Sarah Gorin

Sarah joins the Rees Centre as a Senior Research Fellow, working on the Children’s Information Project.

Her interests lie in qualitative research and the use of participatory and co-productive approaches with children, young people, families and professionals working with them. Sarah’s previous research has primarily been focused on the child protection, care and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system. She is interested in undertaking research that amplifies the voice of families, addresses system inequalities and informs policy and practice change.

Sarah has a PhD in social work (fostering), a postgraduate diploma in research methods and a degree in sociology. She was a Senior Research Officer at the NSPCC for ten years (2001-2011) and managed a programme of research, including leading externally funded research projects in partnership with academic institutions on safeguarding young people, adolescent neglect, poverty and parenting. She has also worked on research projects at the Universities of Southampton, Kingston, for an inner London local authority in children’s services, as a respite care worker with children with disabilities and was a Lay Member of the Independent Review Mechanism for Adoption.

Before coming to the Rees Centre, Sarah worked at the University of Warwick where she was Assistant Professor on a Department of Education funded programme (2022-2025), What Works in SEND. Here she undertook qualitative research projects to improve services for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). This included research across education, social care and health, looking at: Alternative Provision outreach to schools; intervention in local areas when SEND systems have serious weaknesses; middle leadership in SEND systems; improving delivery of services for children with SEND; and improving inclusion of children and young people in schools.

Journal articles:

• Gillies, V. Edwards and Gorin, S. (2026) Red Flags! Parents perspectives on data led policy and practice in family intervention. Critical Social Policy. Online access, January 9, 2026.
• Gorin, S., Edwards, R., Gillies, V. and Vannier Ducasse, H. (2024) ‘Seen’ through records: parents’ access to children’s social care records in an age of increasing datafication, British Journal of Social Work, 54 (1): 228–245.
• Edwards, R., Gillies, V., Gorin, S., & Vannier-Ducasse, H. (2024). Pre-problem families: predictive analytics and the future as the present. Families, Relationships and Societies, 13(2), 198-214.
• Edwards, R. Gillies, V., Gorin, S. and Vannier, H. (2024) The moral, the political and social licence in digitally-driven family policy and intervention: parents negotiating experiential knowledge and ‘other’ families. Social Policy and Administration.
• Edwards, R., Gillies, V., & Gorin, S. (2022). Problem-solving for problem-solving: Data analytics to identify families for service intervention. Critical Social Policy, 42(2), 265-284.
• Gorin, S. Baginsky, M. Moriarty, J. Manthorpe, J. (2021) ‘She Made You Feel like There’s Hope’: Gaining a Better Understanding of How Children Negotiate Their Relationships with Social Workers from Their Own Accounts, The British Journal of Social Work, 51, 8, p.3135–3152.
• Hood R., Gorin S., Goldacre A., Muleya W., Bywaters P. (2020). Exploring drivers of demand for child protection services in an English local authority. Child and Family Social Work, 25(3), 657–664.
• Hood, R. Goldacre, A. Gorin, S. and Bywaters, P. (2019) ‘Screen, Ration and Churn: Demand Management and the Crisis in Children’s Social Care’, The British Journal of Social Work, bcz035, https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcz035
• Gorin, S. and Jobe, A. (2013) Young people who have been maltreated: different needs, different responses. British Journal of Social Work, 43, 7, 1330–1346. DOI: 10.1093/bjsw/bcs055.
• Jobe, A. and Gorin, S. (2012) ‘If kids don’t feel safe they don’t do anything’: young people’s views on seeking and receiving help from Children’s Social Care Services in England. Child and Family Social Work, 18, 4, p. 429-438 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2206.2012.00862.x.
• Dyson, C. Gorin, S, Hooper, C.A. Cabral, C. (2009) ‘Bangladeshi families living in hardship: findings from research using a life-history approach’, Child and Family Social Work, 14, 3, pp.362-371.
• Gorin, S., Hooper, C. A., Dyson, C. and Cabral, C. (2008) ‘Ethical challenges in conducting research with hard to reach families’. Child Abuse Review, 17: 275-87.
  Hayden, C. and Gorin, S. (1998) ‘Care and Control of Looked After Children in England’, International Journal of Child and Family Welfare, 3(3): 242-258.

Books:

• Rees, G. Stein, M. Hicks, L and Gorin, S. (2011) Adolescent neglect: research, policy and practice. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
• Cleaver, H. Cawson, P. Gorin, S and Walker, S. (eds) (2009) Safeguarding children – a shared responsibility. Wiley: Chichester
• Gorin, S. (2004) Understanding what children say: Children’s experiences of domestic violence, parental substance misuse and parental health problems. National Children’s Bureau for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
• Hayden, C. Goddard, J. Gorin, S. And Van Der Spek, N. (1999) State Child Care Practice: Looking After Children? Jessica Kingsley Publishers: London.

Book chapters:

• Edwards, R., Gillies, V. and Gorin, S. (2022). Do parents trust how data about their family is linked together? In, Livingstone, S. and Pothong, Kruakae (eds.) Education Data Futures: Critical, Regulatory and Practical Reflections. 5Rights Foundation.
• Gorin, S. (2016) Learning from young people about neglect. In Gardner, R. Tackling child neglect: research, policy and practice. Jessica Kingsley Publishers: London.

Research reports:

Forthcoming:

• Grindle, C. et al (forthcoming) Special units and classes in mainstream schools: A systematic review of effectiveness, cost effectiveness, and stakeholder perspectives. Commissioned by the Department for Education as a part of the What Works in SEND programme.
• Thompson, P. et al (forthcoming) Workforce supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities in mainstream primary and secondary schools in England: School survey. Commissioned by the Department for Education as a part of the What Works in SEND programme.

Published:

• Currie, G. Gorin, S., Smith, P., (2025) Learning Synthesis: Lessons Learned from What Works in SEND Research Studies. Commissioned by the RISE partnership on behalf of the Department for Education.
• Currie, G. Gorin, S., Smith, P., Grindle, C., and Hastings, R. (2025) Delivery of services for Children and Young People with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. Commissioned by the RISE partnership on behalf of the Department for Education.
• Currie, G. Gorin, S., Smith, P., Grindle, C., and Hastings, R. (2024) Inclusion of Children and Young People with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities in Schools – how can local areas support schools? Commissioned by the RISE partnership on behalf of the Department for Education.
• Currie, G. Smith, P. and Gorin, S. (2024) Roles and responsibilities within local SEND and Alternative Provision Partnerships: Leadership in the ‘middle’. Commissioned by the RISE partnership on behalf of the Department for Education.
• Currie, G. Gorin, S. and Smith, P. (2024) Intervention in local areas when delivery of services for Children and Young People with Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) have serious weaknesses. A report commissioned by the RISE partnership on behalf of the Department of Education.
• Currie, G. Smith, P. and Gorin, S. (2024) Alternative Provision: exploring the effectiveness of outreach services. A report commissioned by the RISE partnership on behalf of the Department of Education.
• Currie, G. Smith, P. and Gorin, S. (2023) Ingredients for improving delivery of services for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities drawing on the experiences of the Delivering Better Outcomes Programme. A report commissioned by the RISE partnership on behalf of the Department of Education.
• Hood, R. Goldacre, A. Gorin, S., Bywaters, P. and Webb, C. (2022) Identifying and understanding the link between system conditions and welfare inequalities in children’s social care services. Report to the Nuffield Foundation.
• Baginsky, M., Gorin, S. and Sands, C. (2017) The fostering system in England: Evidence review. The Department for Education: London.
• Moriarty, J., Baginsky, W., Sarah Gorin., Baginsky, M. and Manthorpe, J. (2016) Mapping mental health services for looked after children in London aged 0-5 year olds. Kings College, London and the NSPCC.
• Rees, G., and Gorin, S., and Jobe, A., and Stein, M., and Medforth, R., and Goswami, H. (2010) Safeguarding young people: responding to young people aged 11 to 17 who are maltreated. [London], Children’s Society.
• Hooper, C. A., Gorin, S., Cabral, C. and Dyson, C. (2007) Living with hardship 24/7: the diverse experiences of families in poverty in England, London: The Frank Buttle Trust.
• Gorin, S. (2002) A pilot study of child protection, physical punishment and family characteristics. Report to the NSPCC and the Local Authority.
• Gorin, S. (1997) Time to Listen? Views and Experiences of Family Placement. Report no.36, SSRIU Portsmouth University.

Blogs:

• Gorin, S. (2026) Joining the dots in SEND provision – the need to address role challenges for SEND Case Officers to improve service provision for children and families.
• Gorin, S. (2026) Engaging children, young people and parent/carers in a Framework for Ethical and Effective Information Use | Children’s Information
• Edwards, R. Gillies, V. and Gorin, S. (2024) What hasn’t happened yet but might: predictive analytics and pre-prbalem families. Transforming Society.
• Gorin, S. (2022) Children’s visibility, vulnerability and voice in official statistics and their use – Parental social licence for data linkage for service intervention
• Gorin, S. (2022) A murky picture – who uses data linkage and predictive analytics to intervene in families’ lives? – Parental social licence for data linkage for service intervention
• Gorin, S. (2022) Running focus groups with parents in a Covid-19 setting – how will we do it? – Parental social licence for data linkage for service intervention
• Gorin, S. (2022) Drawing parallels – the processing of data about children in education and social care – Parental social licence for data linkage for service intervention
• Edwards, R. Gorin, S. and Gillies, V (2021)Question marks over data analytics for family intervention Gillies, V Edwards, R. and Gorin, S. (2021) Generating transparency where none exists: just how are data analytics used in children’s services? – Parental social licence for data linkage for service intervention
• Gillies, V, Gardner, B. Edwards, R. and Gorin, S. (2021) Generating transparency where none exists: just how are data analytics used in children’s services, Data & Policy Blog, November 2021
• Edwards, V. Gillies, V and Gorin, S (2021) Is a breakdown in trust, transparency and social cohesion a price worth paying for more extensive data linkage? LSE Impact Blog, May 2021

Training packs:

• Cawson, P. Cleaver, H. Gorin, S and Walker, S.  (2009) Safeguarding children – a shared responsibility. CD Rom, London: NSPCC.

Research outputs for young people:

• NSPCC (2010) Neglect Matters: a guide for young people about neglect.
• NSPCC (2010) Neglect Matters: the story of the guide. www.nspcc.org.uk/neglectmatters

Policy briefings:

• Edwards R., Gillies V., Gorin S., Ducasse H V. (2023) Parents views on administrative data linkage and analytics, Policy Brief, University of Southampton, DOI: 10.5258/SOTON/PP0055
• Stein, M, Rees, G, Hicks, L and Gorin, S. (2009) Neglected Adolescents: Literature review. Research Brief, DCSF-RBX-09-04.