Clare Brown

I am a social work lecturer and registered social worker and with a passion for and commitment to social work and social work education. I qualified as a social worker in 2001 and have been fortunate to have opportunities to work in a broad range of organisations with people of all ages with diverse identities and experiences. I remain in practice part time as an Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP).

I am a ‘Stage 2’ Practice Educator and Lancaster University Social Work Department's 'Practice Learning Lead'. This gives me opportunities to work closely with our teaching partners to support both students and social work practice educators.

I have a research interest in decision making and assessment in social work, particularly lived experience of mental capacity assessment and it's impact. My published articles are:

• Brown, C. (2025) ‘How Do, and How Should, Risk Considerations Influence Approved Mental Health Professionals’ Assessments of Mental Capacity? A Literature Review’, Practice, pp. 1–17 Taylor & Francis. Full article: How Do, and How Should, Risk Considerations Influence Approved Mental Health Professionals’ Assessments of Mental Capacity? A Literature Review
• Brown, C. (2024) Towards a ‘Social Model’ of Mental Capacity for Social Work, The British Journal of Social Work, 54 (4) pp1610–1626, OUP  https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcad242
• Brown, C. (2023). How Can the Literature on Phenomenology Inform the Teaching of Accurate Empathy in Social Work Practice? Practice, 36(1) pp39–54. Taylor & Francis Full article: How Can the Literature on Phenomenology Inform the Teaching of Accurate Empathy in Social Work Practice?

I would love to hear from you if these are topics you are also interested in discussing.