Judy was previously a Principal Researcher at the Tavistock Institute where her research and evaluation work focused on children, young people and families, with a particular interest in those who suffer social, emotional, financial or material disadvantage.

Teenagers who become parents and families experiencing separation/divorce and its aftermath have been a recurring interest for many years, as has family poverty (often both a cause and an effect of the above). Relevant recent projects which Judy has directed are an Evaluation of Relationship Support Interventions (for the Department for Education) and an Evidence and Policy Review of Personal Relationships and Poverty (for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation).

Methodology

Where possible Judy adopts a participative approach, which involves respondents as more than providers of information. She has successfully trained young people and prisoners in a variety of research skills and supported them to carry out their own research. She sees her primary task as ensuring that research and evaluation findings reach people in authority who have the capacity to change policy and practice to improve the current and future situation of disadvantaged people.

Relevant Publications

• Corlyon, J. and La Placaa, V. (2014). ‘Barriers to inclusion and successful engagement of parents in mainstream services: evidence and research’, Journal of Children’s Services Vol 9, 3, pp. 220-234.
• Tavistock Institute of Human Relations, Bryson Purdon Social Research and TNS-BMRB (2011). Evaluation of Child Poverty Pilots: Delivering Improved Services for Separating Parents, (Department for Education). Text can be found here.
• Corlyon J. and Stock L. (2011). Teenage Pregnancy Reference Manual, Community Care Inform.
• Corlyon J. and Stock L. (2011). Teenage Parenting Reference Manual, Community Care Inform.
• Corlyon, J. and Clay, D. (2009). ‘A Review of Services for Children and Young People with Drug-Misusing Carers’ in S. MacGregor (ed.) Responding to Drug Misuse. Routledge.Corlyon, J. and Hills, D. (2009). The Parenting Fund: Evaluation of the Fundholder Model and Sector Provision. DCSF Research Report RR088.