About Dr Lesley Deacon
I am an Associate Professor of Practice Research, Vice Chancellor's Research and Knowledge Exchange Fellow, Senior Fellow AdvanceHE, and a registered Social Worker (Social Work England).
I describe myself as a neurodivergent, academic-based practitioner-researcher. My areas of interest are practice research, neurodiversity, and safeguarding.
I have developed an approach to empower practitioners (across a range of professions) to engage in, and lead, practice research – Facilitated Practice-based Research (copyright University of Sunderland) (FPR). This model is neuroinclusive and trauma-informed and consists of an intensive, facilitated, research programme in which a group of practitioners work together to co-design, co-construct, and co-implement a piece of group practice research relevant to current practice issues. Research findings are then implemented into practice and monitored for impact. It is linked to the module SWKM43 Reflexive Practice Research.
As a neurodivergent person, I combine my lived experience with research to create spaces that are neuro-inclusive, open and accessible, and acknowledging all neurological diversity.
Teaching and supervision
Module Leader:
- SWKM43 Reflexive Practice Research
- CPD short course, Neuroinclusive Practice
PhD/DProf supervision:
- Director of Studies PhD by existng work 2026-present, Neurodiversity and Child Protection: exploring systemic discrimination against autistic parents
- Director of Studies ProfDoc, 2025-present, Investigating the Culture of Participatory (Action) Research
- Direct of Studies PhD, 2024-present, The Lived Experiences of Transgender Autistic Adults in their own words
- Director of Studies ProfDoc, 2019-present, How do Adult Social Workers engage with religion and belief in practice?
- Director of Studies PhD, 2018-present, ME and the true self: narratives if living with invisible illness and the impact on quality of life.
- Director of Studies PhD, 2025, 'It's heartbreaking, it's funny, it's sad, it's confusing but it's amazing!' A critical realist study of social work practice in Acute NHS hospitals, AWARDED
- Co-Supervisor PhD, 2020, Child Labour, Child Education and Poverty in Nigeria, AWARDED
- Co-supervisor M.Phil., 2017, Exploring Individual Perceptions of Adults Diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome using a Cultural Framework, AWARDED
Interests
I am primarily interested in how to bridge the gap between social work practice and research, through engaging in Practitioner-led, Neuroinclusive Practice Research.
I have devised an empowering neuroinclusive model to facilitate this process in practice organisations, as explained in my biography – Facilitated Practice-based Research (FPR).
My research interests include authentic service-user involvement, organisation and management theory, participatory action research, safeguarding, neurodiversity, neuroinclusive practice, working with children, vulnerable adults, and marginalised groups.
Research
Facilitated Practice-based Research (copyright University of Sunderland) (Deacon 2023) is a facilitated, participatory and collaborative research approach that I developed to engage practitioners in co-designing, co-constructing, and co-implementing a piece of group practice research that is current and relevant to their practice. Findings from the research are then implemented into practice and their impact monitored. Read more about this in my session for 'The Insight Collective' for Social Care Wales(opens in new tab). This has led to a number of different research projects that can be accessed via SURE.
As a neurodivergent person, I also utilise my own lived experience, knowledge and practice experience in social work, to inform my research into neuroinclusion. I have completed a number of pieces of collaborative autoethnography that have been published.