Michelle Jones

APrf Michelle Jones

Associate Professor

School of Social Work and Social Care

College of Education, Behavioural and Social Sciences

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.

Dr Michelle Jones is an experienced and innovative social work researcher, educator and practitioner who is committed to social justice, continuous learning and research knowledge translation. Michelle has established a strong interdisciplinary research program focused on understanding and improving the social health, well-being, and safety of population groups, including children, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, women and religious minorities. Michelle’s research acknowledges and addresses the lived experiences of inequity and oppression impacting access to social justice, social inclusion, and human services. Michelle’s program of research has two interconnected streams: evaluation research in health and wellbeing and Decolonising Social Work. Michelle has won over $2m in research funding including category 1, 2 and 3 grants.  Before returning to the academy in 2017, Michelle worked as a research evaluator for SA Health and Correctional Services evaluating their childhood obesity prevention and offender programs, respectively. She also worked as a social worker in women’s health for Yarrow Place Rape and Sexual Assault Service and Pregnancy Advisory Centre.

2021-2024 Australian Research Council Linkage Grant ‘Developing a home-centre approach to supporting children and young people in state care’ Investigators: Natalier, K., Wendt, S., Jones, M., Seymour, K., Bastian, C. Partners: Department for Child Protection; Life Without Barriers and Anglicare.

2023-2024 Jones, Michelle., Champion, Marion., McLaren, Helen 'Partnering with consumers, co-design and test a multidisciplinary Family Meetings Guideline for NALHN.' NALHN Allied Health, Hospital Research Foundation

2022-2023 McLaren, H., Jones, M., Wong, R. and Huang, Y. Wyatt Trust. Prototyping and evaluation research related to supporting women experiencing homeless.

2022-2024 Jones, M., Bastian, C., Cantley, L., Clarke, K., Mitra vom Berg, N., Segev, E., Chen, H.L.,Wallengren-Lynch, M., Anka, A. Decolonising Social Work Practice Education (Field Instruction): International Association of Schools of Social Work Grant. 

2022-2023 McLaren, Helen., Jones, Michelle.  'Evaluation of the experiences in the Mockingbird Family, a foster/kinship care model.' Life Without Barriers. 

2022-2023 Jones, M. McLaren, H., Brodie, T. 'Evaluation of My Place', Women’s and Children’s Health Network.

2023 Chen, H.L., Wallengren-Lynch, M., Anka, A. Jones, M., Bastian, C., Cantley, L., Clarke, K., Mitra vom Berg, N., Segev, E. Using international participatory action approach to co-create teaching materials on decolonisation in social work curriculums. European Association of Schools of Social Work.

Year Citation
2025 Jones, M., Cantley, L., Quinn, D., Bishop, J., George, S., Shearing, T., & Champion, M. (2025). Working towards culturally safe and sensitive hospital social work practice in northern Adelaide, South Australia. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, online, 1-16.
DOI Scopus1
2025 Jones, M., Anka, A., Segev, E., Allassad Alhuzail, N., Mohamed, O., Wallengren Lynch, M., . . . Chen, H. L. (2025). Decolonising social work practice field education: a scoping review.. International Social Work, online(6), 1-19.
DOI Scopus1 WoS1
2025 Goudie, S., Natalier, K., Jones, M., & Seymour, K. (2025). Making, Unmaking and Remaking Home: Foster Carers' Home Practices Within Australia's Child Protection System. Child and Family Social Work, online, 1-10.
DOI
2025 Nayda, N., Jones, M., McLaren, H., & Edney, L. (2025). Early intervention for high risk youth: preliminary evidence of costs avoided. Australian Social Work, online(4), 1-16.
DOI Scopus1 WoS1
2025 McLaren, H., Wong, R., Patmisari, E., Jones, M., Fischer, J., Sutton, K., & Sinclair, Y. (2025). Developing the Linker/Navigator Service Blueprint: Evaluating Domains of Power Following Concept Co-Design Through to Readiness for Prototyping. Health and Social Care in the Community, 2025(8757146), 1-9.
DOI
2025 Patmisari, E., Jones, M., & McLaren, H. (2025). Exploring trust from the voices of Australian children, young people, and care networks in the Mockingbird Family. Children Australia, 47(2, article no. 3045), 1-14.
DOI
2024 Patmisari, E., McLaren, H., & Jones, M. (2024). Reconsidering recognition in the lives of children and young people in care: insights from the Mockingbird family in South Australia. Social Sciences, 13(2, article no. 81), 1-15.
DOI WoS3
2024 Jones, M., Cantley, L., Quinn, D., Quinn, D., Rigney, C., & van der Arend, J. (2024). Understanding well-being and safety for First Nations children and young people in the Riverland-Engaging with metic knowledge via a capability approach. Australian Journal of Social Issues, 60(2), 621-636.
DOI
2024 Jones, M., & Wendt, S. (2024). Developing an intake assessment for domestic and family violence supported accommodation. Australian Social Work, 77(2), 269-283.
DOI WoS3
2024 McLaren, H., Patmisari, E., & Jones, M. (2024). Professional quality of life of Australian Mockingbird FamilyTM foster carers: Compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress. Children and Youth Services Review, 158(107453), 1-10.
DOI WoS7
2024 McLaren, H., Taylor, R., Patmisari, E., McLaren, C., Jones, M., & Hamiduzzaman, M. (2024). Community Cultural Wealth among a South Australian Muslim Population: A Reflective Evaluation of Strengthening Family Health and Wellbeing. Religions, 15(3, article no. 351), 1-14.
DOI WoS1
2024 McLaren, H., Patmisari, E., Jones, M., Teekens, K., & Brunes, H. (2024). Keeping siblings in care connected: improving relationship stability via the Mockingbird Family Model. Australian Social Work, 77(4), 486-499.
DOI WoS2
2024 Jones, M., McLaren, H., Brodie, T., Bishop, J., York, K., & Edney, L. (2024). Stakeholder experiences collaborating with my place: a service supporting pregnant and young parents in the child welfare system in metropolitan Adelaide. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 29(1), 1-14.
DOI Scopus4 WoS2
2024 Jones, M., Patmisari, E., McLaren, H., Mather, S., & Skinner, C. (2024). Exploring social networks in foster caring: the mockingbird family in Australia. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 41(7), 1869-1891.
DOI Scopus3 WoS4
2023 Jones, M., Verity, F., & Harvey, E. (2023). Time and social space in South Australian rural health social work practice. Journal of Rural Studies, 97, 467-473.
DOI WoS3
2023 McLaren, H. J., Jones, M., & Patmisari, E. (2023). Multicultural quality of life: experiences of a South Australian Muslim community amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Indonesian Journal of Islam and Muslim Societies, 13(1), 57-84.
DOI WoS4
2023 Patmisari, E., McLaren, H., & Jones, M. (2023). Socio-developmental network analysis: establishing a research method to examine socio-contextual dynamics of children in the Mockingbird Familyᵀᴹ. Social Sciences, 12(3), 1-17.
DOI WoS7
2023 McLaren, H., Patmisari, E., Jones, M., Skinner, C., & Mather, S. (2023). Piloting the Mockingbird Family™ in Australia: experiences of foster carers and agency workers. Child and Family Social Work, 29(2), 411-421.
DOI WoS8
2022 Harvey, E., & Jones, M. (2022). Using complex adaptive systems theory to understand the complexities of hospital social work practice in rural and remote South Australia. British Journal of Social Work, 52(5), 2669-2688.
DOI WoS9
2022 Patmisari, E., McLaren, H., & Jones, M. (2022). Multicultural quality of life predictive effects on wellbeing: a cross-sectional study of a Muslim community in South Australia. Journal of Religion and Spirituality in Social Work, 41(4), 384-403.
DOI WoS4
2022 McLaren, H., Hamiduzzaman, M., Patmisari, E., Jones, M., & Taylor, R. (2022). Health and social care outcomes in the community: review of religious considerations in interventions with Muslim-minorities in Australia, Canada, UK, and the USA. Journal of Religion and Health, 63(3), 2031-2067.
DOI WoS6
2022 Chen, J., McLaren, H., Jones, M., & Shams, L. (2022). The aging experiences of LGBTQ ethnic minority older adults: a systematic review. The Gerontologist, 62(3), e162-e177.
DOI WoS37
2022 Jones, M. G., & Verity, F. (2022). Rethinking sustainability in childhood obesity prevention interventions: learning from South Australia's Obesity Prevention and Lifestyle (OPAL) Programme. Health Promotion International, 37(1, article no. daab080), 1-14.
DOI
2021 Mandara, M., Wendt, S., McLaren, H., Jones, M., Dunk West, P., & Seymour, K. (2021). First contact social work: responding to domestic and family violence. Australian Social Work, 76(4), 589-602.
DOI WoS8
2021 McLaren, H., Patmisari, E., Hamiduzzaman, M., Jones, M., & Taylor, R. (2021). Respect for religiosity: review of faith integration in health and wellbeing interventions with Muslim minorities. Religions, 12(9, article no. 692), 19 pages.
DOI WoS13
2021 Wendt, S., Bastian, C., & Jones, M. (2021). Building collaboration with child protection and domestic and family violence sectors: trialling a Living Lab Approach. British Journal of Social Work, 51(2), 692-711.
DOI WoS8
2020 Wilson, A. M., Kelly, J., Jones, M., O'Donnell, K., Wilson, S., Tonkin, E., & Magarey, A. (2020). Working together in Aboriginal health: A framework to guide health professional practice. BMC Health Services Research, 20(1), 1-11.
DOI Scopus41 WoS39 Europe PMC27
2019 Bell, L., Ullah, S., Leslie, E., Magarey, A., Olds, T., Ratcliffe, J., . . . Cobiac, L. (2019). Changes in weight status, quality of life and behaviours of South Australian primary school children: results from the Obesity Prevention and Lifestyle (OPAL) community intervention program. BMC public health, 19(1), 1338.
DOI Scopus17 WoS13 Europe PMC12
2018 Zivkovic, T., Warin, M., Moore, V., Ward, P., & Jones, M. (2018). Fat as productive: Enactments of fat in an Australian suburb. Medical Anthropology: Cross Cultural Studies in Health and Illness, 37(5), 373-386.
DOI Scopus11 WoS8 Europe PMC4
2017 Jones, M., & Verity, F. (2017). Partnerships in obesity prevention: maximising co-benefits. Health promotion journal of Australia, 28(1), 44-51.
DOI Scopus9 WoS10 Europe PMC6
2016 Kostadinov, I., Daniel, M., Jones, M., & Cargo, M. (2016). Assessing change in perceived community leadership readiness in the Obesity Prevention and Lifestyle Program. Health promotion journal of Australia, 27(3), 208-214.
DOI Scopus12 WoS11 Europe PMC9
2016 Wilson, A., Kelly, J., Magarey, A., Jones, M., & Mackean, T. (2016). Working at the interface in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health: focussing on the individual health professional and their organisation as a means to address health equity. International Journal for Equity in Health, 15(1), 187-1-187-12.
DOI Scopus24 WoS22 Europe PMC14
2016 Bell, L., Ullah, S., Olds, T., Magarey, A., Leslie, E., Jones, M., . . . Cobiac, L. (2016). Prevalence and socio-economic distribution of eating, physical activity and sedentary behaviour among South Australian children in urban and rural communities: baseline findings from the OPAL evaluation. Public health, 140, 196-205.
DOI Scopus19 WoS15 Europe PMC15
2016 Jones, M., Cargo, M., Warin, M., & Verity, F. (2016). OPALesence: Epistemological pluralism in the evaluation of a systems-wide childhood obesity prevention program. Evaluation International Journal of Theory Research and Practice, 22(1), 29-48.
DOI Scopus14 WoS13
2015 Warin, M., Zivkovic, T., Moore, V., Ward, P. R., & Jones, M. (2015). Short horizons and obesity futures: Disjunctures between public health interventions and everyday temporalities. Social Science & Medicine, 128, 309-315.
DOI Scopus80 WoS68 Europe PMC34
2015 Wilson, A., Magarey, A., Jones, M., O'Donnell, K., & Kelly, J. (2015). Attitudes and characteristics of health professionals working in Aboriginal health. Rural and Remote Health, 15(1), 2739-1-2739-14.
DOI Scopus36 WoS32 Europe PMC16
2014 Chen, G., Ratcliffe, J., Olds, T., Magarey, A., Jones, M., & Leslie, E. (2014). BMI, health behaviors, and quality of life in children and adolescents: a school-based study. Pediatrics, 133(4), E868-E874.
DOI Scopus103 WoS99 Europe PMC81
2014 Richards, Z., Kostadinov, I., Jones, M., Richard, L., & Cargo, M. (2014). Assessing implementation fidelity and adaptation in a community-based childhood obesity prevention intervention. Health Education Research, 29(6), 918-932.
DOI Scopus17 WoS16 Europe PMC11
2010 Wilson, A. M., Magarey, A. M., Dollman, J., Jones, M., & Mastersson, N. (2010). The challenges of quantitative evaluation of a multi-setting, multi-strategy community-based childhood obesity prevention programme: lessons learnt from the eat well be active Community Programs in South Australia. Public health nutrition, 13(8), 1-9.
DOI Scopus14 WoS11 Europe PMC11

  • Exploration of barriers to reporting and help seeking following adult rape and sexual assault in South Australia, SA Dept of Health, 01/07/2024 - 30/06/2026

  • The State of Sexual Violence: Prevalence and Barriers to Reporting and Help Seeking within South Australia, Women's and Children's Health Network Incorporated, 16/09/2025 - 31/03/2026

  • EASSW - Using international participatory action approach to co-create teaching materials on decolonisation in social work curriculums, University of Sussex, 01/02/2024 - 31/01/2025

  • NALHN - Aboriginal Health Consumers' voices informing the provision of culturally respectful and safe social work practice, The Hospital Research Foundation, 07/05/2024 - 30/06/2024

Courses I teach

  • WELF 4032 Leading and Managing in Human Service Organisations (2025)
  • WELF 5098 Contemporary Practice Theories for Social Work (2025)
  • WELF 5103 Leadership in Social Work (2025)
  • WELF 4030 Child Centred Practice (2024)
  • WELF 4032 Leading and Managing in Human Service Organisations (2024)

Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
2024 Principal Supervisor - Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Sally-Ann Keipert
2024 Co-Supervisor - Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Rebecca Jane Regan-Coe

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