Social Policy

My research examines how children who have been in care, or known to social services, end up in the youth justice system far more often than other children. Moving between school, social care and youth justice, they collect administrative labels, such as special educational needs, a school exclusion or a child protection plan, that follow them between agencies. Using linked data and interviews with practitioners, I trace how the order, timing and combination of these labels build up over time. My aim is to identify which sequences are most strongly associated with later youth justice involvement.

My research will explore the lived experiences of Muslim patients who have been referred to Prevent by a healthcare professional, and whether this affects their trust in and engagement with healthcare services. I aim to centre the voices of those affected, highlighting their experiences to inform policy and improve support services

My research will focus on children are who not identified as being historically abused however were living in a home where police suspect CSAM was viewed by a parent. Through an epidemiological criminology lens, I aim to explore how the potential risk of future interfamilial sexual abuse is managed throughout childhood. I will achieve this by being the first to quantify the number of children affected; use mixed methods surveys with police, social services and non-offending parents to understand current safeguarding processes; and undertake qualitative phenomenological interviews with family court appointed social workers about cases where CSAM is a cited vulnerability.

My research will investigate the adoption of alternative approaches to irregular migration in the UK since 2018. The inception, delivery and evaluation of pilots under the Conservative government occurred amidst explicit appeals to anti-immigrant sentiment, populism and nationalism, focused on exclusion and deportation. Despite demonstrating successful alternative irregular migration approaches, including ‘alternatives to detention’, government policy continues to draw on the Border Spectacle, illegalisation of migrants, and racialisation of immigration in political discourse and rhetoric. By unearthing the underlying dynamics driving UK immigration rhetoric and policymaking, my work will bridge divides between rhetoric, statutory / humanitarian responses and lived experience.

My research project intends to explore young peoples’ and teachers’ perspectives of physical punishment of children in Harare, Zimbabwe. I will gather views of young people and teachers in Harare using qualitative methods including semi-structured interviews and creative methods. The research will draw upon concepts from the social studies of childhood and explore the issue from children’s rights and decolonial perspectives. It aims to gain valuable insight into the views of children experiencing physical punishment in schools and contribute to discussions about the use of physical punishment in Zimbabwe and potentially beyond.

Publications

Aguillon, Yasmin, Dylan Alvarenga, Pamela E. Harris, Surya Kotapati, J. Carlos Martínez Mori, Casandra D. Monroe, Zia Saylor, Camelle Tieu, and Dwight Anderson Williams. 2023. “On Parking Functions and The Tower of Hanoi.” The American Mathematical Monthly 130 (7): 618–24. doi:10.1080/00029890.2023.2206311.

Saylor, Zia (2020) “Analyzing and Decomposing South African Income Inequality by Income Source, Race, and Poverty Level for 2008 and 2014,” Undergraduate Economic Review: Vol. 17: Iss. 1, Article 13.

Polly identifies as an overall queer human and social researcher. Their research aims to affirm the queer experience of care, death & dying, with a focus not only on inequities faced by this community but also what wider society can learn from queer approaches. Death & dying in the queer family is a project that explores queer family experiences of caring for a family member at end-of-life. The project aims to make visible the diversity of family forms in our society, the diverse and evolving ways these forms “do” family, and the need for a relational understanding of care at the end-of-life.

My research examines the harmful impacts of the diet industry, focusing on how its corporate structures and lack of regulation perpetuate harm. By applying critical criminology and zemiology, I aim to reveal the broader cultural, social, and financial harms experienced by women targeted by commercialised dieting. Through detailed case studies and interviews, I will explore women’s lived experiences with weight-loss companies and investigate the industry’s regulatory landscape. My goal is to provide actionable insights that can improve policies, enhance corporate responsibility, and ultimately contribute to better health outcomes and support for women engaged in weight-loss efforts.