it takes them.

You should also be confident that your work has value. What you’re doing is important – every bit of knowledge you can add to your field will help build new ways of thinking and forms of practice.

Building a good network is vital, so reach out to others with similar interests and begin growing a community. At Sussex, our Centres of Excellence are a terrific place to meet people and share work. Bringing together interdisciplinary perspectives has been transformative in thinking about challenges differently.

Ultimately, give back to others. I’ve benefited so much from other people’s encouragement and generosity, and it’s important to pay that forward. If you want to work within an environment that’s creative and generous, be creative and generous – and you’ll attract connections to help you achieve fantastic things.