Lecturer speaks at British Science Festival

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Psychology lecturer speaks at British Science Festival

Thursday, 7 September, 2017

Research led by Dr Jermaine Ravalier, Senior Lecturer of Psychology at Bath Spa University, has revealed the extent of the impact that cuts to services is having on social workers and teachers across the UK.

He will speak about his findings at the British Science Festival in Brighton today (Thursday 7 September).

The findings come from a series of studies of 16,000 participants conducted with the Social Worker's Union (SWU) and British Association of Social Workers (BASW), and was supported by Dr Joe Walsh, Lecturer of Psychology at Bath Spa University, the Education Institute of Scotland and other UK-wide education organisations in undertaking the project.

The studies found that social workers discussed a lack of staff meant their caseloads were often unmanageable, causing stress and intentions to leave the job.

For teachers, a lack of teaching and support staff meant ever increasing administrative loads and not enough preparation time, again leading to greater stress and intentions to leave the role.

Dr Ravalier said: “While it is clear that social workers and teachers find the nature of their jobs deeply fulfilling, this is no longer enough to outweigh the impact that governmental cuts are having on their jobs.

“These studies add significant academic and objective evidence to much of the anecdotal evidence we often hear about. We have clear evidence therefore that underfunding in our public services is leading to increased stress and intentions to leave.”

The Festival is co-hosted by the Universities of Brighton and Sussex, with over 150 FREE events on campus and throughout the city. It provides an opportunity to meet researchers face-to-face and discuss cutting-edge research, innovation and ideas in science, technology and engineering.

For further information about the festival, visit the British Science Festival website.

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Jermaine Ravalier