Outgoing message and lecture from Professor Sue Yeandle
On 17 July 2024, I gave a public lecture at the University of Sheffield, marking my retirement from roles as Director, ESRC Centre for Care and Editor-in Chief, International Journal of Care and Caring. In the lecture I reflected on some of what I’ve learned in a career spanning 50 years since my undergraduate days (at the University of Bradford) that has included periods at seven other universities, culminating in a decade at the University of Sheffield where I was Director of CIRCLE (Centre for International Research on Care, Labour and Equalities) 2015-23.
My lecture focuses on interconnections of work, care and family life and on the policy developments made, and still needed, in this area. I shared insights from studies that I and my much-valued colleagues have worked on over the decades. It’s a field in which notable progress has been made, although there remains much still to do and to understand. Combining work, care and family life remains a daily struggle for many, especially those in precarious or low paid work and living in disadvantaged circumstances in unequal societies.
Subtitles are available on YouTube
In standing down as Centre for Care Director, a role I’ve been privileged to hold and have greatly enjoyed, I pass the baton to Professor Kate Hamblin. I’ve been fortunate to work with Kate for over a decade and know the Centre is in good hands. I’m confident, too, that the fine group of colleagues the Centre has brought together will give her their full support, taking its programme of work on care and on tackling inequalities in care to fruition and into new directions. I continue, as a part-time member of staff, supervising my doctoral students and working on a new book. My thanks to all associated with the Centre for Care, CIRCLE and the International Journal of Care and Caring. I wish you all meaningful and positive entwinings of work, care and family life in your own futures and much success in all your collaborations.
New Centre for Care Director, Professor Kate Hamblin
Kate Hamblin has been appointed as the new Director of the Centre for Care. Kate has been an academic at the Centre for International Research on Care, Labour and Equalities since 2018, and prior to the Centre for Care, was part of the ESRC-funded Sustainable Care programme. She leads the Centre’s Digital Care research theme and is a member of the ESRC and Health Foundation-funded Improving Adult Care Together (IMPACT) Implementation Centre’s leadership team. Her research has focused on technology and its role in the care of older people with complex needs as well as issues related to employment, including the balance between unpaid care and paid work; self-employment and ageing; and ‘active ageing’ employment and pension policies.
I’m delighted to have been appointed to lead the Centre for Care, particularly at what I feel is a crucial time in the sector in the UK and further afield. We have the opportunity ensure robust and relevant research plays a vital role in shaping the future of care and caring. I’m excited to be working with such a talented and passionate team across the Centre.
