I am a lecturer in the field of Individuals, families and communities. I am also a PHD student at Newcastle University and am interested in Bourdieusian discourse and social action. I have spend 15 years working in the drug and alcohol field, including, crime agencies, local authorities and the NHS. My last post was within the NHS commissioning and reform directorate where I led on the involvement agenda. I am committed to developing alternative ways of working and using strength based perspectives to inform practice.