Research Associate: Vulnerability and Policing

Based at University of York campus (with some remote working options available)

Role Description

The School for Business and Society is the largest academic unit at the University of York. This innovative merger between the York Management School and Social Policy and Social Work Department brings together the work of almost 300 academic and professional support staff. SBS wishes to recruit a Research Associate with excellent qualitative research skills and experience of conducting independent and collaborative research. This is an exciting opportunity to become part of a small team working on vulnerability-based policing as it relates to sex worker safety and justice. Following on from a research project evaluating the role of police Sex Work Liaison Officers (SWLOs), this project will extend the use of evidence-based best practice approaches in SWLO roles, working with police forces to implement SWLO roles in ways that are orientated carefully around the needs of sex workers in contexts of criminalisation. Working in partnership with the National Police Chief's Council (NPCC) and police forces, the project will support forces to operate in line with our co-produced SWLO role descriptor developed from the research findings with sex workers, the NPCC and leading SWLOs. This project capitalises on unique opportunities for impact with new NPCC Guidance on Sex Work featuring SWLOs as the gold standard being launched April 2025. The work is affiliated with the ESRC Vulnerability and Policing Futures Research Centre and funded by an ESRC Impact Acceleration Account.

Role

You will be working with Professor Kate Brown, Professor Sharon Grace and Dr Rosie Campbell to support this impact and knowledge exchange project which aims to work with adoptor forces (those with SWLOs), to spread best practice to other forces; to help other forces develop such roles; and to promote the use of SWLOs in line with evidence based practice. You will facilitate the key coordination, partner engagement and research support for the project. Specifically you will:

• Conduct follow-up conversations with police forces around our recent Freedom of Information work.
• Collate updated scoping of force practice and plans.
• Establish a network of best practice SWLO forces/key contacts.
• Organise a series of group meetings with police forces to share/advance best practice in SWLO roles.
• Track and capture evidence of changes in police, practice and attitudes.
• Offer bespoke support for developer forces, especially in evidencing need/benefits.
• Facilitate knowledge exchange between forces on business cases.
• Conduct research under the supervision of senior colleagues and to contribute to the production of research.
• Assist in the identification and development of potential areas of research and the development of proposals for independent or collaborative research projects.

Skills, Experience & Qualification needed

You will have:

• A PhD in the Social Sciences (or nearing completion) or equivalent experience.
• Relevant knowledge to be able to engage in high quality research.
• Knowledge of a range of social science research techniques and methodologies
• Highly developed communication skills to engage effectively with a wide range of audiences, both orally and in writing, using a range of media.
• Ability to work as part of a team and also to work independently using your own initiative.
• A collaborative ethos.

Interview date: To be confirmed

For informal enquiries: please contact Professor Kate Brown at kate.brown@york.ac.uk

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