Staff Profile

I am a Research Assistant within the Population Health Sciences Institute.

Area of expertise

• Children & families in particular the impact of parental risk factors such as mental illness or substance use upon children, including young carers.

My interest in this area is grounded in 13 years of practitioner expereince in the voluntary sector, delivering and managing services for young carers.

Current projects;

Working with children and families at the edge of care - A realist evaluation of North Tyneside Council's Keeping Families Connected provision.

SAFEguarding children in Substance exPosed fAmilies by supporting the non-using CaregivEr: SAFE SPACE

Exploring Innovations in Transition to Adulthood: EXIT study. This ESRC funded study will explore the innovations in place for young people leaving care and what impacts them being implemented.  This research will evaluate the outcomes of innovation, how it spreads,  and how it is adapted to create change for young people looked after.

Previous projects;

Parental intimate partner violence and abuse: measurement of the risk of exposing children and the mental health impact; PROTECT study.  Funded by the Violence, Abuse & Mental Health network this qualitative study examines the measurements practitioners use to identify intimate partner violence and abuse, the perceptions of thresholds for harm and the impact upon children and families.

Bottled Up; Identifying and supporting children and families to reduce alcohol harm.  A service evaluation funded by the Children's Innovation Fund.

SOLID study; a pilot feasibility randomised controlled trial of interventions to decrease risky substance use (drugs and alcohol) and improve mental health of looked after children and care leavers aged 12-20 years (SOLID)

SILVER; a project which aims to connect health and social care data through the development of a digital intervention and seeks to improve data sharing and support to families who would be eligible for early help support services provided by the local authority.

Previous involvement on projects have included a review; ‘Addressing the impact of non-dependent parental substance misuse upon the child (IMPaCT), and the North Yorkshire Maternal Mental Health study which sought to better understand the mental health and emotional needs of women during the peri-natal period living in rural areas.

My initial role within the Institute was involved in the SIPS Jnr study; developing & evaluating interventions for adolescent alcohol use disorders presenting through emergency departments.

• Articles

  • Currie G, Lynch A, Swan J, Alderson H, Friel S, Harrop C, Johnson R, Kerridge G, Smart D, McGovern R, Munro E. How to extend pilot innovation in public services: A case of children's social care innovation. Public Administration 2025, 103(2), 357-375.
  • Sarma K, McGovern R, Smart D, McGovern W, Barrett S, Kaner E, Cooling V, Thomason P, Hackett S, Alderson H. A Qualitative Exploration of the Implications of a Differential Multi–Agency Understanding and Interpretation of Domestic Abuse. Journal of Family Violence 2025, epub ahead of print.
  • McGovern R, Smart D, Alderson H, Fouweather T, Kaner E. Promoting Alcohol Reduction in Non-Treatment Seeking parents (PAReNTS): a pilot feasibility cluster randomized controlled trial of brief alcohol interventions with parents in contact with child safeguarding services. Alcohol and Alcoholism 2024, 59(1).
  • Redgate S, Smart D, Barrett S, Barron C, Burns S, Frost H, McGovern W, Peart V, Adams E, Alderson H, Kaner E, McGovern R. Mechanisms That Promote and Support Family Preservation for Children at the Edge of Care: A Realist Synthesis. SAGE Open 2024, 14(2).
  • Barrett S, Smart D, Bate A, Beresford L, McEvoy-Carr C, Thompson H, Gilvarry E, Araujo-Soares V, Kaner E, McGovern R. Exploring caregiver perspectives in the context of parental substance use: A qualitative study. Child Protection and Practice 2024, 2, 100039.
  • Johnson RE, Kerridge G, Alderson H, Currie G, Friel S, Harrop C, Lynch A, McGovern R, Munro ER, Newlands F, Smart D. ‘Mind the Gap’: Extending Outcome Measurement for Accountability and Meaningful Innovation. British Journal of Social Work 2024, 54(5), 2067-2086.
  • Muir C, Adams EA, Evans V, GeijerSimpson E, Kaner E, Phillips SM, Salonen D, Smart D, Winstone L, McGovern R. A Systematic Review of Qualitative Studies Exploring Lived Experiences, Perceived Impact, and Coping Strategies of Children and Young People Whose Parents Use Substances. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse 2023, 24(5), 3629-3646.
  • McGovern R, Homer T, Kaner E, Smart D, Ternent L. Preferences for Delivering Brief Alcohol Intervention to Risky Drinking Parents in Children's Social Care: A Discrete Choice Experiment. Alcohol and Alcoholism 2022, 57(5), 615-621.
  • Alderson H, Barrett S, Addison M, Burns S, Cooling V, Hackett S, Kaner E, McGovern W, Smart D, McGovern R. Parental intimate partner violence and abuse during the COVID-19 pandemic: Learning from remote and hybrid working to influence future support. Women's Health 2022, 18, 1-12.
  • Alderson H, Mayrhofer A, Smart D, Muir C, McGovern R. An Innovative Approach to Delivering a Family-Based Intervention to Address Parental Alcohol Misuse: Qualitative Findings from a Pilot Project. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2022, 19(13), 8086.
  • Smart D, Jackson K, Alderson H, Foley T, Foreman S, Kaner B, Kaner E, Lancaster H, Lingam R, Rankin R, Rowlands G, Spencer L, McGovern R. What Influences Parents and Practitioners’ Decisions to Share Personal Information within an Early Help (Social Care) Context? Implications for Practice in Sharing Digital Data across Sectors. British Journal of Social Work 2021, 52(4), 2146-2165.
  • Alderson H, McGovern R, Copello A, McColl E, Kaner E, Smart D, McArdle P, Lingam R. Implementation factors for the delivery of alcohol and drug interventions to children in care: Qualitative findings from the solid feasibility trial. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2021, 18(7), 3461.
  • Lynch A, Alderson H, Kerridge G, Johnson R, McGovern R, Newlands F, Smart D, Harrop C, Currie G. An inter-disciplinary perspective on evaluation of innovation to support care leavers’ transition. Journal of Children's Services 2021, 16(3), 214-232.
  • McGovern R, Gilvarry E, Addison M, Alderson H, Geijer-Simpson E, Lingam R, Smart D, Kaner E. The Association Between Adverse Child Health, Psychological, Educational and Social Outcomes, and Nondependent Parental Substance: A Rapid Evidence Assessment. Trauma, Violence, and Abuse 2020, 21(3), 470-483.
  • Ginja S, Jackson K, Newham JJ, Henderson EJ, Smart D, Lingam R. Rural-urban differences in the mental health of perinatal women: a UK-based cross-sectional study. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2020, 20(1), 464.
  • Jackson K, Smart D, Henderson EJ, Newham JJ, McGovern R, Kaner E, Lingam R. Exploring care from extended family through rural women's accounts of perinatal mental illness – a qualitative study with implications for policy and practice. Health and Place 2020, 66, 102427.
  • Alderson H, Kaner E, Brown R, Howel D, McColl E, Smart D, Copello A, Fouweather T, McGovern R, Brown H, McArdle P, Lingam R. Behaviour change interventions to reduce risky substance use and improve mental health in children in care: the SOLID three-arm feasibility RCT. Public Health Research 2020, 8(13).
  • Alderson H, Kaner E, McColl E, Howel D, Fouweather T, McGovern R, Copello C, Brown H, McArdle P, Smart D, Brown R, Lingam R. A pilot feasibility randomised controlled trial of two behaviour change interventions compared to usual care to reduce substance misuse in looked after children and care leavers aged 12-20 years: The SOLID study. PLoS ONE 2020, 15(9), 0238286.
  • Alderson H, Brown R, Smart D, Lingam R, Dovey-Pearce G. 'You've come to children that are in care and given us the opportunity to get our voices heard': The journey of looked after children and researchers in developing a Patient and Public Involvement group. Health Expectations 2019, 22(4), 657-665.

• Report

  • Redgate S, Smart D, Adams E, Alderson H, Barrett S, Barron C, Burns S, Firth J, Frost H, Kaner E, McGovern W, Renwick T, Xeros P, McGovern R. A realist synthesis of evidence on the effectiveness of community delivered interventions to reduce the likelihood of children going into care and promote family preservation. London: National Institute for Health Research, 2021. PROSPERO 2021 CRD42021231009.

• Reviews

  • McGovern R, Bogowicz P, Meader N, Kaner E, Alderson H, Craig D, Geijer-Simpson E, Jackson K, Muir C, Salonen D, Smart D, Newham JJ. The association between maternal and paternal substance use and child substance use, internalizing and externalizing problems: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Addiction 2023, 118(5), 804-818.
  • McGovern R, Smart D, Alderson H, Araujo-Soares V, Brown J, Buykx P, Evans V, Fleming K, Hickman M, Macleod J, Meier P, Kaner E. Psychosocial interventions to improve psychological, social and physical wellbeing in family members affected by an adult relative’s substance use: A systematic search and review of the evidence. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2021, 18(4), 1793.