New chapter championing social justice for mum and Doctor of Law after return to studies

Dr Uju Chike-Anamdi is soon to graduate from the University with a Master of Arts (MA) in Social Work, after achieving a distinction and high praise from her tutors.

Uju, who lives in Warrington and is originally from Nigeria, shared more on her motivations for embarking on new studies: “I chose to study Social Work because I wanted to be more involved in my community, support people directly, and advocate for marginalised and vulnerable groups. Promoting social justice has always been important to me, and this interest developed further during my PhD. I completed my PhD in Law at Trinity College Dublin in 2017, where my research focused on women’s representation in corporate environments. Through that research, I became more aware of the need for advocacy and inclusive practices, and I realised that social work would allow me to make a more practical, hands-on contribution in this area.”

Uju’s 10,000-word MA dissertation reflected these interests and, while it was the biggest challenge for her on the course, she overcame this to produce, as lecturers described “an exceptionally strong piece of writing”. Furthermore, the dissertation is being developed into a paper for publication with the assistance of Dr Bridget Caffrey, Senior Lecturer in Social Work at the University.

“Although I had completed a PhD dissertation of over 100,000 words more than eight years ago, the thought of starting another large piece of work felt daunting at first. With the support of my family and my supervisor, Dr Bridget Caffrey, the process became much more manageable,” she said.

She added: “My dissertation explored how ineffective regulation can affect the wellbeing of both service users and social workers. The research gave me deeper insight into how regulatory systems, or the lack of them, can contribute to social injustice for certain groups, including professionals working in the sector. I hope to publish this work in the future and that it will help inform policy and practice.”

Following the completion of her dissertation and her final practice placement, Uju was offered a permanent social work post in St Helens.

Uju outlined: “I’m very happy to have been offered a role with the team where I completed my final placement. I’m really excited about this opportunity as it will allow me to continue developing my skills while working with a wide range of professionals and supporting people across the community. It feels like a great next step in my career.”

Uju is also staying connected with the University, co-facilitating lessons at University Centre Warrington with the MA course lead, Emily Weygang, in this current academic year.

The new University role builds on experience Uju gained after completing her PhD (the highest level of academic degree), when she worked as a remote teacher on an online LLM (Master of Laws) programme, before moving to roles outside academia and the legal profession to fit around family life.

She said: “I enjoy research, sharing knowledge, and supporting others in their learning, so becoming more involved in the academic community is definitely something I see in my future. I also hope that my involvement will encourage people from different backgrounds to get involved.”

Uju added that studying at the University of Chester had been a very positive experience: “Resources such as Academic Skills Support, Careers Services, and the library are easy to access, and the MA Programme Leader, Emily Weygang, was very supportive and responsive to our cohort’s needs. Many students were balancing finances, family responsibilities, and other pressures, and support from both academic and non-academic staff was always available.”

She also found that the base for the programme, at University Centre Warrington, provided the ideal location, being close to home.

Reflecting further, she continued: “Completing my MA in Social Work with a distinction has been incredibly fulfilling. From the start of the course, this was something I really wanted to achieve, and I put in a lot of effort to work towards it. I’m proud that I was able to reach that goal.”

Programme Leader, Emily, said: “Not only has Uju excelled academically but she embodies social work values, supporting and encouraging other students, with a smile throughout her journey.”