Dr Philip Gillingham
ARC Future Fellowship
School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work
+61 7 336 51842
Researcher biography
Dr Gillingham was a professional social worker for 16 years in both England and Australia. He moved to UQ in 2011 and since then has been awarded a Discovery Early Career Research Award and a Future Fellowship by the Australian Research Council. His research focuses on technological developments in social welfare agencies, particularly on their impacts on social work practice. He also conducts research in the field of child welfare and protection.
Book Chapters
Gillingham, Philip, Schiffhauer, Brite and Seelmeyer, Udo (2020). Internationale Forschung zum Einstaz digitaler Technik in der Sozialen Arbeit. Handbuch Soziale Arbeit und Digitilisation. (pp. 639-651) edited by Nadia Kuscher, Thomas Ley, Udo Seelmeyer, Friederike Siller, Angela Tillman and Isabel Zorn. Berlin, Germany: Belt Juventa.
Gillingham, Philip (2019). Big data in social welfare. Big data: promise, application and pitfalls. (pp. 245-263) edited by John S. Pedersen and Adrian Wilkinson. London, United Kingdom: Elgar. doi: 10.4337/9781788112352.00016
Journal Articles
Gillingham, Philip (2020). Algorithmically Based Decision Support Tools: Skeptical Thinking about the Inclusion of Previous Involvement. Practice, 1-14. doi: 10.1080/09503153.2020.1749584
Gillingham, Philip (2019). The development of algorithmically based decision-making systems in children’s protective services: is administrative data good enough?. The British Journal of Social Work, 50 (2), 565-580. doi: 10.1093/bjsw/bcz157
Gillingham, Philip and Smith, Yvonne (2019). Epistemological siblings: seven reasons to teach ethnography in social work education. The British Journal of Social Work doi: 10.1093/bjsw/bcz153
Gillingham, Philip (2019). Decision support systems, social justice and algorithmic accountability in social work: a new challenge. Practice, 31 (4), 277-290. doi: 10.1080/09503153.2019.1575954
Gillingham, Philip (2019). Can predictive algorithms assist decision‐making in social work with children and families?. Child Abuse Review, 28 (2) car.2547, 114-126. doi: 10.1002/car.2547
Gillingham, Philip (2018). From bureaucracy to technocracy in a social welfare agency: a cautionary tale. Asia Pacific Journal of Social Work and Development, 29 (2), 108-119. doi: 10.1080/02185385.2018.1523023
Gillingham, Philip (2018). Developments in electronic information systems in social welfare agencies: from simple to complex. The British Journal of Social Work, 49 (1), 1-15. doi: 10.1093/bjsw/bcy014
Gillingham, Philip (2018). Commentary on "The role of electronic records in disability support" (Kraal, van Dooren, Popovic, Lennox, & Livingstone, 2018). Research and Practice in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 5 (1), 35-38. doi: 10.1080/23297018.2017.1407667
Gillingham, Philip (2017). Evaluation of practice frameworks for social work with children and families: exploring the challenges. Journal of Public Child Welfare, 12 (2), 190-203. doi: 10.1080/15548732.2017.1392391
Gillingham, Philip (2017). Decision-making about the adoption of information technology in social welfare agencies: some key considerations. European Journal of Social Work, 21 (4), 1-9. doi: 10.1080/13691457.2017.1297773
Gillingham, Philip, Harnett, Paul , Healy, Karen , Lynch, Debby and Tower, Marion (2017). Decision making in child and family welfare: the role of tools and practice frameworks. Children Australia, 42 (1), 49-56. doi: 10.1017/cha.2016.51
Gillingham, Philip (2017). Predictive risk modelling to prevent child maltreatment: insights and implications from Aotearoa/New Zealand. Journal of Public Child Welfare, 11 (2), 150-165. doi: 10.1080/15548732.2016.1255697
Gillingham, Philip (2017). Electronic information systems in human service organisations: using theory to inform future design. International Social Work, 60 (1), 100-110. doi: 10.1177/0020872814554856
Gillingham, Philip and Graham, Timothy (2017). Big data in social welfare: the development of a critical perspective on social work’s latest "electronic turn". Australian Social Work, 70 (2), 135-147. doi: 10.1080/0312407X.2015.1134606
Gillingham, Philip (2016). An exploration of the feasibility of a national database to protect children in Australia. Developing Practice, 46, 56-68.
Gillingham, Philip and Graham, Timothy (2016). Designing electronic information systems for the future: Social workers and the challenge of New Public Management. Critical Social Policy, 36 (2), 187-204. doi: 10.1177/0261018315620867
D'Cruz, Heather and Gillingham, Philip (2016). Participatory research ideals and practice experience: reflections and analysis. Journal of Social Work, 17 (4), 1-19. doi: 10.1177/1468017316644704
Gillingham, Philip (2016). Technology configuring the user: implications for the redesign of electronic information systems in social work. The British Journal of Social Work, 46 (2), 323-338. doi: 10.1093/bjsw/bcu141
Gillingham, Philip (2016). Electronic information systems to guide social work practice: the perspectives of practitioners as end users. Practice: Social Work in Action, 28 (5), 1-16. doi: 10.1080/09503153.2015.1135895
Gillingham, Philip (2016). Predictive risk modelling to prevent child maltreatment and other adverse outcomes for service users: inside the "black box" of machine learning. The British Journal of Social Work, 46 (4), 1044-1058. doi: 10.1093/bjsw/bcv031
Gillingham, Philip (2016). Electronic Information Systems and Human Service Organizations: The Needs of Managers. Human Service Organizations Management, Leadership and Governance, 40 (1), 51-61. doi: 10.1080/23303131.2015.1069232
Gillingham, Philip (2016). Social work and child protection in Australia: whose job is it anyway?. Practice: Social Work in Action, 28 (2), 83-96. doi: 10.1080/09503153.2015.1074670
Gillingham, Philip (2015). Electronic information systems and social work: principles of participatory design for social workers. Advances in Social Work, 16 (1), 31-42.
Gillingham, Philip (2015). Implementing electronic information systems in human service organizations: the challenge of categorization. Practice, 27 (3), 163-175. doi: 10.1080/09503153.2015.1014334
Gillingham, Philip (2015). Electronic information systems and human service organizations: the unanticipated consequences of organizational change. Human Services Organizations Management, Leadership and Governance, 39 (2), 89-100. doi: 10.1080/23303131.2014.987412
Gillingham, Philip (2015). Electronic information systems and human services organisations: avoiding the pitfalls of participatory design. The British Journal of Social Work, 45 (2), 651-666. doi: 10.1093/bjsw/bct126
Gillingham, Philip (2015). Electronic information systems in human service organisations: the what, who, why and how of information. The British Journal of Social Work, 45 (5), 1598-1613. doi: 10.1093/bjsw/bcu030
Gillingham, Philip (2014). Electronic information systems and social work: who are we designing for?. Practice: Social Work in Action, 26 (5), 313-326. doi: 10.1080/09503153.2014.958454
Gillingham, Philip (2014). Information systems and human service organisations: managing and designing for the "occasional user". Human Services Organizations Management, Leadership and Governance, 38 (2), 169-177. doi: 10.1080/03643107.2013.859198
Gillingham, Philip (2014). Repositioning electronic information systems in human service organisations. Human Service Organizations Management, Leadership & Governance, 38 (2), 125-134. doi: 10.1080/03643107.2013.853011
Gillingham, Philip (2014). Driving child protection reform: evidence or ideology?. Australian Social Work, 67 (3), 377-389. doi: 10.1080/0312407X.2013.877948
D'Cruz, Heather and Gillingham, Philip (2014). Improving child protection services: Australian parents' and grandparents' perspectives on what needs to change. Practice: Social Work in Action, 26 (4), 239-257. doi: 10.1080/09503153.2014.934797
Gillingham, Philip (2013). Child development for child care and protection workers (2nd ed.). Australian Social Work, 66 (3), 423-424. doi: 10.1080/0312407X.2013.809679
Gillingham, Philip (2013). The development of electronic information systems for the future: Practitioners, 'embodied structures' and 'technologies-in-practice'. The British Journal of Social Work, 43 (3), 430-445. doi: 10.1093/bjsw/bcr202
Gillingham, Philip (2012). Response to Tregeagle (2012). Commentary on computer-based information systems and human service organisations: Emerging problems and future possibilities (Gillingham, 2011). Australian Social Work, 65 (3), 378-381. doi: 10.1080/0312407X.2012.704635
Lidgerwood, Sarah and Gillingham, Philip (2012). Animal assisted therapy: More than just recreation?. Developing Practice, 2012 (31), 7-17.
Gillingham, Philip (2011). Decision making tools and the development of expertise in child protection practitioners: Are we “just breeding workers who are good at ticking boxes”?. Child and Family Social Work, 16 (4), 412-421. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2206.2011.00756.x
Gillingham, Philip (2011). Computer based information systems and human service organizations: Emerging problems and future possibilities. Australian Social Work, 64 (3), 299-312. doi: 10.1080/0312407X.2010.524705
Gillingham, Philip (2011). Understanding Children's Social Care: Politics, policy and practice. Australian Social Work, 64 (4), 557-559. doi: 10.1080/0312407X.2011.625615
Gillingham, Philip (2010). Private and Confidential? Handling personal information in the social and health services. Chris Clark and Janice McGhee (Eds.). Australian Social Work, 63 (4), 466-467. doi: 10.1080/0312407X.2010.522965
Gillingham, Philip and Humphreys, Cathy (2010). Child protection practitioners and decision-making tools: Observations and reflections from the front line. The British Journal of Social Work, 40 (8), 2598-2616. doi: 10.1093/bjsw/bcp155
Gillingham, Philip (2009). Practitioner perspectives on the family risk evaluation tool : Ab aide to decision making or 'just another form to fill in'?. Developing Practice: The Child, Youth and Family Work Journal (23), 46-55.
Gillingham, Philip (2009). Ghosts in the machine: Student participation and learning outcomes in a web-assisted social work course. Social Work Education, 28 (4), 423-435. doi: 10.1080/02615470802358570
D'Cruz, Heather, Gillingham, Philip and Melendez, Sebastian (2009). Exploring the possibilities of an expanded practice repertoire in child protection: An alternative conceptual approach. Journal of Social Work, 9 (1), 61-85. doi: 10.1177/1468017308098432
Gillingham, Philip (2008). Designing,implementing and evaluating a social work practice skills course : A case example.. Social Work Education, 27 (5), 474-488. doi: 10.1080/02615470701380089
Crisp, Beth R. and Gillingham, Philip (2008). Some of my students are prisoners: Issues and dilemmas for social work educators.. Social Work Education, 27 (3), 307-317. doi: 10.1080/02615470701380360
Gillingham, Philip and Bromfield, Leah (2008). Child protection,risk assessment and blame ideology. Children Australia, 33 (1), 18-24. doi: 10.1017/S1035077200000079
D'Cruz, Heather, Gillingham, Philip and Melendez, Sebastian (2007). Reflexivity: A concept and its meanings for practitioners working with children and families. Critical Social Work, 8 (1)
Bromfield, Leah M., Gillingham, Philip and Higgins, Darryl J. (2007). Cumulative harm and chronic child maltreatment. Developing Practice: The Child, Youth and Family Work Journal (19), 34-42.
Gillingham, Philip (2007). The Australian Association of Social Workers and social policy debates : A strategy for the future?. Australian Social Work, 60 (2), 166-180. doi: 10.1080/03124070701323808
Gillingham, Philip (2007). Child Abuse: Towards a Knowledge Base (3rd Edition). Australian Social Work, 60 (2), 270-271. doi: 10.1080/03124070701323873
Gillingham, P. (2007). Working with ‘Denied Child Abuse’: The Resolutions Approach by Andrew Turnell and Susie Essex (2006).. Social Work Education, 26 (7), 745-746. doi: 10.1080/02615470701251751
D'Cruz, Heather, Gillingham, Philip and Melendez, Sebastian (2007). Reflexivity, its meanings and relevance for social work: A critical review of the literature. The British Journal of Social Work, 37 (1), 73-90. doi: 10.1093/bjsw/bcl001
Gillingham, Philip (2006). Risk assessment in child protection : Problem rather than solution?. Australian Social Work, 59 (1), 86-98. doi: 10.1080/03124070500449804
Gillingham, Philip (2006). Male social workers in child and family welfare: New directions for research. Social Work, 51 (1), 83-85.
D'Cruz, Heather and Gillingham, Philip (2005). Building bridges: A case study of collaborative research. Journal of Progressive Human Services, 16 (1), 51-80. doi: 10.1300/J059v16n01_04
Conference Papers
Wallang, Muslimin, Henman, Paul and Gillingham, Philip (2015). Different patterns of usage of e-government services: a preliminary study. 15th European Conference on eGovernment, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, United Kingdom, 18-19 June 2015. NR READING: Academic Conferences Limited.
Keddall, E., Gillingham, P. and Lynch, D. (2015). Researching the role of ethnicity in child protection decision-making. 14th Australasian Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect, Auckland, New Zealand, 29 March - 1 April 2015.