Dr Ailsa Stewart
Lecturer
Social Work and Social Policy
Personal statement
I joined the Univeristy of Strathclyde in 1997 and am now a Lecturer and Course Leader for the PG Certificate in Mental Health Social Work (MHO) Award in the School of Social Work and Social Policy in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. I teach on the undergraduate and post graduate qualifying social work programmes with a focus on risk and protection in adult social work including those experiencing mental disorder and learning disability as well as adults at risk of harm. I have undertaken research across a range of settings including, within the voluntary sector, local authority social work departments, health boards and on behalf of Scottish Government at a policy level. This work has primarily focused on areas around Adult Social Work including, evaluating effectiveness of models of intervention, exploring the impact of social networks on resilliance, identifying challenges to practice from policy and legislative implementation and gaps in research knowledge. I have worked on a number of collaborative research teams with colleagues from other academic institutions as well as practice and have been involved in international collaborations. I am currently writing up my Phd which has focused on the implementation of the Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act (2007).
Area of Expertise
Has expertise in:
- Learning disability
- Mental disorder/mental health
- Adults at risk of harm
- Participatory models of research
Qualifications
Undergrauate BA in Social Sciences - Open University
Post Graduate Diploma in Social Work - Northern College (Aberdeen)
Masters in Community Care - University of Glasgow
PhD (writing up) - University of Glasgow
Publications
- Reclaiming community social work in social work education : opportunities and challenges for a more radical curriculum
- Quinn Neil, MacIntyre Gillian, Paul Sally, Stewart Ailsa
- European Conference for Social Work Research (2025)
- Gender based violence and learning disability : messages for social work practice
- MacIntyre Gillian, Stewart Ailsa
- Joint Social Work and Education Conference (2023)
- Working with women with learning disabilities who have experienced gender based violence.
- MacIntyre Gillian, Stewart Ailsa
- Insights Insights, Vol 65 (2022)
- Developing and establishing the psychometric properties of the Strathclyde Citizenship Measure : a new measure for health and social care practice and research
- Cogan Nicola, MacIntyre Gillian, Stewart Ailsa, Harrison-Millan Hilary, Black Karen, Quinn Neil, Rowe Michael, O'Connell Maria
- Health and Social Care in the Community Vol 30 (2022)
- https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.13789
- Citizens defining citizenship : a model grounded in lived experience and its implications for research, policy and practice
- MacIntyre Gillian, Cogan Nicola, Stewart Ailsa, Quinn Neil, O'Connell Maria, Rowe Michael
- Health and Social Care in the Community Vol 30 (2021)
- https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.13440
- "The biggest barrier is to inclusion itself" : the experience of citizenship for adults with mental health problems
- Cogan Nicola Ann, MacIntyre Gillian, Stewart Ailsa, Tofts Abigail, Quinn Neil, Johnston Gordon, Hamill Linda, Robinson John, Igoe Michael, Easton Duncan, McFadden Anne Marie, Rowe Michael
- Journal of Mental Health Vol 30, pp. 358-365 (2021)
- https://doi.org/10.1080/09638237.2020.1803491
Research Interests
My research interests are focused on Adult Social Work, in particular learning disability, mental health and adults at risk of harm. I am also keen on ensuring the involvement of those who use supports and their carers in research at all levels by using participatory methodologies.
Professional Activities
- Joint Social Work and Education Conference
- Speaker
- 15/6/2023
- Participatory approaches working with people with learning disabilities: what we have learned
- Speaker
- 17/11/2022
- Gender Based Violence and Learning Disability - what do we know
- Speaker
- 12/5/2021
- American Journal of Psychiatric Rehabilitation (Journal)
- Peer reviewer
- 1/9/2017
Projects
- Baseline study
- MacIntyre, Gillian (Principal Investigator) Stewart, Ailsa (Co-investigator)
- 05-Jan-2016 - 31-Jan-2016
- Citizenship Measure Project
- Stewart, Ailsa (Principal Investigator) Knifton, Lee (Co-investigator) MacIntyre, Gillian (Co-investigator) Quinn, Neil (Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2015 - 30-Jan-2017
- People Powered Health and Well-Being
- Stewart, Ailsa (Principal Investigator)
- 14-Jan-2015 - 31-Jan-2015
- Vulnerable parents with and without a learning disability – long term outcomes for families involved in a parenting skills programme
- Stewart, Ailsa (Principal Investigator) MacIntyre, Gillian (Co-investigator)
- Vulnerable parents with and without a learning disability – long term outcomes for families involved in a parenting skills programme
- 01-Jan-2015 - 29-Jan-2016
- Evaluation of Aberlour Family Service
- MacIntyre, Gillian (Principal Investigator) Stewart, Ailsa (Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2014 - 01-Jan-2015
- Embedding Outcomes in Homecare Reablement for older people in N Lanarkshire- ESRC Knowledge Exchange
- Stewart, Ailsa (Principal Investigator)
- "This project aims to investigate the potential for and means of implementing evidence, (drawing upon formal research studies, practitioner wisdom and user and carer perspectives) about outcomes based working in the context of the home support re-ablement model adopted in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. There is a need to develop outcomes-based working in relation to re-ablement services, which are being promoted throughout the UK (CSED, 2007). Further, re-ablement has been recognised as achieving significant savings for local authorities (PSSRU, 2010). Taken together embedding an outcomes approach within re-ablement may assist in providing effective home care services within a context of diminishing resources, increased prevalence of long term conditions and an ageing population.
The project utilises a mixed methodological approach, including key informant interviews, focus groups and expert group events. The project aims to build on existing knowledge exchange activity to establish current practice and understanding of outcomes and re-ablement services locally, explore applicability of existing evidence, establish challenges in existing approach to outcomes and re-ablement and through this process to generate new insights which will be formulated into guidance and tools for further implementation locally and nationally. University of Strathclyde has granted full ethical approval for the project." - 01-Jan-2012 - 30-Jan-2013
Contact
Dr
Ailsa
Stewart
Lecturer
Social Work and Social Policy
Email: ailsa.stewart@strath.ac.uk
Tel: Unlisted