Associate Professor Lorna Hallahan

Associate Professor

College of Education, Psychology and Social Work

+61 8 82015040

lorna.hallahan@flinders.edu.au

Social Sciences South (340)

GPO Box 2100, Adelaide 5001, South Australia

Lorna was appointed in September 2006. She holds a PhD from Flinders University (2005) having completed a B. Soc. Wk. from University of Queensland in 1982. Prior to coming to Flinders, Lorna practiced in a range of settings, including disability advocacy and the management of a loss and grief service. Lorna has been a significant and long term contributor to the development and analysis of disability policy. Her recent research has focussed on the Evaluation of the Trial of The National Disability Insurance Scheme through the National Institute of Labour Studies at Flinders. In 2015, Lorna was appointed the Independent Reviewer of the SA Adoptions Act (1988) and she is a member the SA Premier's Women's Council. Lorna speaks and writes regularly on issues related ethical issues for workers in complex human services.

Qualifications

B Soc Wk (University of Queensland, 1982)

PhD (Flinders University, 2005)

Honours, awards and grants

South Australian Women's Honour Roll, 2011
Joint winner Australian Book Review 2010 Calibre Prize for Outstanding Essay for an essay entitled 'On being odd'
Winner Best Abstract Award (Practitioner) Joint World Conference on Social Work and Social Development Hong Kong June 2010
Faculty of Social Sciences Teaching Award 2009

Key responsibilities

Discipline Leader, Social Work
Chair, Social and Behavioural Research Ethics Committee
Research Ethics Advisor

Research expertise

Disability

Evaluation

Social work

Research interests

Lorna conducts research in these areas:

Social inclusion and the importance of freely given relationships
Adult protection, advocacy and safeguarding
Social work theory and moral philosophy especially related to ethical practice with vulnerable people
Assessment and planning in indiviualised services
Child protection, adoption and social work

Lorna conducts consultancies in these areas:

Ethical practice related to vulnerable people reliant on complex human services
Innovative practice frameworks and organisational change
Disability policy development and analysis
Loss and intentional relationship building

Lorna is a member of the International Editorial Board of The Journal of Religion and Spirituality in Social Work and the Editorial Board of The International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change.

Teaching interests

Lorna contributes to teaching in the fields disability studies; human rights and ethics and integrity in social work practice. Lorna supervises a number of research students.

Topic coordinator

SOAD9217 Social work in the disability sector

SOAD9207 Integrity in social work practice (m)

Supervisory interests

Ageing

Child protection

Disability and policy

Social work practice and spirituality

Social work theory and practice

Higher degree by research supervision

Current

Principal supervisor: Child protection (2), Social work practice (3)