My research examines how adoptees perceive socioeconomic status (SES) and how shifts in SES following adoption influence their identity development. Children from the most deprived neighbourhoods in England are significantly overrepresented within the care system, often resulting in a pronounced socioeconomic divide between birth and adoptive families. As a result, many adopted children experience substantial changes in economic conditions, cultural and educational expectations, social networks, and family dynamics. Despite this, little is known about how adoptees themselves make sense of these transitions or how such experiences shape their emerging identities. My research addresses this gap by exploring adoptees’ interpretations of socioeconomic change and the identity processes that accompany it. In doing so, it contributes to broader sociological and psychological literature on SES-based identity frameworks and the ways in which social mobility is understood and lived by young people.
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My research investigates how refugees exercise personal, relational, and collective agency in shaping their social inclusion journeys. I propose that developing a human-centred framework—moving beyond vulnerability-based models—enables more effective communal and systemic practices that enhance refugee inclusion. Drawing on life history interviews and participatory workshops, I explore how agency emerges in refugees’ lived experiences and informs inclusive, justice-oriented social work. This work challenges dominant narratives and seeks to empower refugees as co-creators of support systems, contributing to more ethical, responsive, and sustainable approaches informing policymaking, social work practices, and NGOs interventions.
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