Principal Researcher/ Consultant

Camilla Child, BA (Hons), MSc, MA

I am a Principal Consultant and Researcher at the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations (TIHR). In my organisational consultancy, evaluation research and coaching practice, I help organisations, teams and individuals learn and develop by using methods which help clients to gain a broader understanding of context, role and dynamics.

Focusing on leadership, working across organisational, departmental or other boundaries and culture change, I am active and interested in work which:

• focuses on `behaviour change` which includes both working with change in the public sector to develop services with and for citizens as well understanding and supporting change in citizen behaviour using a whole system approach;
• helps to improve communications and practice at strategic, middle and front line;
• offers opportunities to facilitating in situations of tension between different parties and interests;
• supports the design and redesign or focus of organisations, partnerships and inter-organisational linkages to achieve aims;
• helps clients understand what works for who, in which circumstances, using a number of evaluation methods including logic mapping;
• develops evaluation capacity in local organisations and the public sector through training and support for self-evaluation.

Over nearly 20 years I have worked extensively in and with the public sector including local government, health and social care, children's services and education, housing, community and voluntary sectors. I have also researched and worked on a variety of social policy related issues, such as social inclusion, young people and their risky behaviours, role of public libraries, employment and health promotion. Together this provides me with a wealth of information to draw on to provide a whole system and cross boundary perspective.

Examples of current and recent assignments

• Co-design and delivery of a leadership development programme in Royal London and Barts Hospital NHS Trust
• Behaviour change in Brighton and Hove - improving professional partnership practice to support young people around their risky behaviours; with LGID and Brighton and Hove City Council
• Evaluation of Timely Information to Citizens Programme - 20 pilot projects, for Department of Communities and Local Government
• Executive Coaching drawing on: the whole system people work in; systems psychodynamics; political science; social policy and sector knowledge
• Higher Education Funding Council Leadership Academy - workshops and action learning set convener
• Numerous workshops teaching evaluation and logic mapping to a range of clients and support for self evaluation and evaluation capacity building