Crook Public Service Fellowships 2017-18 The Crook1 Public Service Fellowships at the University of Sheffield provide the opportunity for future leaders in public and not-for-profit sectors to take short periods away from their day job and immerse themselves in a collaborative project with academic colleagues on a pressing policy issue or challenge. The Fellowships enable public service colleagues to engage in new and innovative thinking that can sometimes be inhibited by the day-to-day workplace pressures of leadership and management. Crook Public Service Fellows work closely with our academics in a partnership that offers mutual learning and encourages original thinking, combining the latest academic research with practical experience, in order to influence their sector and potentially the wider society. The University of Sheffield is committed to undertaking excellent and high impact research. At the heart of our mission is the desire to help people better understand the world and to help make it a better place. The Crook Public Service Fellowship scheme is an essential part of helping us achieve this mission. What’s it about? Crook Public Service Fellows benefit from:    

Gaining further knowledge and insight into their field of expertise Building professional networks through collaborating with leading academics in their field Enhancing their personal development Producing high quality work that is useful not only to their employer, but also the sector by ideally influencing a wider policy debate

The Fellowship is a year-long programme. This typically involves four short intensive periods at the University where the Fellows are paired with University colleagues, working together on a specific theme/challenge. As part of the scheme, Fellows are expected to co-produce a paper or output with their partner academic (or academic team). Such outputs might include a policy paper or report, an academic paper or another form of output, subject to agreement. All outputs of the Fellows are expected to be widely promoted and disseminated, with support from the University. The academics involved, will be matched with the Fellows and will be selected for their high quality policy-relevant research. The collaborative projects should offer new insights and be of value to policy makers and practitioners. They must have to potential to impact on the wider debates in the field. This year’s theme: ‘Children’s Chances’ Each year, the Crook Public Service Fellowships are focused on a particular theme that aligns with the strategic priorities and academic strengths of the University. Building on our highly successful past fellowships of ‘Democracy’ (2015) and ‘The Housing Challenge’ (2016) we are moving forward with the next theme of ‘Children’s Chances’ for 2017. The Faculty of Social Sciences has a unique set of experience and expertise to enable us to provide a holistic and fresh approach to this significant, cross-cutting challenge. Our expertise covers areas such as welfare inequality, 1

Professor ADH Crook is an Emeritus Professor at the University of Sheffield. He served as Pro-Vice Chancellor for a decade until 2008 and was awarded a CBE in 2014 for his service to housing. Professor Crook has been Chair of Shelter and Sheffield Homes and has also held senior roles with Orbit Housing Group and the Coalfields Regeneration Trust. He serves on the RTPI Board and on the national council of the Academy of Social Sciences. The scheme has been established and named in recognition of Professor Crook’s commitment to public service and to reflect his support for the Fellowships.

disadvantaged communities, early childhood education and family literacy. There is opportunity to engage with the University’s Departments of Sociological Studies, Geography, Education and Urban Studies and Planning. As part of the scheme, Fellows are expected to co-produce a paper or output with their partner academic(s). We hope that these collaborative projects, which will be widely promoted and disseminated, will offer new insights and be of value to policy makers and practitioners. Who should apply and how does it work? Applications are invited from the Civil Service, Local Government, think tanks and/or Non-Governmental Organisations across the UK and Europe. Each Fellow will spend a year on the programme and this will involve up to four short intensive periods at the University when the fellows will be paired with University colleagues working together on a specific theme/challenge. The four phases of the programme will cover:    

horizon scanning: project scoping, problem definition and project planning data collection: including case study development, field visits, and focus group discussions. analysis: testing and refining findings and proposals problem solving: including writing up a final output

The Fellows will also benefit from being part of cohort discussions and will participate in thematic workshops and seminars with a wide range of academics from different disciplines. Fellows will have standard travel and accommodation costs covered to enable visits to the University, and will also be able to access research support from PhD students at Sheffield to enhance the project. Salary costs are not normally covered as part of the Fellowship. Applicants from Europe may be required to find additional financial support from their home institution, due to limited funds available for subsistence. Advisory Group: The Crook Public Fellowships scheme is overseen by a high level Advisory Group, who will select the final candidates. Members include:       

Sir Stephen Bubb, Chief Executive, Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations Ms Jenny Dibden, Head, Government Social Research Service Professor Anthony Crook, Emeritus Professor of Town and Regional Planning and former Senior Pro-Vice Chancellor, University of Sheffield Dr Emma Stone, Director of Policy and Research, Joseph Rowntree Foundation Ms Trudi Elliott, Chief Executive, The Royal Town Planning Institute Professor Gill Valentine, Pro Vice Chancellor, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Sheffield (Chair) Professor Craig Watkins, - Director of Research and Innovation, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Sheffield

Apply now! For more information including the application form and further details of the first cohort of Fellows, visit www.sheffield.ac.uk/faculty/social-sciences/crook-public-service-fellowships. The deadline for applications is the 5th of May 2017. Successful candidates will be advised by mid-June 2017, with the Fellowship to officially commence in October of this year. For any informal inquiries about the scheme, please contact Claire Williams, Research Support Administrator, Faculty of Social Sciences ([email protected]).

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