Dr Tom Disney

Associate Professor

School: Communities and Education

I am a Social Geographer and my research interests centre on families and children experiencing interventions of the state, with a conceptual focus on care and control across a variety of institutions. I explore how these interventions break or facilitate cycles of marginalisation of children, young people and families. My work lies at the intersection of Geography, Social Work and Childhood Studies. I am interested in building dialogue between these disciplines.

Campus Address

Coach Lane Campus

Email Tom

@TDisney85

Research Themes and Scholarly Interests

I am an Associate Professor in Childhood Studies at Northumbria University, with expertise in social geography and child welfare. My research sits at the intersection of Geography, Social Work, and Childhood Studies, exploring how place and space shape the lives of children and families in contact with welfare systems.

I have conducted research across international contexts, including the operation of residential care settings and the experiences of young people transitioning out of state care in the Russian Federation. In the UK, my research has focused on longitudinal-ethnographic research into child protection social work; care-experienced students' access to higher education; and the engagement of Early Help services with families seeking support. Alongside this, I am also engaged in efforts to bring the concept of place into social work education.

I am currently PI of the Leverhulme Trust three-year funded project The Horror of Place-based Harms (£267,717). The project employs a transdisciplinary approach, bridging horror studies, social work, geography, and arts and design, to understand why certain places become associated with extra-familial harms for young people — contributing to theory building across all four disciplines.

I welcome collaborative research proposals that push the boundaries between Social Work and Geography, and am particularly interested in partnerships that bring new disciplinary perspectives to bear on questions of place, harm, and care.

Teaching is also central to my academic identity. I contribute to a wide range of modules across the Childhood and Early Years BA and MA programmes, and I bring research-informed perspectives into my teaching. I am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA) and am committed to inclusive, equitable teaching and academic practice that reflects the diverse experiences students bring to their studies.

Key Publications

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Family Hubs and the vulnerable care ecologies of child and family welfare in austerity, Disney, T., Crossley, S., King, H., Phillips, J., Robson, I., Smith, R. 1 Sep 2025, In: The Geographical Journal
Gender, resilience and recognition: masculinities and transitions out of care in Russia., Walker, C., Disney, T. 18 Feb 2025, In: Journal of Youth Studies
Care and Coronavirus: Perspectives on Childhood, Youth and Family, Disney, T., Grimshaw, L. 2 Dec 2024
Caring and Schooling in the Time of COVID-19, Disney, T., Grimshaw, L., Thomas, J. 2 Nov 2024, Care and Coronavirus: Perspectives on Childhood, Youth and Family, Leeds, Emerald
Introduction: Care, Childhood, Youth and Family in the context of Coronavirus, Disney, T., Grimshaw, L. 2 Nov 2024, Care and Coronavirus: Perspectives on Childhood, Youth and Family, Leeds, Emerald
The power of relationship-based supervision in supporting social work retention: A case study from long-term ethnographic research in child protection , Warwick, L., Beddoe, L., Leigh, J., Disney, T., Ferguson, H., Cooner, T. 1 Sep 2023, In: Qualitative Social Work
Young people leaving care and institutionalised vulnerability in the Russian Federation, Disney, T., Walker, C. 1 Dec 2023, In: Children and Youth Services Review
Child Protection Practice, Disney, T. 30 Sep 2022, Encyclopedia of Mobilities, Cheltenham, Edward Elgar
Relationship-based practice and the creation of therapeutic change in long-term work: Social work as a holding relationship, Ferguson, H., Warwick, L., Disney, T., Leigh, J., Cooner, T., Beddoe, L. 17 Feb 2022, In: Social Work Education
Schools and Safeguarding: Thinking Through Spaces and Contexts of Vulnerability and Harm, Lloyd, J., Disney, T. 17 Jun 2022, Understanding Safeguarding for Children and their Educational Experiences, Bingley, Emerald

Current and Recent Projects

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Half Day CPD event, McGovern, W. (Principal Investigator), Disney, T. (Co Investigator), Newcastle City Council, 27/11/23 - 27/11/23, £2,744.00

Professional Activity

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Organising a conference, workshop, ...: Supporting care experienced students journeys into HE. 1 day training event delivered by Become The National Charity for Care Leavers 2025
Other: A qualititative evaluation of Become The National Charity for Care Leavers Uni Rewady Programme 2024