Joyce Lishman
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Joyce Lishman | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 1947 Castleford, West Yorkshire, England |
| Died | 20 January 2021 (aged 73) |
| Alma mater | University of Oxford University of Edinburgh University of Aberdeen |
| Occupation(s) | social work education and research |
| Employer | Robert Gordon University |
| Awards | doctor honor causa The University of Edinburgh |
Joyce Lishman (May 1947 – 20 January 2021) the first woman Professor at Robert Gordon University, was a leader in social work education and research.[1]
Lishman was the first pupil from her girls' high school in Normanton to be admitted to the University of Oxford. She studied philosophy, politics and economics, graduating in 1968.[2] She then went on to study social studies and social work at the University of Edinburgh[3] graduating in 1970. She practiced as a social worker in child and family psychology.[3] This experience she built on later in her career by developing a new social work service for children suffering from cancer or leukemia and their families, including bereavement care[3] for the Malcolm Sargent Fund (now Young Lives vs Cancer or CLIC Sargent).[2]
In 1985, she became a lecturer then senior lecturer at what was then the Robert Gordon Institute of Technology.[3] In 1986, Lishman completed her PhD at the University of Aberdeen, with a study using videos to examine social work interviews.[3]
When Lishman was appointed as professorial head of the school of applied sociology in 1993,[4] she was the first female professor[1] at Robert Gordon University (RGU), Aberdeen.[4] She established the Scottish Institute for Residential Child Care (now CELCIS) in 2000,[5] bringing together specialists from RGU, Strathclyde University and other bodies[6] to improve training standards and practice in the third sector and also influence government policy for 'looked after' children.[6]
Lishman was said to have 'influenced social work and social care practice across Scotland for decades',[6] and for writing 'many iconic textbooks' known to thousands of students.[7]
She retired from RGU in 2011.[4]
Publications
Lishman authored 26 books.[1][3] These included a social work and social care handbook which over 25 years went to three editions (latest in 2015),[8] and in 1994, another Communication in Social Work was one of the standard texts[6] for social work practitioner education.[9]
She edited a research series Research Highlights in Social Work[3] which was said to have influenced social work in Scotland and across the world.[3] She published twenty six books either alone or in collaboration, such as with Ian Shaw, on Evaluation and Social Work Practice.[10][11] British Journal of Social Work noted the author's expertise and they recommended their book for graduate research students.'[12]
Other roles
Lishman also served on the board of charitable bodies: Lloyds TSB Foundation (now Corra[13]), Aberlour Child Care Trust and VSA. She became the chair of the Partnership Drugs Initiative[14] and a founding member of the philanthropic charity Inspiring Scotland in 2008.[15][4]
She also chaired the heads of social work education group for Scotland[16] and brought together standards for excellence in education in this field including the first interactive digital learning resources for social work in the world,[6] now known as IRISS. In 2010, her School of Applied Social Sciences and the Business School at RGU together with a private leadership and organisational development company (The Taylor Clarke Partnership Ltd.) won a National Training Award for 'Collaboration & Partnership' developing social services leaders across Scotland.[17]
For many years Lishman served on the Social Services Scotland Council,[4][18] having been appointed in 2012 by the Scottish Minister for Education and Young People, for her experience in education and the third sector.[19]
