Professor Jo Staines
B.Sc.(Soton.), M.A.(Leic.), PhD (Bristol), PGC(H)E
Expertise
Jo's expertise spans the care and criminal justice systems, and the interconnections between the two for children, their families, and professionals.
Current positions
Professor
School for Policy Studies
Contact
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Biography
Jo returned to the University of Bristol as a teaching fellow, before securing a permanent position within the School for Policy Studies, where she is now a Professor of Youth Justice and Child Welfare. She is a Trustee and Co-Chair of the National Association for Youth Justice, a member of the Youth Justice Board's Academic Liaison Network Steering Committee, and a member of the Childhood, Law and Policy Network.
Jo was awarded a BSc in Psychology (University of Southampton), an MA in Criminology (University of Leicester) and a PGC(H)E (University of Bristol).
Research interests
Jo's research interests span the care and criminal justice systems, including children's involvement in offending behaviour and the inter-relationship between the experience of care and involvement in the youth/criminal justice system. More broadly her research includes children's experiences of violence and harm; alternatives to custody, such as remand foster care and restorative justice interventions; adolescent foster care; the ending of care orders; children's rights and the criminalisation of children and childhood. She is author of 'Youth Justice' (Palgrave Macmillan, 2015) and 'Care or Control? Foster Care for Young People on Remand' (BAAF, 2006). Jo's research has incorporated a range of methodological approaches, including narrative interviews and focus groups with children and adults, casefile and documentary analysis, and creative, participatory methods with children.
Projects and supervisions
Research projects
How Do We Talk About Youth Violence Without Focusing On Knives?
Principal Investigator
Role
Co-Investigator
Description
The public discourse around youth violence is heavily focused on the imagery of weapons/knives and this has had an impact on strategic policy and policing practices. This is despite evidence…Managing organisational unit
School for Policy StudiesDates
01/01/2025 to 31/05/2025
The outcomes for children affected by parental imprisonment
Principal Investigator
Managing organisational unit
School for Policy StudiesDates
01/11/2024 to 03/03/2025
Developing a hyper-local understanding of violence alongside the Bristol Violence Reduction Partnership
Principal Investigator
Role
Principal Investigator
Managing organisational unit
School for Policy StudiesDates
01/08/2024 to 31/07/2025
Discharge of Care Orders – a National Study
Principal Investigator
Description
Children who need care and protection are made subject to care orders giving the local authority responsibility for their care and welfare. These orders can last until children are aged…Managing organisational unit
University of Bristol Law SchoolDates
01/01/2020 to 31/12/2022
Discharge of Care Orders – a National Study
Principal Investigator
Description
Children who need care and protection are made subject to care orders giving the local authority responsibility for their care and welfare. These orders can last until children are aged…Managing organisational unit
School for Policy StudiesDates
01/01/2020 to 31/12/2022
Thesis supervisions
Publications
Recent publications
10/02/2025Dimensions of Trust and Tension in Discharge Proceedings
British Journal of Social Work
SERIOUS YOUTH VIOLENCE IN BRISTOL: RAPID REVIEW
SERIOUS YOUTH VIOLENCE IN BRISTOL: RAPID REVIEW
Supporting Girls in Care To Desist From Offending Behaviour
Desistance and Children
Discharging care orders in England and Wales
British Journal of Social Work
Factors influencing the outcomes of discharge of care order proceedings
Child and Family Social Work
