The Right Child in the Right Place: Reducing the use, and cost, of inappropriate placements for Plymouth’s looked-after children

Applications are invited for a three-year PhD studentship. Preferred start date is 1 October 2025 but requests for 1 January 2026 will be considered

Apply

To apply, please access the following link and complete the application form in full:

Online application

Please note: the successful PhD candidate will have the details of their specific Faculty of Health PhD programme title finalised and discussed with them.

Within the research section of the application form, in the following field, please add:
‘Proposed project title/studentship title’ add 25-10 PHDRC Quinn
When the application asks for a research proposal, please just upload a blank document. A research proposal is not needed for this programme as you are applying directly to a studentship project.

Application guidance

It is important that you follow the instructions above or your application for this studentship may be missed and therefore will not be considered.
Before applying, please ensure you have read the Doctoral College’s general information on applying for a postgraduate research degree .
For more information on the admissions process please contact research.degree.admissions@plymouth.ac.uk.
The Right Child in the Right Place: Reducing the use, and cost, of inappropriate placements for Plymouth’s looked-after children
2nd Supervisor: Dr Oliver Beer
3rd Supervisor: Professor Sheena Asthana
Applications are invited for a three-year PhD studentship. The studentship’s preferred start date is 1 October 2025, but requests for a 1 January 2026 start date will be considered.
This PhD studentship is offered by the the Plymouth Health Determinants Research Collaboration (PHDRC) who are funded by the National Institute of Health Research NIHR to increase the capacity and capability of councils to engage in research and evaluation.

Project description

Nationally children who are looked-after by Local Authorities are being placed far from home which is detrimental for them, and their wider family, and very expensive for Local Authorities. Whilst the preference of children’s services would be to keep children close to their usual home (where safe to do so) and maintain their family and community networks often this is not possible and high cost out of area placements are dictated by market availability.
Plymouth City Council have produced a comprehensive report of the current situation, their next initiatives and the issues that they are aware are a problem, for which they don’t yet have the answer.
This PhD will embed the student within Plymouth City Council and the Children and Families Directorate to address ‘How can Plymouth City Council, and other Local Authorities, place ‘the right child in the right place’ to provide the best possible local care and reduce unsustainable costs?’
The research will include:
  • evaluating the initiatives already in place and being developed
  • reviewing how other places have solved similar issues
  • feeding back the above findings to the Children and Families Directorate and listening to their feedback
  • exploring, developing and testing the best ways to embed a research informed culture in a Directorate with high levels of statutory responsibility.
The findings of this PhD will have the potential to develop recommendations not only for Plymouth but also for the many areas throughout the country which face similar challenges.

Eligibility

Applicants should have a first or upper second-class honours degree in an appropriate subject or a relevant masters qualification. A professional qualification or training and experience in aspects of the PhD e.g. social work, health professional, accountancy etc is desirable.
If your first language is not English, you will need to meet the minimum English requirements for the programme, IELTS Academic score of 6.5 (with no less than 5.5 in each component test area) or equivalent.
The studentship is supported for 3 years. We are very keen to appoint the best candidate to produce knowledge and find solutions for looked-after children. We are aware that this person could come from a variety of backgrounds with different types of experience. We are, therefore, offering two options of reimbursement to support applications from the widest range of appropriate candidates.
  • A) Applicants are invited from Plymouth City Council employees. Arrangements will be put in place to release the successful candidate from their current post and a stipend will be paid equivalent to existing net salary. Details about the career break arrangements developed are available from Peter Kerslake: Peter.Kerslake@plymouth.gov.uk
  • B) Home tuition fees plus a stipend of £20,780 per annum 2025/2026 rate (UKRI) can be offered for applicants not employed by the council who may have a more academic focused background.
Both options 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 rates.
In additional to the stipend or career break arrangements funding will be provided for additional training, conference attendance and costs associated with the research needs.
There is a requirement to be present in Plymouth City Council directed settings (offices, teams, partner provider organisations). Whilst some home working is acceptable, geographical proximity and willingness to be in a workplace environment are required.
There is no additional funding available to cover NHS Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) costs, visa costs, flights etc.
NB: The studentship is supported for three years of the four-year registration period. The fourth year is a self-funded ‘writing-up’ year, if required.
If you wish to discuss this project further informally, please contact Dr Cath Quinn

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).
Please see our apply for a postgraduate research programme page for a list of supporting documents to upload with your application.
For more information on the admissions process generally, please visit our apply for a postgraduate research programme page or contact the Doctoral College . Applications will not be considered if information is missing.
The closing date for applications is 20 August 2025.
Shortlisted candidates will be invited for interview in person in Plymouth on 2 September. 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.