Isabelle Brodie

Associate Lecturer

Dr Isabelle Brodie is an Associate Lecturer for the Professional Doctorate in Child, Community and Educational Psychology.

Isabelle was previously a Principal Lecturer at the University of Bedfordshire, responsible for Postgraduate Research in the School of Applied Social Sciences and the Institute of Applied Social Research. Prior to this she was a senior researcher in the Safer Young Lives Research Centre at the University of Bedfordshire.

 

Qualifications

• PhD University of Luton. Thesis title: Re-defining School Exclusion: Children’s Homes and the Educational Process
• MA Sociology, University of Aberdeen
• Fellow, Higher Education Academy

 

Teaching roles

• Lecturer, supervisor and examiner, Professional Doctorate in Child, Community and Educational Psychology (M4)
• Isabelle has taught at all levels of Higher Education, from access courses through undergraduate and Master’s programmes.
• She is an experienced doctoral supervisor and examiner.

 

Research interests

Isabelle began her career in research into children’s residential care, which generated a particular interest in the social processes through which children are ‘excluded’ in different ways, and the nature of professional responses.  Specifically, she is interested in how social structures relate to micro interactions between individuals.

Between 2007-2022 Isabelle was involved in a range of research relating to different forms of child exploitation, including work related to gender based violence and gangs and smaller scale work with local authorities aimed at improving responses to child exploitation.  In the course.  She has an ongoing interest in the way in which child exploitation has become recognised as child abuse and as a social problem, and how policy and practice responses have evolved accordingly.

Isabelle has also worked on participatory projects with children and young people. She led the participatory strand of the Alexi Project, 2015-2017 and shared responsibility for participation in the Tackling Child Exploitation Programme.

 

Current research projects

Exploring Racial Disparity in Diversion From the Youth Justice System: Part 2 – Piloting recommendations in one local area (with Manchester Metropolitan University).  Funded by the Nuffield Foundation.

 

Recent research projects

Exploring Racial Disparity in Diversion From the Youth Justice System in England and Wales. University of Bedfordshire and Manchester Metropolitan University. Funded by the Nuffield Foundation.

 

Selected publications

Book chapters

Brodie, I. (2022) Safeguarding, young people and gangs. In P. Andell and J. Pitts (eds) Palgrave Handbook of Gangs. Palgrave.

Warrington, C. and Brodie, I. (2017) ‘Developing participatory practice and culture in CSE services’ in H. Beckett and J. Pearce (eds) Understanding and Responding to Child Sexual Exploitation. London: Routledge.

Brodie, I. (2010) ‘Inadmissible evidence? New Labour and the education of children in care. In P. Ayre and M. Preston-Shoot (eds) Children’s Services at the Crossroads: A Critical Evaluation of Contemporary Policy for Practice. Lyme Regis: Russell House Publishing.

 

Selected research reports and reviews

Brodie, I., Bateman, T., Day, A-M., Osidipe, T. and Pitts, J. (2025) Exploring Racial Disparity in Diversion from the Youth Justice System. London: Nuffield Foundation: Available at: https://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/wpcontent/uploads/2022/10/Exploring-racial-disparity-in-diversion-from-the-Youth-JusticeSystem.pdf

Connolly, H., Brodie, I. and Billinghurst, A. (2024) ‘Please Make A Change. We Really Want to Feel Safe.’ Understanding the Experiences and Perceptions of Gang Assocation, Involvement and Group Offending Amongst Girls and Young Women in London. MOPAC.

Brodie, I. with Harris, J., Roker, D., Shuker, L. and Pearce, J. (2016) The Participation of Young People in Child Sexual Exploitation Services: A Scoping Review of the Evidence. Luton: University of Bedfordshire.  Available at: https://www.alexiproject.org.uk/publications

Brodie, I., Pearce, J.J. (2012) Exploring the scale and nature of child sexual exploitation in Scotland. Edinburgh: Scottish Government.

 

Research briefings/resources

Brodie, I., Beckett, H. and Yeo, A. (2023) Tackling Child Exploitation Risk Thematic Project. 

Brodie, I. (2022) Child Exploitation: Definitions and Language. Tackling Child Exploitation Support Programme.

Brodie, I. and Hurst, A. (2022) Community Awareness Raising: Key issues for strategic leaders. Tackling Child Exploitation Support Programme.

Brodie, I. and Latimer, K. with Firmin, C. (2020) Peer support interventions for safeguarding: a scoping review. Luton: Contextual Safeguarding Network.

 

View Isabelle Brodie’s ResearchGate profile

 

Expert advisory roles

• University of Bedfordshire School of Applied Social Sciences – Chair, Ethics Committee
• Member, University of Bedfordshire Institute of Applied Social Research Ethics Committee
• Advisor, Evaluation of the Pan-Bedfordshire Violence and Exploitation Reduction Unit (Home Office funded) (2022-2024)
• Advisor, Girls and Gangs Project (funded by MOPAC). (2023-2024)
• Advisor, Harmful Sexual Behaviours Project (funded by the Pilgrim Trust) (2022-2024)
• Consultant, Tackling Child Exploitation Support Programme (responsible for co-leading strand of work on Children and Young People’s Voice and further work). (2020-2022)