Research Assistant RCT of Family Therapy for County Lines

FEHHS Human Sciences: Psychology & Counselling

This is fixed-term, part-time (0.5FTE) research post working on a clinical trial of family therapy for County Lines Drug Network (CLDN) involvement and Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE).  

The post holder will work on a Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) assessing the efficacy of Functional Family Therapy-Gangs for preventing young people being involved in County Lines and being criminally exploited. This groundbreaking study is the first full RCT of any intervention for CCE. It is being conducted in three London boroughs with high rates of social deprivation and CLDN activity in partnership with Family Psychology Mutual and Royal Holloway University of London. It is funded by the Youth Endowment Fund (YEF). 

This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to the understanding of what works to support some of the most vulnerable young people in the UK and their families and disrupt the activities of organised criminal groups exploiting young people. The post-holder will gain valuable skills and experience working with vulnerable young people and families and in helping to conduct a clinical research study in a complex setting. Therefore, the post would benefit those looking to undertake doctoral training in this area (e.g., DClinPsyc or PhD) or those hoping to go on to train as practitioners.  

You will be based at University of Greenwich in the Centre for Vulnerable Children and Families, which is part of the Institute of Lifecourse Development. The Institute uses interdisciplinary expertise to promote the lifelong wellbeing of vulnerable and marginalised people in the community. You will work under the supervision of Dr Sajid Humayun (Associate Professor of Developmental Psychopathology), who is an expert on youth antisocial behaviour and evidence-based interventions, and under the supervision of the study’s senior research fellow. You will also work with Professor Claire Monks (Professor of Developmental Psychology), who conducts research on aggression and violence among young people, and Professor Darrick Jolliffe (Professor of Criminology, Royal Holloway University of London), who has been conducting evaluations and feasibility studies in this area for over 19 years, producing work for numerous national and international government agencies. 

You will have an MSc in Psychology, Criminology, healthcare or a related discipline, excellent research skills and be independently motivated.  

The post is part-time (equivalent to 2.5 days a week) and fixed term with an expected duration of 12 months.  

For an informal discussion about the post please contact Sajid Humayun (s.humayun@greenwich.ac.uk).

Should you have any queries please contact the People Directorate Team on

We operate a hybrid working policy, as set out in the University’s Working Principles and Guidelines.

Further details of the fantastic benefits and what we offer can be found here: Our benefits - what we offer | Jobs and careers | University of Greenwich

To apply, please visit the University of Greenwich vacancies page and complete all details, including the supporting statements (please note attached CVs and personal statements will not be seen by the recruitment panel at the application stage). Current Vacancies - Jobs at Greenwich 

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