Lorraine Waterhouse was born and educated in Canada. She graduated in Mathematics BA from the University of Western Ontario in 1970. Two years later she completed a Masters degree in Social Work at Wilfred Laurier University, awarded a two year provincial scholarship. She completed an international placement in the UK in 1971 as part of her postgraduate degree.

In 1972, she moved to Edinburgh where she was appointed as a social worker in the Department of Child and Family Psychiatry at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children. She worked with the eminent child psychiatrist Dr Sula Wolff, and remained for a further 8 years carrying out psychotherapy, clinical work and contributing to the study of psychological construing in children diagnosed with a schizoid condition.

She was appointed to a part-time lectureship in Social Work at the University of Edinburgh in 1976. She was an honorary lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania for one semester in 1979 as part of an exchange programme between the two departments of Social Work. She remained part-time in clinical practice in the Royal Hospital for Sick Children until 1980. She was appointed to a part-time lectureship in Social Policy at the University of Edinburgh from 1988, retaining her lectureship in Social Work.

She was appointed to the first Chair in Social Work in 1994 when Social Work became a department in its own right and was Head of Subject 1994 to 2000. She held University wide appointments as Senatus Assessor to the University Court 1998-2006, Head of the School of Social and Political Science 2002-2005 and as Vice-Principal Equality and Diversity 2006-2013.

She served on a number of public bodies, including the Joint University Council 1994-2000 and the Parole Board for Scotland 1995-2001. She was Chair of the Charities Edinburgh Association for Mental Health 1996-1999 and Children in Scotland 1996-2000 and chaired Tribunals for the city of Edinburgh from 1998-2008.

For her part she continued in the classroom, committed to the professional education of social workers. She was convinced of the importance of social science knowledge for social work practice and for the development of the profession. She supported the development of research skills for undergraduate and postgraduate students and encouraged independent thinking and critical judgement in their academic and professional work.

Under the initial tutorship of Professor John Triseliotis she was trained in the supervision of Postgraduate Research students. Relatively few individuals completed a PhD in Social Work in the UK before 2000 and Edinburgh led the way. Her former students saw academic appointments and senior appointments in social work services, government and policy research and development. Many sought to understand better their practice and to improve services.

• A McCollam ‘An evaluation of an employment project for mentally ill people’ ESRC Case Award (1988)
• E Kruk ‘The impact of divorce on non-custodial fathers: psychological and structural factors contributing to disengagement’ (1989)
• I Brodie ‘Teaching from practice in social work education: an analysis of the content of supervision sessions’ (1990)
• J Secker ‘A Phenomenological inquiry into the development of social work students’ practice as they progress through training’ (1991)
• J M Smith ‘Towards hope, normality and achievement: How parents cope with childhood cancer’ (1998)
• G Clapton ‘Perceptions of fatherhood: birth father and their adoption experiences’ (2000)
• J Warren ‘Talking a good match: a case study of placement matching in specialist adolescent foster care scheme’ (2001)
• R McKinlay ‘Mental health officers and the problematics of gender’ (2002)
• D Sidhva ‘Living with HIV/AIDS: turning points, transitions and transformations in the lives of women from Bombay and Edinburgh (2004)
• J Turpie ‘The participation of looked after children in permanency planning’ (2005)
• J Francis ‘Failing children: a study of the educational experiences of young people in residential care’ (2005)
• R Okoli ‘Children’s work: experiences of street vending children in Enugu Nigeria’ (2009)
• V Theocharidou ‘Lost in Transition: lived experiences of unaccompanied Afghan minors in Greece’ (2016)

Research grants were won at a time when relatively few sources of funding were available to support social work research in the UK, including multiple grants of three years allowing for studies of greater depth. The study of a cohort of 1000 children referred to the Scottish Children’s Hearings – a system for the adjudication of measures needed for children in need or in trouble, was a study before its time. She continues to publish on child welfare, juvenile justice and child protection.

The department has always had the good fortune of attracting outstanding students, the vast majority of whom have not only worked in front line services but who have also contributed generously to the education of the next generation of social work students at The University of Edinburgh. It has also attracted many visitors who have enriched its teaching and research.

Source: Own contribution.