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Dr Martin Robb
Profile summary
- Central Academic Staff
- Senior Lecturer
- Faculty of Wellbeing, Education & Language Studies
- School of Health, Wellbeing & Social Care
- Health & Social Care
- martin.robb
Web links
Web links
Professional biography
Martin Robb is a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies, based in the School of Health, Wellbeing and Social Care, and is currently the academic lead for the MA in Childhood and Youth. He is the author of Men, Masculinities and the Care of Children: Images, Ideas and Identities, published by Routledge in 2020 and co-editor, with Kerry Jones, of Men and Loss: Bereavement, Grief and Masculinity, to be published by Routledge in 2024. Martin hosts the Careful Thinking podcast and is co-editor of the interdisciplinary journal Children & Society. His academic research has been broadly concerned with issues relating to gender, identity and care. He was Principal Investigator for 'Beyond Male Role Models: Gender Identities and Practices in Work with Young Men' (2013-15), a collaboration between The Open University and Action for Children, funded by the ESRC, and 'Young Men, Masculinity and Wellbeing' (2016-17), in partnership with Promundo, and funded by Axe/Unilever. Most recently, Martin has been engaged with colleagues in research with bereaved fathers. Before joining the Open University Martin worked in a variety of community education projects with disadvantaged adults and young people.
Research interests
- Currently developing writing project on care ethics and personalist philosophy
- Fathers, football and perinatal loss (2021 - 2023)
- Young men, masculinity and wellbeing (principal investigator, in partnership with Promundo, funded by Axe/Unilever, 2016-17)
- Beyond male role models: gender identities and practices in work with young men (principal investigator; in partnership with Action for Children, funded by ESRC, 2013-2015)
- Fatherhood and identity (funded by Faculty of Health and Social Care Committee, 2001)
- Men, masculinities and childcare (funded by Faculty of Health and Social Care Research Committee, 1998)
- Project to assess the training needs of people working with parents and primary carers (with Parenting Education and Support Forum, funded by Home Office, 1999-2000)
- Reading, discourse and learning (funded by Institute of Educational Technology Research Committee, 1996)
Teaching interests
Current and recent teaching responsibilities include:
- E822 Masters multi-disciplinary dissertation module: education, childhood and youth: chair, author
- K804 Developing advanced clinical practice: co-chair
- E809 Frameworks for critical practice with children and young people: chair, author, co-editor
- E808 Children's and young people's worlds: author, co-editor
- KE206 Making a difference: working with children and young people: author
- K828 Researching and evaluating healthcare practice (rewrite): chair
- K827 Advancing Healthcare Practice (rewrite): co-chair
- EK313 Research with Children and Young People: Reader editor and author
- K802 Critical Practice with Children and Young People: chair and author
- KE308 Youth: Perspectives and Practice: co-chair and author
- K309 Communication in Health and Social Care: chair and author
- K204 Working with Children and Families: author
Current and recent postgraduate supervision includes:
- Rachel Wood (co-design of parenting education for women in the criminal justice system)
- Laura Horne (using a trauma-informed approach in a school setting)
- Gemma Ballard (fathers and perinatal mental health)
- Aaron Mvula (young fathers in Zambia)
- Samantha Goodliffe (families and celiac disease)
- Ned Redmore (parenting and autistic adults)
- Christopher Chaloner (older fathers)
- Katia Narzisi (international adoptions in Italy)
- Alison Davies (parental constructions of ADHD)
- Jeff Hunt (fatherhood and masculine identity)
- Ian Ndlovu (street children in Zimbabwe))
- Jane Reeves (socially excluded young fathers)
Impact and engagement
- Co-editor, Children & Society
- Host, Careful Thinking podcast
- Member, ESRC Peer Review College
- Member, Advisory group and expert panel, National Evaluation of 'A Better Start' programme
- Member, Fathers Development Foundation advisory group
- Member, Men as Change Agents Working Group: Government Equalities Office/Women's Business Council
- Panel member, National Consultation with Women: Government Equalities Office, November 2014
- Independent expert representing UK at European Commission exchange of good practice seminar on role of men in gender equality: Helsinki, Finland, October 2014
External collaborations
- Axe/Unilever-funded research project 'Young men, masculinity and wellbeing' (2016-17), in collaboration with Promundo-US
- ESRC-funded research project 'Beyond Male Role Models' (2013-2015), in collaboration with Action for Children
Research groups
| Name | Type | Parent Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Children and Young People Research Group | Group | Faculty of Health and Social Care |
Externally funded projects
Young men, masculinity and well-being
| Role | Start date | End date | Funding source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead | 01 Sep 2016 | 28 Feb 2017 | Promundo |
This research project, organised on behalf of Promundo-US, will use focus groups to explore the attitudes and experiences of a cross-section of British young men, with the aim of examining connections between masculine identity and well-being. The project, which builds on a questionnaire survey commissioned by Promundo, forms part of a three-country study in the UK, the US and Mexico. | |||
Do boys need male role models? Gender Identities and Practices in Work with Young Men
| Role | Start date | End date | Funding source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead | 01 May 2013 | 30 Apr 2015 | ESRC Economic and Social Research Council |
Young men have become a key focus of public anxiety in recent years, with widespread concern about educational under-achievement, poor mental health and anti-social behaviour. One popular explanation for these poor outcomes has been the absence of male role models from the lives of many vulnerable young men, resulting in a number of initiatives aimed at increasing male involvement in boys' lives and recruiting more men to work in educational and welfare settings. But how much do we know about the part played by gender in work with young men? Does it really make a difference if boys are surrounded by positive male role models? This project has provided a unique opportunity to explore these questions, in a way that offers fresh insights into young men's lives and contributes to improving professional relationships. The project has been developed in partnership between a team at The Open University and a national charity, Action for Children. The research was carried out at projects throughout the UK and included focus groups and individual interviews with service users and staff, and an analysis of policy documents, media stories and academic texts. It includes a comprehensive dissemination process, including a short film, aimed at sharing the findings of the research with a wide audience, with a view to increasing understanding of the issues and improving practice in work with boys and young men. | |||
