Teaching responsibilities

I currently teach on the MA and BA Social Work degrees and the Child and Family Health and Wellbeing BSc. I am module leader for Contemporary Issues in Social Work, Protecting and Safeguarding Children and Young People and Complex Health Conditions in Children. I am a Personal Academic and supervise both BA and MA dissertations. 

Research interests

• Transgender children and social work
• Children's mental health and social work
• Social work writing and bureaucracy
• The use of philosophy in social work
• The ethics of assisted dying in terminally ill people
• Artificial Intelligence and social work practice
• AI Chatbots and mental health services

Membership of professional bodies

• Registered Social Worker with Social Work England
• Citizen Network Fellow Citizen Network: Home (citizen-network.org)

Qualifications

• BA Hons English Literature - York St John University 
• MA Social Work - Sheffield Hallam University
• Practice Educator Stage 1 and 2 University of Sheffield

Recent conferences

March 2024

• College of Health, Psychology and Social Care Research Showcase. University of Derby: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Social Work Writing

June 2024

• UKRI AI in Health & Social Care Symposium. The Royal Society, London. Re-imagining AI in Social Care, Facilitated Roundtable Discussion

Experience in industry

Advanced Social Work Practitioner (ASWP), Children with Disabilities team, Sheffield City Council May 2022

I worked as part of a specialist team assessing and supporting the needs of children with complex needs, profound and multiple disabilities, including life-limiting conditions and palliative care. As an ASWP I supervised and supported newer members of staff and assisted more experienced colleagues.

Children’s social worker, mental health team, Sheffield City Council, September 2021 – May 2022

This was a specialist children’s team that sits under the umbrella of the children with disabilities service. The referral criteria covered when a child or young person has been detained in hospital under section 3 of the Mental Health Act 1983 and is, therefore, eligible for 117 aftercare, detained under section 2 for assessment, or under police powers via section 136.

Children with disabilities team, Sheffield City Council, December 2018 – September 2021

I worked as part of a specialist team assessing and supporting the needs of children with complex needs, profound and multiple disabilities, including life limiting conditions and palliative care. The cases encompassed all levels of safeguarding, such as dealing with physically challenging behaviour and children beyond parental control.

Children and families social worker, Sheffield City Council, September 2015 – December 2018

Working as part of an area team who deal with children and families from point of referral covering Child In Need, Child Protection, pre-proceedings and the Public Law Outline, care proceedings as well as work in private law cases, such as section 7 and 37 welfare reports and working with looked-after-children until there was a plan for permanence.

Voluntary Sector

The Samaritans, Listening Volunteer, Outreach Volunteer, Branch Trainer 2010 – March 2013

Providing emotional support for people with suicidal feelings, via phone email, text and face to face meetings, training new volunteers and delivering community outreach to raise awareness.

The Motor Neurone Disease Association, Association Visitor, January 2010 – March 2012         

Voluntary work, visiting people newly diagnosed with the disease to provide information, signposting and emotional support.

Recent publications

• Balkow, M (2024) 'What is Freedom of Speech in Academia'. University of Derby [Blog]. Available at: https://www.derby.ac.uk/blog/freedom-of-speech-academia/
• Lillis, Theresa; Twiner, Alison; Balkow, Michael; Lucas, Gillian; Smith, Miriam and Leedham, Maria (2023). Reflections on the procedural and practical ethics in researching professional social work writing. Journal of Applied Linguistics and Professional Practice. https://oro.open.ac.uk/82818/
• Balkow, M and Lillis, T (2019) Social Work Writing and Bureaucracy. Citizen Network, https://citizen-network.org/library/social-work-writing-and-bureaucracy.html
• Balkow, M (2019) Transgender Children and Social Work. Citizen Network, https://citizen-network.org/library/transgender-children-and-social-work.html
• Balkow, M (2017) Assisted Dying. Citizen Network, https://citizen-network.org/library/assisted-dying.html
• Balkow, M (2017) Social Work and Disappointment. Citizen Network. https://citizen-network.org/library/social-work-and-disappointment.html