Dr Maree Higgins
Doctor of Philosophy (Social Work), ACU National
Bachelor of Social Work (Hons First Class), ʹڲƱ
Maree Higgins is Senior Lecturer and the Social Work Honours Program Convenor at ʹڲƱ. Maree undertakes research on human rights priorities of people from refugee backgrounds, those with disability, older people and missing girls. Maree provides research supervision and teaches professional ethics and practice courses.She is an Associate of the Australian Institute of Human Rights and is affiliated with the Forced Migration Research Network, the Kaldor Centre and the Gendered Violence Research Network.
- Publications
- Media
- Grants
- Awards
- Research Activities
- Engagement
- Teaching and Supervision
Evans P, Baldry E, Sheehan R, Newton BJ, Higgins M, Trotter C, Flynn C & Urquhart RMissing girls: from childhood runaways to criminalised woman(2022-2025)Total Grant Awarded:$204,307
Newton, BJ, Higgins, M, Trotter, C., & Sheehan, R., Missing girls: from childhood runaway to criminalised woman(2019)Total Grant Awarded:$5,000
Baldry, E., Evans, P., Newton, BJ, Higgins, M., Trotter, C., & Sheehan, R., Missing girls: from childhood runaway to criminalised woman(2019)Total Grant Awarded:$5,000
Lenette, C., Banks, S., Milne, EJ, Nunn, C.,Higgins, M.,Atem, A., & Nguyen, D., (2019)Ethics and community-based participatory research in refugee studies: Co-designing a framework with refugee-background co-researchers(2019)Total Grant Awarded:$5,000
DZ:WIL Futures. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, ʹڲƱ (2019) Total Grant Awarded:$10,000
Ravulo, Fox, Higgins, Blakemore:NUW Alliance Community Hub (NUWACH).Newcastle, ʹڲƱ and Wollongong University Scheme (2018)Total Grant Awarded:$1,500
Maree'sresearch focuses on social justice, human rights and contextualised lived experience. She is an investigator on the following projects:
- Ethics and community-based participatory research in refugee studies: Co-designing a framework with refugee-background co-researchers
- Missing girls: from childhood runaway to criminalised woman
- SESLHD 'Beyond Respite' Project
- WIL Futures: Love to Life!
- NUW Alliance Community Hub (NUWACH)
I proudly engage with social work bodies including the Australian Heads of Schools of Socal Work, the National field Educational Network. and the Australian and New Zealand Social Work and Welfare Education and Research group as well as human rights and policy bodies including the Kaldor Centre, the Gendered Violence Research Network and the African Studies Association of Australasia and the Pacific.
My research engageswith people with lived experience of forced migration, incarceration,disability and older age, and the organisations working to promote their safety and inclusion including STARTTS, Foundation House, The Black Dog Instituteand the Prince of Wales Hospital.
My Research Supervision
PhD:Karen Daniels(2019, Principal): Experiences of people with SMI in Forensic Settings; Ben Garcia-Lee (2023, Principal): Belonging, intellectual disability and complex support needs; Iqra Riaz (2023, Principal) Preventing Intimate Partner Violence in Pakistan; Simon Metcalfe (2023, Joint)The Affective Dimensions of Border Regimes: Australia’s Violent Border Policies Towards People Seeking Asylum; Anna Laverty-Wilson (2023, Joint)Family members experiences in the immediate aftermath of an expected death at home. What are their and palliative care clinicians’ perspectives on support needs during this time?Honours:
Completions
Masters: Ms Miki Hachigo (2021, Principal):Transition into aged care for people who have experienced long-term homelessness and chronic alcohol use;
Honours:FreddyBurke (2022): “I’ll do it on my own, but I’m never alone”: lived experience and practitioner perspectives of autonomy in Eating Disorder treatment and recovery.Kate Mesaglio (2022): Considering voice and justice: Examining how courts view and respond to technology-facilitated abuse occurring post-separation.Rona Zaire-Sasson (2022):Suspicion, Ignorance, and Withheld Praise: What A Critical Feminist Analysis Tells Us About Women’s Experiences in Family Law.Abbey Somers (2022): Analysis of policies relating to the provision of care to Aboriginal women throughout birthing in the New South Wales maternity care subsystem.Meghan Sproule(2021): Inclusive sexual education with people with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Patricia Ho(2021): Human rights, displacement, conflict and war. Kaydee Jackosalem(2021): Accessibility, engagement, and culturally responsive practice with people from CALD backgrounds.Marina Aguirre (2020):Guatemalan Mayan women’s lived experiences of safety, freedom and identity. Jessica Totenhofer (2020):Social Work Acts of Resistance to Australia’s Refugee and Asylum Seeker Policies.Danya Schonberger (2019):Use of strengths-based approaches with people with intellectual disability.Timothy Indsto (2019):Media representations about male forced migrants.
My Teaching
- SOCW1001 Introduction to Social Work
- SOCW2100 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People in Social Work
- SOCW3009 Ethics and Reflective Practice
- SOSS3006 Social Policy in the Workplace
- SOCW4015 Social Work Honours (Thesis)
- SOCW4016 Social Work Honours (Practice Portfolio)