Mr Chris Durkin

Associate Director at the Northampton Institute of Urban Affairs. A multidisciplinary research and consultancy centre focusing on the Built Environment. Brings together academics from across the University and built environment practitioners. Personal interests in Community Development, Social Care and Social Work. Particularly interested in the importance of community in facilitating change, seeing the importance of a prevent agenda and the need to focus more attention on developing communities to address societies problems. Involved in researching new approaches to service delivery and the developing area of social innovation. I am a registered social worker and previously worked in child protection social work with my main focus being on child protection assessments. Started working at the University in 2002 as a Senior lecturer in social Worker and course leader in Social Welfare.

Recent Conference Presentations and Papers 30/11/2011 Staffordshire University ‘Social Enterprise Friend or Foe to Social Work' Presentation to Social work students -Post Qualifying Award - Children and Young People 2/11/2011 Govtoday Sustainable Communities 2011: Local Growth, Local Futures ‘Industry Best Practice Case Study’ 5/4/2011 University of East London 'Public policy in the U.K. promoting social enterprises - rhetoric and practice' – presentation to Danish policy makers 25/6/2010 Skills for Care Conference, University of Northampton Professionalising the Social Care Workforce - A Challenge to the Sector 4/6/2009 ‘How can Community Anchors contribute to the overall social improvement and well-being of a locality? The Tool Factory Community Anchors: Fit For Purpose 22/5/2009 Northampton Business School Social Enterprise in the U.K. and China – A Comparative Perspective ‘Social Enterprises: Health and Wellbeing’ 26/11/2008 University of East London 'How do you teach social entrepreneurship?' 4/10/2008 Kogakkan University, Japan, Faculty of Social Welfare 10th Anniversary International Symposium ‘The changing U.K welfare landscape; a focus on Child protection’ The University of Northampton (2008) Learning and Teaching Conference ‘Try it, Do it, Reflect on it, Learn from it!’ FinPin conference, Finland (2008) Promoting Entrepreneurship by Universities Social Entrepreneurship in the Social Policy Curriculum. 10/12/2007 World University Network, Leeds University Social Entrepreneurship in the Social Policy Curriculum. July 2007 Social Policy Association Social Entrepreneurship in the Social Policy Curriculum.

Over recent years I have becoming increasingly interested in Social Enterprises and social innovation. Current research interests in Community development, social enterprise and adult social care. Recent Research Fdf (2011) Designing and Developing Reusable Learning Objects – joint project with the School of Health Fdf/Skills for Care (2010) Designing and Developing a Community cohesion in Irthlingborough (2009)–Dunkley, L., Durkin, C. and Horton, J. Review of the Use of Agency Placements for Looked after Children and out of County Residential Placements (2007) Part of a research team Evaluation of Sure Start Northampton (2006) Part of a research team Use of Assisted Technologies in a sheltered housing Development (2005) Corr, S., Woolridge, A., Siddons, L , Campbell, J., Durkin, C., Colburn, C. and Wilkinson M. ‘Young people’s health in Northamptonshire’ (2005) Cate Armstrong, S., Campbell, J., Durkin, C., Everett, S., Horton, J., Kraftl, P., Matthews, H and Parkes, J. ‘Matrics Project Evaluation’ (2005) Northamptonshire Social Care and Health 'Blackthorn Good Neighbours Project Evaluation' (2003) Gunn, R., Cate Armstrong, S., Durkin, C., Gilbert, A & Salmons, G.

Other publications

Gunn, R and Durkin, C. (ed.) (2010) Social Entrepreneurship: A Skills Approach, Policy Press Gunn, R., Durkin, C., Singh, G., Brown, J. (2008) ‘Social entrepreneurship in the social policy curriculum’ Social Enterprise Journal Vol. 4 No.1 74 - 80 C. Durkin & M. Shergall (2000) ‘A team approach to Practice Teaching’ Social Work Education. Vol. 19 No.2 165 –175. C. Durkin & S. Wright (1996) ‘Child Protection: Powerful/ Powerless?’ In J. Akister (ed.) ‘Power and Responsibility in Social Work- A Book of Case Studies’ Anglia Polytechnic University. C. Durkin & J. Mesie (1994) ‘Children in Separated Families: A Group – Based Intervention Strategy’ Child Abuse Review Vol.3: 285 – 298. C. Durkin (1991) ‘Within These Walls’ Community Care 5. 12. 1991.