Professor, University Scholar and Chairperson - Department of Social Work

Jan Fook, PhD, is an internationally-renowned scholar widely recognized for her work on critical social work, practice research and critical reflection. Having published extensively in these areas, she has held professorial level positions at several different universities in Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Norway. Over a career spanning four decades, Fook has shared her work in countries around the world such as Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Mongolia, Portugal, and Sweden.

For the past two decades, she has been developing and teaching her model of critical reflection, a deliberately structured and concrete methodology to get at the root of what’s underneath—and what’s implicit—in our understanding and assumptions about ourselves, others, and our place within our culture.

Dr. Fook was named as a 2022-2023 University Scholar by the UVM Graduate College for her sustained excellence in research, creative and scholarly activities. Since arriving at UVM in 2019, she led the Department of Social Work’s successful efforts in achieving accreditation through the Council for Social Work Education (CSWE) as well as expanding the department’s research capacity and productivity. She also guided the department’s work in re-visiting and updating its curriculum, long-term planning goals, and commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Publications

Books

J. Fook (Ed) (2022). Practising Critical Reflection in Social Care Organisations, Routledge, Oxford and New York.

L. Beres & J. Fook (Eds) (2020). Learning Critical Reflection: Experiences of Transformative Learning, Routledge, London and New York

Beres, L. & Fook, J. (Eds) (2019). Learning Critical Reflection: Experiences of the Transformative Learning Process. Routledge.

A.Mealey, J. Doherty, J. Fook & P. Jarvis (eds) (2018). Becoming Citizens: Perspectives on SocialJustice in the 21st Century, Routledge, London.

J. Fook, V. Collington, F. Ross, G. Ruch and L. West (Eds) (2016). Researching Critical Reflection: Multi-disciplinary Perspectives, Routledge, Oxford.

J. Fook & F. Gardner (Eds) (2013). Critical Reflection in Context: Applications in Health and Social Care Routledge, Oxford.

Fook, J. (2012). Social Work: A Critical Approach to Practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

Fook, J. & Gardner, F. (2007). Practising Critical Reflection: A Resource Handbook. New York, NY: Open University Press.

White, S., Fook, J., & Gardner, F. (Eds.) (2006). Critical Reflection in Health and Social Care. New York, NY: Open University Press.

Hick, S., Fook, J., & Pozzuto, R. (Eds.) (2005). Social Work: A Critical Turn. Toronto : Thompson Educational Pub.

Pease, B., & Fook, J. (1999). Transforming Social Work Practice: Postmodern Critical Perspectives. Psychology Press.

Fook, J. (1993). Radical Casework: A Theory of Practice. St Leonards, N.S.W.: Allen & Unwin.

Book Chapters

J. Fook (2022) “Introduction: Creating critically reflective work environments” in J. Fook (ed) Practicing Critical Reflection in Social Care Organisations, Oxford and New York.

J. Fook (2022) “A set of training programs designed to foster a criticallyreflective work environment in social care” in J. Fook (ed) Practicing Critical Reflection in Social Care Organisations, Oxford and New York.

J. Fook (2022) “Organizing critical reflection in social care” in J. Fook (ed) Practicing Critical Reflection in Social Care Organisations, Oxford and New York.

L. Beres & J. Fook (2020) “Learning critical reflection” in L. Beres & J. Fook (eds) (2020) Learning Critical Reflection: Experiences of Transformative Learning, Routledge, London and  New York.

L. Beres & J. Fook (2020) “Researching the learning experience of critical reflection” in L. Beres & J. Fook (eds) (2020) Learning Critical Reflection: Experiences of Transformative Learning, Routledge, London and New York.

J. Fook & L. Beres (2020) “Conclusion: Issues in learning and teaching critical reflection” in L. Beres & J. Fook (eds) (2020) Learning Critical Reflection: Experiences of Transformative Learning, Routledge, London and New York.

L. Beres & J. Fook (2020) “Resources for learning and teaching critical reflection” in L. Beres & J. Fook (eds) (2020) Learning Critical Reflection: Experiences of Transformative Learning, Routledge, London and New York.

A. Johns, J. Fook & V. Nath (2019) “Systemic changes to crack the concrete ceiling: initiatives from the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education” in P. Miller & C. Callendar (eds) Race, Education and Educational Leadership in England: an integrated analysis, pp. 183-208, Bloomsbury Press, London. 

Fook, J. (2019) Critical social work and social justice. In S. Webb (Ed.), The Routledge Handbook of Critical Social Work. 

Collington, V. & Fook, J. (2019). Reflective and intuitive practice. In J. E. Marshall (Ed.), Myle Professional Studies for Midwifery Education and Practice (pp. 71-84). Elsevier Limited.

Fook, J. (2019). Critical reflection and transformative possibilities. In L. Davies & P. Leonard (Eds.), Social Work in a Corporate Era: Practices of Power and Resistance (pp. 16-30). Ashgate Publishing.

Fook. J. (2019). Practice wisdom and sociological imagination. Practice wisdom. In J. Higgs (Ed.), Practice Wisdom: Values and Interpretations (Volume 3, pp. 95-106). Brill Publishing.

Johns, A., Fook, J., & Nath, V. (2019). Systemic changes to crack the concrete ceiling: Initiatives from the leadership foundation for higher education. In P. Miller & C. Callender (Eds.), Race, education and educational leadership in England: An integrated analysis (183-208). Bloomsbury Collections.

Journal Articles

Rowley, C., Fook, J., & Glazzard, J. (2018). Adopting a student-led pedagogic approach within higher education: the reflections of an early career academic. Reflective Practice International and Multidisciplinary Perspectives, 19(1),35-45. 10.1080/14623943.2017.1351352

Fook, J. (2017). “Being Accepted” and “Being Accepted”?. Social Work with Groups, 40(1-2),161-167. 10.1080/01609513.2015.1067010

Fook, J. (2017). Whither compassion? Affilia, 32(3), 404-406.

Gray, M. & Fook, J. (2004). The quest for a universal social work: Some issues and implications. Social Work Education, 23(5), 625-644.

Fook, J. & Askeland, G.A. (2007). Challenges of critical reflection: ‘Nothing ventured, nothing gained.' Social Work Education, 26(5), 520-533.

Fook, J. (2003). Critical social work: The current issues. Qualitative Social Work, 2(2), 123-130.

Hawkins, L., Fook, J., & Ryan, M. (2001). Social workers' use of the language of social justice. The British Journal of Social Work, 31(1), 1–13.

Fook, J. (1999). Reflexivity as method. Annual Review of Health Social Science, 9(1), 11-20.

Fook, J., Ryan, M., & Hawkins, L. (1997). Towards a theory of social work expertise. The British Journal of Social Work, 27(3), 399–417.

Awards and Recognition

University Scholar, Graduate College at the University of Vermont (2022-2023)

Presenting workshops on critical reflection for social work practitioners, supervisors and managers, including for the Office of the Chief Social Worker for England (2017-2018)

Writing a strategy and framework for continuing professional development for local authorities in West London, UK (2018)

Appointment as Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences, UK (2011)

Appointment as the Director of the Interprofessional Institute with the South West London Academic Network, UK (SWan) (2008-2011)

Award from the Economic and Social Research Council (UK) to run a series of seminars entitled “Critical Reflection: the Research Way Forward” (2011)

Writing a new social work program (4 year Bachelor of Social Work by distance), the first of its kind in Australia (1996)

Jan Fook

Areas of Expertise and/or Research

  • Critical reflection
  • Critical social work
  • Social work practice research

Education

  • Ph.D. in Social Work, University of Southampton, United Kingdom
  • M.S.W., Social Work, University of Sydney, Australia
  • B.S.W., Social Work, University of New South Wales, Australia

CV

File JFcvDec.2021.docx

Contact

Email:

Janis.Fook@uvm.edu

Office Location:

443 Waterman

Website(s):
  1. Jan Fook Recognized as University Scholar
  2. The Impact of Critical Reflection