Personal profile
Biography
Mary is an Honorary Research Fellow. She has combined research and writing with various roles in fostering and adoption social work practice and management.
Academic Background
Mary's research interests are in the lived experiences of foster care and adoption and she has been involved in longitudinal studies of children growing up in foster care (with Professor Gillian Schofield) and of contact after adoption (with Professor Elsbeth Neil).
Based on their research, Mary and Gillian Schofield developed the Secure Base model of therapeutic caregiving which is widely used to support children and caregivers in the UK and internationally.
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Projects
- 5 Finished
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Moving to Adoption Practice Model Project
Neil, B. (Principal Investigator), Beek, M. (Co-Investigator) & Schofield, G. (Co-Investigator)
1/04/19 → 31/07/20
Project: Research
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Providing a Secure Base in Schools: practice development proposal to the Alex Timpson Trust
Schofield, G. (Principal Investigator), Beek, M. (Co-Investigator) & Beek, M. (Researcher)
1/10/18 → 31/03/20
Project: Research
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Supporting children’s transitions from foster families to adoptive families: a project to develop and pilot a framework for professional practice
Neil, B. (Principal Investigator), Beek, M. (Co-Investigator), Schofield, G. (Co-Investigator) & Beek, M. (Researcher)
1/09/16 → 31/10/18
Project: Research
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DfE Children's Social Care Innovation Programme
Schofield, G. (Principal Investigator), Walsh, J. (Co-Investigator), Beek, M. (Researcher) & Young, J. (Researcher)
13/04/15 → 31/03/16
Project: Research
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Contact after adoption - a longitudinal follow-up in late adolescence
Neil, B. (Principal Investigator), Cossar, J. (Co-Investigator), Beek, M. (Researcher) & Ward, E. (Researcher)
1/01/12 → 30/06/14
Project: Research
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Adoption: Access to Information and Intermediary Services: A Practice Guide
Feast, J. (Lead Author), Neil, E., Jordan, L. & Beek, M., 15 May 2025, Centre for Research on Children and Families, UEA. 281 p.Research output: Book/Report › Commissioned report
Open Access -
Improving Adoption Services for Adults – end of project report and recommendations
Neil, E. (Lead Author), Jordan, L., Feast, J. & Beek, M., 30 Jun 2025, Centre for Research on Children and Families, UEA. 48 p.Research output: Book/Report › Commissioned report
Open AccessFile8 Downloads (Pure) -
Moving to Adoption: Using the UEA model to help children move from foster care to adoption
Beek, M., Neil, E. & Schofield, G., 24 Sept 2021, Coram BAAF. 155 p.Research output: Book/Report › Book
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Key principles for foster carers and adopters who are helping a child to move to adoption
Neil, E., Beek, M. & Schofield, G., 27 Mar 2020, 2 p. Centre for Research on Children and Families, UEA.Research output: Other contribution
Open AccessFile2887 Downloads (Pure) -
Respecting children's relationships and identities in adoption.
Beek, M. & Neil, E. (Lead Author), 1 Mar 2020, The Routledge Handbook of Adoption. Wrobel, G., Helder, E. & Marr, E. (eds.). Abingdon and New York: Routledge, p. 76-89 23 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter