The Critical Thinking Toolkit

Paula Beesley is a Senior Lecturer in Social Work at Leeds Beckett University, with interests in communication skill development and practice placements. She holds the Practice Teacher Award, and has been a practice teacher for 20 years both as a child protection social worker and as an independent off-site practice educator working with a wide range of placements and students. She is currently undertaking a PhD into communication in social work student supervision on placement.


Louise is a sociologist with specific interests in health policy and social policy. She is a Reader located in The Centre for Health Promotion Research, which she has co-directed since 2013. Louise joined the University in September 2005 and has taught on a wide range of modules including sociology, health policy, research, community and global policy and health care. She also manages a range of research projects and a team of research staff.

Louise's research projects are diverse and include a commissioned evaluation of the Way Forward Programme, a project to develop resilience in vulnerable young women with unmet need, the evaluation of a Department of Health Eatwell and Livewell Project to tackle malnutrition amongst the elderly, and the project management of the Sunderland Health Champion Programme.


Louise has recently conducted a range of research with vulnerable young women, drawing upon feminist participatory approaches to data collection in order to give young women voice. Her research has been used in practice to improve interventions during their delivery and in securing future funding for further work in this area. Her other evaluation research is used in practice similarly to further develop interventions, and to capture the voice of service users.