Dr Harriet Churchill (she/they)

BA, PhD (FHEA)

School of Sociological Studies, Politics and International Relations

Senior Lecturer

Director of Undergraduate Studies

A photo of Harriet Churchill
Profile picture of A photo of Harriet Churchill
h.churchill@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 6440
The Wave

Full contact details

Dr Harriet Churchill
School of Sociological Studies, Politics and International Relations
The Wave
2 Whitham Road
Sheffield
S10 2AH
Profile

Harriet joined the university in 2008. Previously she taught on social policy and politics programmes at the University of Manchester (2005-2008) and was a Research Fellow working on an evaluation of Sure Start centres based in the Department of Sociology and Social Policy, University of Leeds.

Harriet’s academic and teaching interests are in the areas of social policy, childhood/family studies, family support and children’s services. Her research and publications in these areas examine national and international reforms in the context of broader features of social change, political debate and welfare state restructuring.

Harriet is committed to promoting progressive, evidence-informed policy and practice in the interests of children’s rights, family welfare, social inclusion and social equality.

Harriet is on the Management Board for the journal Families, Relationships and Societies; is a Higher Education Academy Fellow (FHEA) and a member of the Social Policy Association.

Research interests

Harriet has research interests in the areas of UK social/family policy, comparative social/family policy, policy/programme evaluation and family support/children’s services reforms.

Several publications analyse critical debates and reforms in social policies for children, parents and families in the UK. In the UK context, Harriet has been involved in qualitative studies about lone motherhood, ‘whole family support’, Sure Start children’s centres; and parenting support and education programmes.

Recently, Harriet’s work has incorporated greater focus on comparative policy analysis and cross-national research. Harriet is a founding member of the European Family Support Network which since 2019 has been funded under the European COST action programme to undertake a four year programme of knowledge exchange activities related to family support research, policy and practice in Europe.

This study explores opportunities and risks associated with the digitalisation and hybridisation of family and parental support services. The study asks: how can we better understand, evaluate and develop universally provided online, digital and multi-modal resources and support for parents

Students who share similar research interests to those listed below are welcome to discuss the possibility of postgraduate supervision:

  • Social policy debates, reforms and contexts related to childhood, parenthood and family relations;
  • Sociology of childhood and family life;
  • Welfare state reform in the UK and Europe;
  • Promoting social welfare and social equality for children and young people
Publications

Books

  • Churchill H (2011) Parental Rights and Responsibilities: Analysing Social Policy and Lived Experiences. Policy Press.
  • Churchill H & Sanders T (2007) . SAGE Publications, Ltd..

Journal articles

  • Churchill H, Davies K, Kilkey M, Anitha S, Carter A & Walsh J (2025) . Families, Relationships and Societies, 14(2), 153-157.
  • Churchill H, Devaney C & Abela A (2024) . Children and Youth Services Review, 161.
  • Dermott E & Churchill H (2024) . Families, Relationships and Societies, 13(2), 159-163.
  • Churchill H, Dermott E & Miller T (2023) . Families, Relationships and Societies, 12(1), 3-9.
  • Boskovic B, Churchill H & Hamzallari O (2021) . International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(17).
  • Richardson Foster H, Barter C, Stanley N & Churchill H (2021) . Child Abuse Review, 30(5), 458-472.
  • Churchill H, Baena S, Crosse R, Jiménez L & Millar M (2020) . Social Work and Social Sciences Review, 21(2), 58-83.
  • Parr S & Churchill H (2020) . Social Policy & Administration, 54(1), 134-147.
  • Sen R & Churchill H (2016) . Social Policy and Society, 15(2), 331-336.
  • Churchill H & Sen R (2016) . Social Policy and Society, 15(2), 251-261.
  • Churchill HA & Fawcett B (2016) . Social Policy and Society, 15(2), 303-316.
  • Churchill H (2013) . Journal of Children's Services, 8(3), 209-222.
  • Clarke K & Churchill HA (2012) . Children and Society: the international journal of childhood and children's services, 36(4), 316-327.
  • Churchill HA & Clarke K (2009) . Social Policy and Society, 9(1), 39-53.
  • Churchill H (2008) Children, changing families and welfare states. JOURNAL OF SOCIAL POLICY, 37, 518-520.
  • Churchill HA (2008) . Commonwealth Journal of Local Governance, 1(1), 49-69.
  • Churchill H (2007) . Critical Policy Studies, 1(2), 170-183.

Book chapters

  • Churchill H (2024) , The Conservative Governments and Social Policy (pp. 243-259). Policy Press
  • Churchill H & Dunn H (2023) , International Perspectives on Parenting Support and Parental Participation in Children and Family Services (pp. 268-283). Routledge
  • Churchill H (2020) , Social Policy (pp. 339-360). Routledge
  • Churchill H (2016) Children and young people In Bochel H & Powell M (Ed.), The Coalition Government and Social Policy Restructuring the Welfare State Policy Press
  • Churchill H (2016) One step forward, two steps back: Children, young people and the Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition, Coalition Government and Social Policy Restructuring the Welfare State (pp. 265-284).
  • Churchill H (2016) , Responsibility Law and the Family (pp. 63-79).
  • Churchill HA & Clarke K (2013) Troubled and troublesome teens: Mothers' and professionals' understandings of parenting teenagers and teenage troubles In Gillies V & McCarthy-Ribbens J (Ed.), Family Troubles: Family Change and Family Experiences Bristol: The Policy Press.
  • Churchill HA (2012) Family support and the Coalition: retrenchment, refocusing and restructuring In Kilkey M, Ramia G & Farnsworth K (Ed.), Social Policy Review 24: Analysis and debate in social policy, 2012 (pp. 35-54). Policy Press
  • Churchill HA (2009) Every child's voice matters? In Durose C & Richardson L (Ed.), Changing Local Governance, Changing Citizens (pp. 175-192). Policy Press
  • Churchill H (2008) Being a responsible mother: New labour policy discourses versus lone mothers' contextualised accounts, Responsibility Law and the Family (pp. 63-79).
  • Churchill HA (2008) Parental responsibility: New Labour policy discourses versus lone mothers’ accounts of situated family practices In Bridgeman J, Lind C & Keating HM (Ed.), Responsibility, Law and the Family Ashgate Pub Co
  • Churchill HA (2008) Being a responsible mother: New Labour policy discourses versus lone mothers’ contextualised accounts In Bridgeman J, Lind C & Keating HM (Ed.), Responsibility, Law and the family (pp. 63-80). Ashgate Publishing Company
  • (2007) In Gillies V & Lucey H (Ed.) Palgrave Macmillan UK
  • Churchill H (2007) Children’s services in 2006, Social Policy Review 19 Analysis and Debate in Social Policy 2007 (pp. 85-105).

Book reviews

  • CHURCHILL H (2008) . Journal of Social Policy, 37(3), 518-520.
  • Churchill H (2008) . JOURNAL OF SOCIAL POLICY, 37, 320-322.
  • Churchill H () . British Journal of Social Work, bcw086-bcw086.

Reports

  • Churchill H, Sandbaek M, Jackson A, Jerinic J, Arsic J, Dobrotic I, Rybrinska A & Ruggiero R (2021) The conceptualisation and delivery of family policy and support in Europe: A review of international and European frameworks and standards
  • Churchill HA, Morris K & Richardson-Foster H (2018) Exploring the lessons from the dissemination of research to the judiciary involved in public family law and child care proceedings
  • Churchill HA & Clarke K (2009) A small scale evaluation of Manchester City Council’s work with families with complex and multiple needs
  • Churchill HA & Clarke K (2008) A pilot evaluation of Manchester City Council’s parenting your teen courses
Research group
Grants

: Towards a new research and practice agenda, Oct 23-Nov 25, funded by the Nuffield Foundation.

'Developing quality standards for family support services across European Countries' (), COST Scheme Innovators Grant, Co-I and UK Co-Lead, PI Professor Lucia Jimenez, University of Seville. 

The European Family Support Network (). Funded by the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) program (COST Action no.18123) 2019-2022.

Harriet is one of the co-investigators on the project and the co-leader of Working Group 2 which is concerned with ‘the conceptualisation and delivery of family support in Europe’. The Principal Investigator/Grant Holder is based in Psychology, University of Seville, Spain.

Teaching activities

Harriet contributes to teaching on our undergraduate and postgraduate social policy, sociology, criminology and dual honours programmes.

Harriet is Module Convenor/Co-Convenor for the following modules:

  • SCS1029 Welfare, Politics and the State;
  • SCS31004 Children, Families and Welfare States.

Harriet also teaches sessions on several additional undergraduate and postgraduate modules.

Professional activities and memberships

Harriet is currently Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Sociological Studies.

Links