Associate Professor: Children, Youth and Forced Migration

I am an academic working on issues relating to international children’s rights, mass atrocities and the care and protection of unaccompanied, separated, and trafficked migrant. I deliver policy-relevant research using a wide range of methodologies in safeguarding unaccompanied, separated, and trafficked migrant children, and my work has influenced the development of law and policy in this area. I have a deep commitment in my research to participatory approaches that place children and young people’s voices, experiences, and perspectives at the centre and I regularly engage with legislators, policymakers, and professional stakeholders to maximise the impact of my research.

Linked to my research, I lecture across modules and courses relating to political sociology, human rights, humanitarian law, and the politics and law of forced migration as well as research methods. My approach to teaching incorporates critical education for democracy, social justice, and transformative experiential learning, with an emphasis on community-based learning and oral history approaches that are allied to creating decolonial spaces. I am Director of Studies for and supervise a number of PhD students.

I was a finalist for a Times Higher Award in 2017 in the category of 'International Impact' for a partnership project between students, survivors of the Bosnian genocide, and Remembering Srebrenica UK, focusing on human rights and peace education. I was also a finalist of the Advance HE 'Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence' in 2017 with colleagues in the University of Bedfordshire's Sustainability Forum for our inter-disciplinary educational methodologies and practices addressing climate change.

I also have expertise in organisational and institutional governance in Higher Education and the charity sector and have developed a deep commitment for working towards organisational cultures in both these sectors that are collaborative, ethical, and inclusive.

Other References

LinkedIn

Education

PhD: University of Luton (2011). The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) and the Asylum and Resettlement Experiences of Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children: A Narrative Based Enquiry.

Teaching Expertise

• Human Rights, Humanitarian Law, and Global Governance
• The Politics of Refugees, Displacement and Migration
• International Children's Rights
• Qualitative and Participatory Methodologies
• Peace Pedagogies for Sustainable Communities
• The Sustainable Development Goals and Social Change.

Research Interests

• The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) and the care and protection of unaccompanied, separated, and trafficked migrant children.
• Children, Youth, Peace, and Security.

Projects

• The Needs of London's Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking and Refugee Children and Young People (Current. Commissioned by London Councils. In partnership with London School of Economics and South London Refugee Association)
• Documenting Human Rights violations against unaccompanied and separated children in Gaza. (Current. Consultant for CAABU)
• Girls, Young Women, Gangs and Serious Youth Violence (2023-2024. Commissioned by Mayors Office for Policing and Crime)
• Pathways to Positive Outcomes for Children Following Modern Slavery (2021- 2022. Commissioned by Modern Slavery Policy and Evidence Centre and Arts and Humanities Research Council).
• An Evaluation of The Child Trafficking Protection Fund (2019-2020. Commissioned by the UK Home Office)
• An Evaluation of Independent Child Trafficking Guardians - Early Adopter Sites (2017-2019. Commissioned by the UK Home Office)
• Family Reunification Rights and Unaccompanied Refugee Children (2018 - 2019. Commissioned by Amnesty International, Refugee Council and Save the Children, UK)
• The Impact of Excluding Separated Migrant Children from Legal Aid (2014-2017. Commissioned by The Children's Society)
• First Evaluation of Independent Child Trafficking Advocates (2014-2015. Commissioned by The UK Home Office)
• Reviewing the Evidence for Guardianship for Separated Children in Northern Ireland (2013-2014. Commissioned by Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People. NICCY)

External Roles

• Trustee. Remembering Srebrenica (current since 2021)
• Trustee. Luton Roma Trust (current since 2022)
• Consultant. Council for Arab British Understanding (CAABU) (current since 2024)
• Srebrenica Memorial Centre. International Conference. Empowering Through Remembrance. Upholding Inter-generational Responsibility. The Importance of Survivor Testimonies. Invited speaker (2024)
• Srebrenica Memorial Centre's Genocide Studies Summer School. Invited speaker (July 2024).
• Srebrenica Memorial Centre's Oral History Summer School. Invited speaker (July 2023). Oral History in Education. A Fundamental Medium for Human Connection and Viable Futures.
• Partnership Lead for University of Bedfordshire on United Nations International Organisation for Migration (UN IOM) Research Panel of Partners. (current since 2023)
• Partnership Lead for Memorandum of Understanding Between the University of Bedfordshire and The International Srebrenica Memorial Centre (current since 2021)
• Justice and Home Affairs Select Committee (July 2022) Invited Expert Witness to Inquiry on Family Migration.
• All Party Parliamentary Group for Refugees. Invitation to discuss the findings of research on unaccompanied children and family reunion ((January 2020)
• The Last Rights Project with London School of Economics (2016) Expert Roundtable on Last Rights: Cross-border deaths on the journey to Europe. Towards a European legal framework, The Mytillini Declaration. Invited to deliver Joint session with Professor Geraldine Van Bueren and Syd Bolton on Unaccompanied and Separated Children and Journey's To Europe.
• Chair of the East England Board of Remembering Srebrenica UK (2015 to present)
• Plateforme d'experts sur la Migration de Mineurs. PUCAFREU, Migrinter, University of Poitiers (2015 to 2017)
• Nordic Network for Research Co-Operation on Refugee Children (2012 to 2015)

Publications

• Hynes, P, Connolly, H, Duran, L, Matar, E and Durr, P (2022) Creating Stable Futures: Human Trafficking, Participation and Outcomes for Trafficked Children.
• Pritchard, D, Connolly, H, Egbe, A, Worsfeld, N, Bishop J, Rowinski, P, Sauedy, M and Ashley, T (2021) Integrating Education for Sustainability Into Teaching, Learning and Assessment Practice. Case Study of Sustainability Forum. QAA and Advance HE Practice Guide.
• Pritchard, D, Connolly, H, Egbe, A, Worsfeld, N, Bishop J, Rowinski, P, Sauedy, M and Ashley, T (2021) Collaborations for Sustainable Futures. In The Bloomsbury Handbook of Collaboration in Higher Education: Tales from the Frontline
• Connolly, H (2020) “Without my Family’. The Impact of Family Separation on Child Refugees in the UK. Amnesty International UK, Refugee Council and Save the Children, UK.
• Connolly, H (2020) Evaluation of the Child Trafficking Protection Fund. Home Office.
• Kohli, R, Connolly, H, Stott, H, Roe, S, Prince, S, Long, J and Gordon-Ramsay, S (2019) An Evaluation of Independent Child Trafficking Guardians – Early Adopter Sites. Final Research Report 111. Home Office.
• Diana J Pritchard, Tamara Ashley, Helen Connolly, Nicholas Worsfold (2018) Transforming Collaborative Practices for Curriculum and Teaching Innovations with the Sustainability Forum. In Implementing Sustainability in the Curriculum of Universities. Approaches, Methods and Projects. Springer World Sustainability Series. Editor, Filho, Walter Leal.
• Connolly, H, Crellin, R and Parhar, R (2017) An Update to: ‘Cut off from Justice: The Impact of Excluding Separated Migrant Children from Legal Aid. The Children’s Society
• Jenny McLeish, Leila Baker, Helen Connolly, Houda Davis, Charlotte Pace, Celia Suppiah (2016) Volunteering and early childhood outcomes: A Review of the Evidence.
• Kohli, RKS, Hynes, P, Connolly, H, Thurnham, A, Westlake, D and D’Arcy, K (November 2015) Evaluation of Independent Child Trafficking Advocates Trial. Final Report. Research Report, 86. Home Office
• Connolly, H (2015) Cut off from Justice: The impact of excluding separated migrant children from legal aid. The Children’s Society.
• Connolly, H (2015) Seeing the relationship between the UNCRC and the asylum system through the eyes of unaccompanied asylum seeking children and young people. International Journal of Children’s Rights. Vol 23 (1) 52-77
• Connolly, H (2014) “For a while out of orbit”: Listening to what unaccompanied asylum seeking / refugee children in the UK say about their rights and experiences in private foster care. Journal of Adoption and Fostering. Vol 38 (4) 331-345
• Kohli RKS, Connolly H, Beckett H (2014) By their side and on their side: reviewing the evidence for Guardianship for separated children in Northern Ireland. NI Children’s Commissioner (NICCY)
• Connolly, H and Kohli, RKS (November 2013) A Research Review on the Resettlement Process for Refugee Children And Families. Community Care Inform.
• Kohli RKS, Mitchell, F and Connolly H (2012) An analysis of the coverage of issues related to children in Country of Origin Reports produced by the COI service. Commissioned and produced for the Independent Advisory Group on Country Information. United Kingdom
• Wigley, V., Preston-Shoot, M., McMurray, I. and Connolly, H. (2012) 'Researching young people's outcomes in children's services:: findings from a longitudinal study', Journal of Social Work.
• McMurray, I., Connolly, H., Preston-Shoot, M. and Wigley, V (2011) Shards of the Old Looking Glass. Restoring the Significance of Identity In Promoting Positive Outcomes For Looked After Children. Child And Family Social Work. Vol 16 (2) 210-218
• Wigley, V, Preston-Shoot, MPS, McMurray, I and Connolly, H (2011) Researching Young People's Outcomes In Children's Services: Findings From A Longitudinal Study. Journal of Social Work. April.
• Kohli, RKS, Connolly, H, Warman, A (2010) Food and its meaning for asylum seeking children in foster care, Children’s Geographies, Vol 8, (3) 233-245.
• Kohli RKS & Connolly H (2009) Young People Seeking Asylum, in Petch A (ed.) Managing Transition: Support for Individuals At Key Points of Transition. Policy Press.
• Kohli RKS & Connolly H (2008) Fostering children and young people seeking asylum.
• Research Digest for Community Care Inform.

Contact Details

E: helen.connolly@beds.ac.uk