Professor Kim Holt

Professor

Department: Northumbria Law School

Kim is Professor of Family Law, at Northumbria University. Kim was Head of Department for Social Work, Education and Community Wellbeing for 6 years, before joining the law school in November 2019.

Prior to her appointment at Northumbria University in 2013, Kim practiced as a Social Worker and Children's Guardian for over 20 years, and was Head of Department at the University of Bradford for 11 years.

As a qualified and practicing Barrister at Trinity Chambers in Newcastle Upon Tyne, Kim continues a career in Child Protection and Family Law that spans over 30 years. As a Barrister Kim is instructed in complex public law and private law matters, and she is committed to ensuring that individuals who experience a range of vulnerabilities have access to justice.

https://www.trinitychambers.co.uk/people/barristers/professor-kim-holt/

Kim has been involved in Serious Case Reviews as a chair, author and committee member for 32 years, and her work in this area continues to have impact both in social work and legal contexts.

Recent research projects include the Young Smiles Project funded by the NIHR. Collaborating with colleagues at the University of Manchester and the University of York, the project examines the effectiveness of online therapeutic technologies for children whose parents have serious mental health difficulties.

Kim is currently working together with colleagues at Northumbria University, and a range of stakeholders on a research project examining the effectiveness of public inquiries into historical allegations of child abuse.

Kim was recently appointed to the Board of Governors at Northumberland Tyne and Wear NHS Mental Health Trust. Kim's specific interest is improving the health and wellbeing of children, and access to a range of services that meet the needs of both children and their families.

Kim continues to publish extensively in the area of Family Law.

Campus Address

Coach Lane Campus

Email Kim

Research Themes and Scholarly Interests

Kim is Professor of Family Law at Northumbria University.

As a qualified and practicing barrister at Trinity Chambers in Newcastle Upon Tyne, Kim continues a career in Child Protection and Family Law that spans over 30 years. As a barrister Kim is instructed in complex public law and private law matters, and she is committed to ensuring that individuals who experience a range of vulnerabilities have access to justice.

Kim has been involved in Serious Case Reviews as a Chair, Author and Committee member for 32 years, and her work in this area continues to have impact both in social work and legal contexts.

Kim continues to publish extensively in the area of Family Law.

Key Publications

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Child Protection Legislation in Emergency Situations, Holt, K. 20 May 2024, The Child Protection Handbook, Amsterdam, Nertherlands, Elsevier
Autoethnography: a personal reflection on the work of the family bar in the North of England, Holt, K., Thomson, C. 2023, In: Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law
Technology: achieving a humane approach to the remote ways of working in the Family Justice System, Coates, G., Holt, K. 1 Sep 2022, In: Family Law
A personal and conceptual reflection on findings from serious case reviews during the period 1987-2018: Part I, Holt, K., Kelly, N. 1 Apr 2021, In: Family Law
A personal and conceptual reflection on findings from serious case reviews during the period 1987-2018: Part II, Holt, K., Kelly, N. 1 May 2021, In: Family Law
Commentary: Technology, power and inequalities – achieving a humane approach to the digital divide – a commentary on Aboujaoude and Gega (2021), Holt, K. 1 Nov 2021, In: Child and Adolescent Mental Health
A Community-Based Intervention to Improve Health-Related Quality of Life in Children of Parents with Serious Mental Illness: Feasibility Study, Abel, K., Bee, P., Gega, L., Gellatly, J., Kolade, A., Hunter, D., Callender, C., Carter, L., Meacock, R., Bower, P., Stanley, N., Calam, R., Wolpert, M., Stewart, P., Emsley, R., Holt, K., Linklater, H., Douglas, S., Stokes-Crossley, B., Green, J. Nov 2020, In: Health Technology Assessment
An intervention to improve the quality of life in children of parents with serious mental illness: the Young SMILES feasibility RCT, Abel, K., Bee, P., Gega, L., Gellatly, J., Kolade, A., Hunter, D., Callender, C., Carter, L., Meacock, R., Bower, P., Stanley, N., Calam, R., Wolpert, M., Stewart, P., Emsley, R., Holt, K., Linklater, H., Douglas, S., Stokes-Crossley, B., Green, J. 1 Nov 2020, In: Health Technology Assessment
Care in crisis—Is there a solution?: Reflections on the Care Crisis Review 2018, Holt, K., Kelly, N. 1 Feb 2020, In: Child & Family Social Work
‘Children not trophies’: an ethnographic study of private family law practice in England, Holt, K., Kelly, N. 1 Sep 2020, In: Qualitative Social Work

PGR Supervision

Orla Connolly An Exploration of the Phenomenon of Post-Separation Parenting, as experienced by Litigants in Family Law Custody and Access Proceedings within the Irish Family justice System. Start Date: 29/01/2024
Folasade Bola Kuti-Olaniyi Section 15(3) of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956: A Critical Examination of anomalies with Interpretation and Application of the doctrine "in loco parentis". Start Date: 09/06/2021
Callum Thomson The development and future of mental health protection for the child in private law childcare proceedings. Start Date: 06/07/2021
Bryony Stokes The Role of School when Children and Young People Live with a Parent with a Mental Illness Start Date: 01/10/2016 End Date: 10/06/2022
Bryony Stokes Start Date: 01/10/2016 End Date: 19/11/2019
Bryony Stokes Start Date: 01/10/2016 End Date: 18/10/2019
Bryony Stokes Start Date: 01/10/2016 End Date: 06/11/2019
Susan Martin Fail Better - why solicitors fail and what we can do about it. Start Date: 08/07/2020

Qualifications

Law PhD
Social Work MA
Barrister Middle Temple

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