Jump to accessibility statement Skip to content

Phil Watson


Home / About / Academic staff profiles / Social Sciences / Phil Watson

Senior Lecturer in Social Work

I joined the University of Sunderland in February 2021 after spending ten years working at Teesside University. I was the module leader for a range of undergraduate modules and a postgraduate module in contemporary social work practice.

I am a Registered Social Worker and qualified in 1988. I have worked in a range of settings in the statutory and voluntary sector since that time and have worked with children and families and different groups of adults. I have a particular interest and enthusiasm for community work and working with groups around issues to do with poverty and the environment. In 1998, I completed an MA in Community Work Studies at Durham University.

I am actively involved in developing initiatives around poverty and campaigning for social justice. I currently Chair the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle Justice and Peace Co-ordinating Council whose work includes a project for people seeking asylum and supporting the work of Tyne and Wear Citizens. I also still work in a voluntary capacity with people who have learning disabilities and I am a Trustee of a regional charity that seeks to alleviate the impact of poverty on families.



Teaching and supervision

I am module leader for the BA Working with Adults and Dissertation modules and am responsible for the Higher Degree Apprenticeship End Point Assessment.


Research interests for potential research students

Community development and social work, poverty and social justice, issues pertaining to people with learning disabilities, problematic substance use and recovery, meditation, spirituality and social work.

Last updated 11 September 2024