Professor Jacqueline Barnes has devoted her professional life to research designed to improve experiences and developmental outcomes for children and parents from deprived or challenging backgrounds. Her research interests include early intervention, child care, parenting, the relevance of the neighbourhood and community for parents and children, and evaluation methodology.

She has held academic positions at the UCL Institute for Child Health, Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health, and the UCL Royal Free Hospital Medical School. Before becoming an Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of Education, Professor Barnes contributed at Oxford to the EU funded ISOTIS project.

She is also Emerita Professor of Psychology at Birkbeck, University of London, Honorary Professorial Fellow at the University of Wollongong, Australia, Honorary Research Fellow, Division of Psychiatry, UCL and Lifetime Honorary Senior Psychologist, Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust. She is Co-Editor of ‘Contemporary Social Science’ and previously edited ‘Child and Adolescent Mental Health’. She is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society, the Higher Education Academy and the Academy of Social Sciences.

She has held a variety of advisory roles in the UK for organisations including: the Health Advisory Service (HAS); the National Children’s Bureau; the Academy of Medical Sciences Working Party on Brain Science, Addiction and Drugs; the National Institute of Clinical Excellence’s (NICE) Guidance on Promoting the Social and Emotional Wellbeing of vulnerable children in early years; the Department of Health, Expert Group for the Healthy Child Programme (HCP); the Department of Health Outcome Measures Project Group for child development at 2 to 2 ½, for the Public Health Outcomes Framework; and the Early Intervention Foundation.

Selected Recent Publications

Barnes, J., Guerra, J., Leitão, C.,Barata, C.,Leseman, P., Melhuish, E. with (in alphabetical order) Anders, Y., Barzaghi, A., Be, M., Capelli, I., Cohen, F., Crociani, S., Daniel, S., Feyer, F., Giudici, C., Karwowska-Struczyk, M., Kissová, L., Meijers, C., Pastori, G., Petrogiannis, K., Preuße, M., Schünke, J., Skamnakis, C., Takou, R., van Rossum, E., Wysłowska, O., & Zachrisson, H.D. (2019). A comprehensive overview of inter-agency working as a strategy to reduce educational inequalities and discrimination. Evidence from Europe and future directions. Report to the European Union under grant agreement No. 72706. Brussels, Belgium: European Union. https://www.isotis.org/en/publications/a-comprehensive-overview-of-inter-agency-working

Melhuish, E., Barnes, J., Gardiner, J., Siraj, I., Sammons, P., Sylva, K., & Taggart, B. (2019). A study of the long-term influence of early childhood education and care (ECEC) on the risk for developing special educational needs (SEN). Exceptionality Education International. 29, 22-41.

Grace, R., Kemp, L., Baird, K., Elcombe, E., Webster, V., Barnes, J. (2019). Effectiveness of the Volunteer Family Connect Program in Reducing Isolation of Vulnerable Families and Supporting Their Parenting: Randomized Controlled Trial with Intention-To-Treat Analysis of Primary Outcome. JMIR Pediatrics and Parenting, 2(2): e13023.

Barnes, J. & Melhuish, E. (2019) Inter-agency working in Europe and the UK to support vulnerable young children and families. In Tremblay RE, Boivin M, Peters RDeV, eds. Corter C, topic ed. Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development [online]. Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Centre of Excellence for Early Childhood Development.

Ruiz, R.M. & Barnes J. (2019). Temperament, parental personality and parenting stress in relation to socio-emotional development at 51 months. Early Child Development and Care, 189 (12), 1978-1991.

Guerra, J., Leitão, C., Barata, C., with (in alphabetical order) Anders, Y., Barnes, J., Barzaghi, A., Be, M., Capelli, I., Cohen, F., Feyer, F., Karwowska-Struczyk, M., Kissová, L., Leseman, P., Pastori, G., Petrogiannis, K., Schünke, M. P. J., Skamnakis, C., Wysłowska, O., & Zachrisson, H.D. (2019). Interview study of service providers and coordinators on inter-agency coordination for children and families. Policies and practices in nine European countries. Report to the European Union under grant agreement No. 72706. Brussels, Belgium: European Union.

Barnes, J. with (in alphabetical order) Crociani, S., Daniel, S., Feyer, F., Giudici, C., Guerra, J.C., Karwowska-Struczyk, M., Leitão, C., Leseman, P., Meijers, P., Melhuish, E., Pastori, G.G., Petrogiannis, K., Skamnakis, C., Takou, R., van Rossum, E., Wysłowska, O., Zachrisson, H.D. (2018). Comprehensive review of the literature on inter-agency working with young children, incorporating findings from case studies of good practice in inter-agency working with young children and their families within Europe. Report to the European Union under grant agreement No. 72706. Brussels, Belgium: European Union.

Melhuish E., Belsky J., & Barnes J. (2018). Update: Sure Start and its evaluation in England. In R. Tremblay, R. Barr, R. Peters, & M. Boivin (Eds). Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development [online]. Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Centre of Excellence for Early Childhood Development.

Grace, R., Kemp, L., Barnes, J., Elcombe, E., Knight, J., Baird, K., Webster, V. & Byrne F. (2018). Community volunteer support for families with young children: The Volunteer Family Connect randomised controlled randomised controlled trial research protocol. JMIR Research Protocols. 7(7), e:10000, doi: 10.2196/10000

Barnes, J., Melhuish, E., Guerra, J.C., Karwowska-Struczyk, M., Petrogiannis, K., Wyslowska, O., & Zachrisson, H.D. (2017). Inter-agency coordination of services for children and families. Initial literature review. Report to the European Union under grant agreement No. 72706. Brussels, Belgium: European Union.

Datta, J, Macdonald, G., Barlow, J., Barnes, J. & Elbourne, D. (2017). Challenges faced by young mothers with a care history and views of stakeholders about the potential for Group Family Nurse Partnership to support their needs. Children & Society, 31(6), 463-474. doi: 10.1111/chso.12233

Barnes, J., Stuart, J.S, Allen, E., Petrou, S., Sturgess J., Barlow, J., Macdonald G., Spiby, H., Aistrop, D., Melhuish, E., Kim, S., & Elbourne, D. (2017). Randomized controlled trial and economic evaluation of nurse-led group support for young mothers during pregnancy and the first year postpartum versus usual care. Trials, 18:508. doi:10.1186/s13063-017-2259-y

Barnes J, Stuart J, Allen E, Petrou S, Sturgess J, Barlow J, Macdonald G., Spiby, H., Aistrop, D., Melhuish, E., Kim, S., & Elbourne, D. (2017). Results of the First Steps study: a randomised controlled trial and economic evaluation of the Group Family Nurse Partnership (gFNP) programme compared with usual care in improving outcomes for high-risk mothers and their children and preventing abuse. Public Health Research 2017;5(9). doi:10.3310/phr0509

Melhuish E. & Barnes, J. (2017). Compensatory education. In P. Smith (ed.), The Encyclopedia of Child and Adolescent Development. [online] Wiley-Blackwell.
Belsky, J., Melhuish, E. & Barnes, J. (2017). Sure Start Local Programmes: Area-Based, Early-Preventive Intervention in England. R. Alexander (Ed.), Research and Practices in Child Maltreatment Prevention. Volume 2. Societal, Organizational and International Approaches. (pp. 323-332). Saint Louis, MO, USA: STM Learning, Inc.
Barnes, J. (2016). Sure Start. In Oxford Bibliographies in Childhood Studies. Ed. H. Montgomery. New York, USA: Oxford University Press. (online 2016-06-28. www.oxfordbibliographies.com) DOI: 10.1093/OBO/9780199791231-0172

Barnes. J. (2016). Short-term health and social care benefits of the Family Nurse Partnership lack evidence in the UK context but there is promise for child developmental outcomes. Evidence-Based Medicine ebmed-2016-110422

Szaniecki, E. & Barnes J. (2016) Measurement Issues: Measures of infant mental health. Child and Adolescent Mental Health. 21(1), 64-74. doi:10.1111/camh.12105

Barnes, J., & Stuart, S. (2016). Developing and evaluating a new intervention: the feasibility of Group Family Nurse Partnership (gFNP). Journal of Children’s Services, 11 (2), 170-186. doi:10.1108/JCS-12-2015-0035

Mermelshtine, R. & Barnes, J. (2016) Maternal responsive-didactic caregiving in play interactions with 10-month-olds and cognitive development at 18 months. Infant and Child Development, 25(3), 296-316. doi:10.1002/icd.1961.