Overview
Background
Professor Karen Healy AM is the Head of the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work. Professor Healy's work examines and develops community-based approaches to improving health, wellbeing and safety with people and families across the life-course. She is committed to improving outcomes with people and families experiencing disadvantage and marginalisation.
Professor Healy's research themes are family and community-led practice, child protection, research co-design, health equity, and social inclusion. Karen, and her research group, lead a large research program on community-based and family inclusive approaches to child protection. This includes a national project on empowering parents and families as partners in child protection. Together with Micah Projects and Professor Diane Depanfilis from City University New York, Karen's team is conducting a trial of ‘Family Connections.’ This is a family inclusive approach to promoting children's safety and family wellbeing in families at increased risk of child removal by child protection authorities.
Karen collaborates with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to support culturally responsive practices across health and human services sectors and to continue to build recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, doing and being. Karen has supervised Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research higher degree students to complete projects on community-led approaches to health, safety, and wellbeing.
Karen is an experienced university educator. Her teaching practice focuses on developing health and social work professionals’ capacity to collaborate with people receiving services and their families. She has led initiatives in simulated learning on foundational and advanced communication skills, family group meetings and mediation, and teamwork.
In 2016, Karen received an Order of Australia (AM) for her contribution to social work in child protection, higher education, and research. In September 2018, Higher Education Academy (UK) appointed her as a Principal Fellow.
Availability
- Professor Karen Healy is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Bachelor (Honours), The University of Queensland
- Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland
- Graduate Certificate of Applied Statistics, Swinburne University of Technology
Research impacts
Karen is skilled in research co-design with people with lived experience of health and human service systems and with government and non-government service agencies. Karen collaborates with these partners to co-design and conduct research, and to translate findings into accessible resources for policymakers, practitioners, and communities. Her outcomes include novel approaches to integrated midwifery and family support with young parents, community-based mental health support and homelessness prevention, and improving family participation in child protection decision-making.
Professor Healy is an experienced research supervisor. She has supervised 31 Research Higher Degree students to completion of their projects in wide range of health and community service concerns.
She holds senior advisory positions in industry and in her professional community. She is Community Services Commissioner and Chair of Clinical Care and Governance for Anglicare Southern Queensland. She has a well-established partnership with Micah Projects, an innovative health and commuity service agency dedicated to supporting people and families experiencing severe and persistent disadvantage. In her partnerships with Micah, Karen has contributed to major social health initiatives, particularly the establishment of Young Mothers for Young Women (an integrated midwifery, family and peer support program), and supported parents to work with the Child Safety Minister and Executive to develop a Parents' Rights Charter, founded on Human Rights Principles.
Karen's track record of leadership includes as: National President of the Australian Association of Social Workers (2011-2017); National Director of The Benevolent Society (2011-2019); National President for the Australian Association of Social Work and Welfare Education (2005-2009).
Works
Search Professor Karen Healy’s works on UQ eSpace
2006
Other Outputs
Who cares? Volume 2: Employment structure and incomes in the Australian care workforce
Meagher, and Healy, K E (2006). Who cares? Volume 2: Employment structure and incomes in the Australian care workforce. Strawberry Hills, NSW: Australian Council of Social Service.
2005
Book Chapter
Working with young people
Healy, K. E., O'Regan, M. and Tansky, M. (2005). Working with young people. Social Work: Fields of Practice. (pp. 95-104) edited by M. Alston and J. Mckinnon. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
2005
Book Chapter
Under Reconstruction: Renewing Critical Social Work Practices
Ife, J., Healy, K. E., Spratt, T. and Solomon, B. (2005). Under Reconstruction: Renewing Critical Social Work Practices. Social Work: A Critical Turn. (pp. 219-230) edited by S. Hick, J. Fook and R. Pozzuto. Toronto, Canada: Thompson Educational Publishing.
2005
Book
Social Work Theories in Context: Creating Frameworks for Practice
Healy, K. E. (2005). Social Work Theories in Context: Creating Frameworks for Practice. Basingstoke, England: Palgrave.
2005
Other Outputs
Who Cares? Volume 1: A Profile of Care Workers in Australia's Community Services Industries
Meagher, and Healy, K. E. (2005). Who Cares? Volume 1: A Profile of Care Workers in Australia's Community Services Industries. Strawberry Hills, NSW: Australian Council of Social Service.
2004
Journal Article
Beyond the local: Extending the social capital discourse
Healy K., Hampshire A. and Ayres L. (2004). Beyond the local: Extending the social capital discourse. Australian Journal of Social Issues, 39 (3), 329-342. doi: 10.1002/j.1839-4655.2004.tb01180.x
2004
Journal Article
Social Workers in the new human service marketplace: Trends, challenges and responses
Healy, Karen (2004). Social Workers in the new human service marketplace: Trends, challenges and responses. Australian Social Work, 57 (2), 103-114. doi: 10.1111/j.1447-0748.2004.00125.x
2004
Journal Article
Child protection practice with families affected by parental substance use
Hcllgrimsdottir, Eric, Healy, Karen and Foulds, Henrietta (2004). Child protection practice with families affected by parental substance use. Children Australia, 29 (3), 11-15.
2004
Conference Publication
Creating community capacity in urban and rural communities
Healy, K. (2004). Creating community capacity in urban and rural communities. ACOSS 2003 Congress. Piecing It Together: Equity, Empowerment and Change, Canberra, Australia, 13-14 November 2003. Strawberry Hills, NSW, Australia: Australian Council of Social Service.
2004
Journal Article
The Reprofessionalization of Social Work: Collaborative Approaches for Achieving Professional Recognition
Healy, Karen and Meagher, Gabrielle (2004). The Reprofessionalization of Social Work: Collaborative Approaches for Achieving Professional Recognition. The British journal of social work, 34 (2), 243-260. doi: 10.1093/bjsw/bch024
2004
Book Chapter
The Reprofessionalization of Social Work: Collaborative Approaches for Achieving Professional Recognition
Healy, K. E. and Meagher, G. (2004). The Reprofessionalization of Social Work: Collaborative Approaches for Achieving Professional Recognition. Social Work in a Corporate Era. (pp. 91-107) edited by Linda Davies and Peter Leonard. UK: Ashgate Publishing Ltd.
2004
Book Chapter
The reprofessionalization of social work: collaborative approaches for achieving professional recognition
Healy, Karen and Meagher, Gabrielle (2004). The reprofessionalization of social work: collaborative approaches for achieving professional recognition. Social work in a corporate era: practices of power and resistance. (pp. 76-90) edited by Peter Leonard and Linda Davies. London, United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781315242835-7
2003
Journal Article
Caring, Controlling, Contracting and Counting: Governments and Non-profits in Community Services
Meagher, Gabrielle and Healy, Karen (2003). Caring, Controlling, Contracting and Counting: Governments and Non-profits in Community Services. Australian Journal of Public Administration, 62 (3), 40-51. doi: 10.1046/j.1467-8500.2003.t01-1-00336.x
2003
Journal Article
Social enterprise: is it the business of social work?
Gray, Mel, Healy, Karen and Crofts, Penny (2003). Social enterprise: is it the business of social work?. Australian Social Work, 56 (2), 141-154. doi: 10.1046/j.0312-407X.2003.00060.x
2002
Journal Article
Social capital: a useful concept for social work?
Healy, K. and Hampshire, A. (2002). Social capital: a useful concept for social work?. Australian Social Work, 55 (3), 227-238. doi: 10.1046/j.0312-407X.2002.00031.x
2002
Journal Article
Managing Human Services in a Market Environment: What Role for Social Workers?
Healy, Karen (2002). Managing Human Services in a Market Environment: What Role for Social Workers?. British Journal of Social Work, 32 (5), 527-540. doi: 10.1093/bjsw/32.5.527
2001
Journal Article
Participatory action research and social work: A critical appraisal
Healy, Karen (2001). Participatory action research and social work: A critical appraisal. International Social Work, 44 (1), 93-105. doi: 10.1177/002087280104400108
2000
Journal Article
Responding to uncertainty:Critical social work education in the postmodern habitat
Healy, Karen and Leonard, Peter (2000). Responding to uncertainty:Critical social work education in the postmodern habitat. Journal of Progressive Human Services, 11 (1), 23-48. doi: 10.1300/J059v11n01_03
1999
Book Chapter
Power and activist social work
Healy, Karen (1999). Power and activist social work. Transforming social work practice: postmodern critical perspectives. (pp. 115-134) London, United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9780203164969-11
1999
Conference Publication
Social work research in Australia
O'Connor, I., Healy, K. and Rosenman, L. S. (1999). Social work research in Australia. 1997 Asia and Pacific Regional Conference of APASWE and IFSWc, Bangkok, Thailand, 1997. Bangkok Thailand: Thammasat University, Bangkok.
Funding
Current funding
Supervision
Availability
- Professor Karen Healy is:
- Available for supervision
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Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
A Trauma-Informed Clinical Approach to Supporting Peer-Parents and Family Advocates in the Child Protection System.
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Gabrielle Campbell
-
Doctor Philosophy
Enhancing Children's Journey in Out-of-Home Care:A Multi-perspective Study (a focus on kinship care among Indigenous families)
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Jemma Venables
-
Doctor Philosophy
Decision-making in an Adults Emergency Department regarding protection concerns.
Principal Advisor
-
Doctor Philosophy
Carer and Key Stakeholder Perspectives on Cultural Identity and Connection for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children in Out-of-Home Care
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Jemma Venables
-
Master Philosophy
Decision-making in an Adults Emergency Department regarding child protection concerns
Principal Advisor
-
Doctor Philosophy
Hepatitis C Nurse Practitioner led integrated model of care: An innovative response to a chronic health concern
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Cameron Parsell
-
Doctor Philosophy
Peer parent and family advocacy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families within the child protection system
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Tracey Bunda, Dr Jemma Venables
-
Doctor Philosophy
Assessment Models for Differential Diagnosis in Child Development: Understanding Neurodevelopment in the Context of Childhood Trauma
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Robyne Le Brocque
-
Doctor Philosophy
A Qualitative Exploration of Child Development Clinical Practice: Conceptualising and Integrating Psychosocial Perspectives Within Assessments of Developmental and Behavioural Functioning in Children
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Carmel Fleming, Dr Robyne Le Brocque
-
Doctor Philosophy
The role of leaders in mitigating and responding to psychological injury risks in socio-legal services.
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Jemma Venables, Dr Dorothee Hölscher
-
Doctor Philosophy
Carer and Key Stakeholder Perspectives on Cultural Identity and Connection for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children in Out-of-Home Care
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Jemma Venables
-
Doctor Philosophy
The impact of out-of-home care on children's social-emotional wellbeing: A life course approach
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Janeen Baxter, Dr Maca San Martin Porter, Associate Professor Jenny Povey
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Doctor Philosophy
The impact of out-of-home care on children's social-emotional wellbeing: A life course approach
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Janeen Baxter, Dr Maca San Martin Porter, Associate Professor Jenny Povey
Completed supervision
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2025
Doctor Philosophy
Carer and Key Stakeholder Perspectives on Cultural Identity and Connection for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children in Out-of-Home Care
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Jemma Venables
-
2022
Doctor Philosophy
Stability in Statutory Kinship Care : A Constructivist Grounded Theory Study of Placement Stability.
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Debby Lynch
-
2020
Doctor Philosophy
Good Work, Decent Wages - A case study of the 2009 Pay Equity Campaign in Queensland's community services sector
Principal Advisor
-
2018
Doctor Philosophy
Sense of Coherence in Late Adolescence Following Involvement as a Child in Decision-Making During Parental Separation
Principal Advisor
-
2017
Doctor Philosophy
Valuing complex and diverse career pathways: The career trajectories and career-related choices of early career practitioners
Principal Advisor
-
2016
Master Philosophy
Life satisfaction in young immigrants and Australian young people: Change with socioeconomic status and time.
Principal Advisor
-
2016
Doctor Philosophy
A study of non-government child welfare services in Taiwan focused on children in need of child welfare service intervention
Principal Advisor
-
2016
Doctor Philosophy
Collaborative practice in statutory child protection practice: Parental agreements and procedural justice
Principal Advisor
-
2015
Doctor Philosophy
Willing But Not Able? The experiences of mothers with intellectual disabilities in relation to the Queensland child protection system
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Paul Henman
-
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2013
Master Philosophy
Finding a Voice: The Fee-for-Service Social Work Experience: Insights from Practitioners.
Principal Advisor
-
2013
Doctor Philosophy
`I wouldn't want my kids around him' : How men who use violence in their intimate relationships perceive themselves as fathers.
Principal Advisor
-
2010
Doctor Philosophy
A systems science analysis of the context/s of child protection reform in Queensland, Australia
Principal Advisor
-
2010
Doctor Philosophy
Unheard voices: A study of parent participation in statutory child protection policy processes in Queensland
Principal Advisor
-
2010
Doctor Philosophy
The Twisted Helix: a technology of "truth" A study of DNA paternity testing in child protection practice
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Paul Henman
-
2007
Master Philosophy
Frontline Service Workers' conceptualisation of their Client's Anger and how it shapes their Practice
Principal Advisor
-
2021
Doctor Philosophy
Implementing and Evaluating Family Inclusive Practice in Adult Eating Disorders
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Robyne Le Brocque
-
2014
Doctor Philosophy
It's Never Too Late. Older Women and Sexual Violence: The Search for Therapeutic Solutions
Associate Advisor
-
2020
Doctor Philosophy
Redress for the Forgotten Australians. Assessing the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional Care.
Joint Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Brian Head
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2012
Doctor Philosophy
Parent and Staff Perceptions of Bereavement Support Surrounding Loss of a Child
Associate Advisor
-
2012
Doctor Philosophy
Building Knowledge for Policy and Practice in Out-of-Home Care: Exploring the Boundaries of Systematic Mapping
Associate Advisor
-
2011
Doctor Philosophy
Attachment Theory and Family System Theory: Conceptualisation of the Relationship Between These Theories and An Application to Permanency Planning
Associate Advisor
-
2009
Doctor Philosophy
Understanding the emergence, diffusion and continuance of intercountry adoption from South Korea to Queensland, Australia
Associate Advisor
Media
Enquiries
Contact Professor Karen Healy directly for media enquiries about:
- Child abuse
- Child protection systems - national and international practice
- Child protection work
- Education - social work
- Professional identity
- Social welfare organisations
- Social work
- Social work education
- Teaching social work
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