Professor Kim Holt

Professor

School: Northumbria School of Law

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
Struggling against the tide: an English child protection system in crisis with outcomes for families and new born children at risk, Holt, K. 28 Jul 2026, In: Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law
Time, public and personal space, safe and just systemic change: a symbiotic autoethnographic study of remote digital hearings within the English Family Courts between March 2020 and October 2023, Holt, K., Kelly, N. 2025, In: Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law
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

PGR Supervision

Susan Martin Fail Better: Who are the solicitors who fail and what we can do about it. Start Date: 08/07/2020 End Date: 29/03/2026
Folasade Bola Kuti-Olaniyi Navigating Childhood Rights in Practice: An Autoethnographic Analysis of Unaccompanied Minors in Ireland and Human Rights Imperatives Through Dual Roles Start Date: 09/06/2021 End Date: 21/03/2026
Callum Thomson The development and future of mental health protection for the child in private law childcare proceedings. Start Date: 06/07/2021 End Date: 20/03/2026
Orla Connolly The experience of attending a parenting when separated programme and its relevance to Irish private child law proceedings: Using IPA to inform family law practice Start Date: 29/01/2024