Director of Studies (DoS):
Dr Nick Axford
Second Supervisor: Dr Amy Bond
Third Supervisor: Professor Vashti Berry
Second Supervisor: Dr Amy Bond
Third Supervisor: Professor Vashti Berry
The NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) South West is inviting applications for a PhD studentship, funded by an ARC South West Doctoral Award, to commence on 1 October 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter. For eligible students the studentship will cover Home tuition fees plus an annual tax-free stipend of at least £21,805 for 3 years full-time. We welcome applicants who wish to study less than full-time, provided they are intending to complete their studies within the ARC funding period. The student would be based at the University of Plymouth. A training and development budget will also be provided to support the activity of the student.
Project description
Poverty and financial stress contribute to a range of poor outcomes for parents and children. While national policies to prevent and reduce this exist, some families fall through the gaps. This means that family services must step in. However, frontline practitioners working with parents often avoid talking about or addressing family financial well-being. Reasons include a lack of knowledge or confidence, and not viewing it as part of their job. Moreover, the system can leave low-income families feeling stigmatised and practitioners unsupported.
Addressing these problems has individual and structural aspects. ‘Poverty-aware practice’ focuses on how individual practitioners interact with individuals and families. It includes avoiding judgmental language, understanding how poverty affects behaviour, supporting choice and advocating for families’ rights to material and other support. ‘Poverty proofing’ focuses on policies and systems, seeking to ensure that services do not make life harder for people in poverty. It includes removing hidden costs from services, not penalising families for non-payment and assessing how new policies might affect people in poverty.
However, there is limited research on how to implement such approaches effectively in family service settings (e.g., social care, education, early years), especially in the UK. Addressing this gap is important for reducing health inequalities. It also ties closely with the Government’s Child Poverty Strategy and Best Start for Life guidance for Family Hubs.
The PhD aims to better understand how poverty-aware practice and poverty proofing are implemented in children and family services. What are the barriers and facilitators to implementing them? How do organisational context and resources shape take-up? How do practitioners and service settings apply these approaches? Findings will inform the development of training materials and implementation guidance to support the delivery of poverty-aware practice and poverty proofing in practice.
If you wish to discuss this project further informally, please contact Dr Nick Axford. Queries about the award itself can be directed to arcsouthwest@exeter.ac.uk.
Funding
The studentship is supported for 3 years and includes full Home tuition fees plus a stipend of £21,805 per annum 2026/27 rate. We welcome applicants who wish to study less than full-time, provided they are intending to complete their studies within the ARC funding period (excluding Student visa holders who are required to study full-time to meet UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) sponsorship guidelines).
The studentship will only fully fund those applicants who are eligible for Home fees with relevant qualifications. Applicants normally required to cover International fees will have to cover the difference between the Home and the International tuition fee per annum.
There is no additional funding available to cover NHS Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) costs, visa costs, flights etc.
Doctoral Award Person Specification
Essential
- Hold a 1st or 2:1 bachelor’s degree, or equivalent If not, you will usually need to have a relevant Master’s degree
- Have prior research experience or training to prepare for a PhD
- Not already hold a relevant PhD or equivalent
- Show strong academic and professional skills needed to complete a PhD
- If you're including a clinical or practice element, show a commitment to a career as a practitioner academic.
Desirable
- Demonstrate originality and independent critical thinking in proposing research with real-world benefits for patients, the public, and the health and social care system
- Knowledge of the priorities in the area of research interest
- Demonstrate an alignment with NIHR strategic priorities, where applicable.
Successful applicants will become members of the NIHR Academy, and further information about this can be found on the NIHR website.
There is no additional funding available to cover NHS Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) costs, visa costs, flights etc.
How to apply
To apply, please select the ‘Online application’ link above. Please include the following documents with your application
- CV / résumé.
- Personal Statement (outlining your academic interests, prior research experience and reasons for wishing to undertake the project).
- Degree certificates and transcripts (please provide interim transcript if you are still studying).
- Contact information for two referees familiar with your academic work.
- If relevant, proof of English Language Competency (Applicants whose first language is not English will be required to demonstrate proficiency in the English language with an IELTS Academic of 6.5 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each component, or equivalent).
NIHR are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion in everything we do. Diverse people and communities shape our research, and we strive to make opportunities to participate in research an integral part of everyone’s experience of health and social care services. We develop researchers from multiple disciplines, specialisms, geographies and backgrounds, and work to address barriers to career progression arising from characteristics such as sex, race or disability. Please let us know if you need any reasonable adjustments made to the application process and we will be happy to explore whether this is possible.
Potential applicants working in community, social care and public health are welcome to contact us to explore their suitability.
Please view a list of
supporting documents to upload with your application.
For more information on the admissions process generally, please visit our
how to apply for a research degree webpage or contact the Doctoral College at research.degree.admissions@plymouth.ac.uk.
The closing date for application is 21 July 2026.
Shortlisted candidates will be invited for interview the week beginning 17 August. We regret that we may not be able to respond to all applications. Applicants who have not received a response within six weeks of the closing date should consider their application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.
NIHR Applied Research Collaboration