After qualifying as a social worker in 1995 I worked for 12 years in mental health services, in the Northern Health and Social Care Trust, as a Community Mental Health Team social worker, out of hours Approved Social Worker, project manager and team leader in assertive outreach and rehabilitation. My main research interests are in the area of mental health, specifically: the effectiveness of mental health services; the social determinants of mental health; human rights and mental health/mental capacity legislation; and the associations between adverse childhood experiences and mental health. In 2018 I was appointed as the first Praxis Chair of Social Care and many of my research projects are in partnership with Praxis. My main teaching responsibility is as Programme Director for the Post-Graduate Diploma in Mental Health and Mental Capacity Law at Queen's, which is part of the NI Approved Social Worker Programme, and is provided through a partnership with the Health and Social Care Trusts. I'm also one of the social work representatives on the Department of Health's Reference Group for the implementation of the Mental Capacity Act (Northern Ireland) 2016.