Em Temple-Malt

Biography

Em has been teaching Criminology and Sociology in HEIs for the past 13 years. Before arriving at Keele in April 2024, Em taught at Bath Spa university, University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan university. Em was formerly a Course Director, Senior Lecturer and postgraduate course lead for three postgraduate programmes (Sociology and Social Justice, Criminology and Criminal Justice and Transnational Organised Crime) at Staffordshire University.

Em was a mature student when she embarked on her university studies (BSc Sociology, Mres Sociology; PhD Sociology) and as such recognises the significance and transformational potential of university and relishes designing and delivering high-quality student-led and student-focused teaching. Em has a PgCHPE and became a Senior Fellow of the HEA in April 2024.

Em's specialist research areas includes: Equality and Diversity, Gender and Sexuality, Life Course and generational, the impact of societal attitudes on everyday lives, Victimology, GBV, Trafficking, Crimes of the Powerful, Social Harm theory, Leadership and Team Work, Project Design and Research Methods among others.

A significant passion is to teach project design and research methods to undergraduate and postgraduate students. Her approach is practical/hands-on - and learners are taught the nuts and bolts of design, methods and analytical techniques for interpreting quantitative and qualitative data. Learners are then encouraged to have a go at these methods/techniques during workshops. Learners are also supported and encouraged to pursue topics of interest to them.

A significant passion for Em is the teaching of project design and research methods which has allowed Em to identify and nurture the next generation of academics. Apprentice academics are identified at undergraduate level, supported to develop project ideas during postgraduate studies before developing original research for exploration at PhD level.

In addition to teaching and research (see below for further details), Em is a horse enthusiast. She is a committee member for Chapel & District Riding club organising training events for club members. She competes in Dressage and Showing competitions with her Friesian x cob, Molly.

Research and scholarship

Em’s research oscillates around the theme of relationships.

One strand of research is the connection between self and society and the use of life course theory as a tool to explore how interactions with others open up or close down how people live their everyday lives. The earliest expression of this is the study of the everyday lives of lesbian and gay people (who were in their formative years in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s). In particular, Em is fascinated by using archive sources and life stories to understand how societal attitudes and interactions with others can open up or close down opportunities for self-expression and the extent to which sexual minorities feel able to display their identity to others.

The past seven years has involved working collaboratively with a variety of different academics from other disciplines in the UK and EU (e.g. social work, health care, performing arts), a variety of Staffordshire high schools and educational practitioners (Staffordshire high school head teachers, pastoral managers, PSHE leads) and domestic abuse & sexual assault support organisations (Staffordshire Women’s Aid and Relationships without Fear/Arch) to investigate solutions for tackling and breaking the cycle of domestic abuse in Staffordshire and to ensure that domestic abuse and sexual assault services strive to meet the needs of all their diverse service users.

Em’s recent research projects have employed mixed methods (specifically facet methodology) for both theoretical and practical reasons. Theoretically, employing a variety of quantitative and qualitative research techniques allows for richer understanding of phenomena under investigation. Practically, mixed methods have been vital in eliciting voices from vulnerable/hard to reach groups.

Future research interests include the significance of horse-human relationships (equine therapy and benefits on human mental health); and the doctoral supervisory relationship.

Further information

Em’s research predominately focuses on the Staffordshire locale, which has led her to develop a detailed and current knowledge of the various issues, trends, and challenges facing domestic abuse and sexual assault services in Staffordshire. Findings from these various studies have featured in non-published reports provided to organisations to highlight best practice and areas for improvement (Page & Temple-Malt 2017; Temple-Malt & Page 2018; Temple-Malt 2019). I have also shared study findings to stakeholders in the local area (Page & Temple-Malt, 2017; Temple-Malt and Walton-Williams 2022; 2023) and to academic audiences at international conferences in the EU and in academic peer reviewed articles (Page & Temple-Malt, 2018a). 

In October 2022, the Staffordshire University Violence against Women and Girls (SU-VAWG) hub was launched. Em is co-director of the SU-VAWG alongside Laura Walton-Williams and Sam Spence.

The hub was established to enable organisations involved in supporting victims/survivors of domestic abuse and sexual offences to connect, learn, collaborate and share ideas to positively impact the VAWG agenda. The hub is open to the public. The attendees include the police, council, education (schools, colleges, universities), charities, third sector organisations, solicitors, social workers, university students and staff.

Supervision

Hannah Bennett - The Prison Crime-Terror Nexus
Laura Sanders - Trauma informed approaches in probation
Charlotte Rigby - Looking for a Man’s Job?’: A Historiography of Policewomen’s Experiences throughout the 70s, 80s& 90s
Jack Whalley - Echoes of transformation; coalescing the legacy of COVID-19 in the English Education sector
Emilia Reeves - Incel culture and misogyny in schools: how effectively does the prevent programme address these issues?

Collaborations and grants awards

Funded studies

Breaking the Cycle of Domestic Abuse Reoffending (2016) involved an investigation on behalf of Public Health and Safer City Partnership, to identify whether (and how) improvements to services and effective rehabilitation of domestic abuse perpetrators could lead to a reduction in domestic abuse re-offending. The findings from this project, highlighted the importance of educating high school pupils about healthy relationships, in the efforts to reduce domestic abuse in adult relationships.

Recognition and Education in Violence, Abuse and Neglect for Medical and Healthcare Practitioners (REVAMP). Em was part of a team of academics from Staffordshire university working alongside seven EU partners on this three-year project funded by the European Union’s Erasmus+ Programme. The study produced a set of online learning materials (see https://revamp.hfac.keele.ac.uk/) that has been designed to educate health, medical, and social care practitioners to recognise signs that patients and/or service users might be living in an abusive relationship. The programme also offered guidance around safely signposting patients/service users to domestic abuse support organisations.

Responding to the Needs of Sexual Assault and Abuse Victims from Black and Ethnic Minority Communities in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent (2021-2022)

Em was the PI for this project. It sought to identify the needs and barriers that discourage ethnically diverse victims/survivors of sexual violence/abuse from reporting experiences and accessing mainstream sexual abuse services. Victims/survivors completed questionnaires about their reporting practices and barriers to seeking support. Practitioners from various sexual violence support services were consulted about their experiences of interactions with victims/survivors from ethnically diverse communities. Outputs included: a written project report Responding to the needs to sexual assault and abuse victims from black and ethnic minority communities in Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent; a series of digital story-telling videos; an online interactive webinar, drawing on case studies from ethnically diverse victim/survivor’s experiences of seeking support for sexual violence. Hosting a series of training events for practitioners to aid their understanding of the needs and what changes are required to make their services more inclusive to minority groups needing support with sexual violence.

Unfunded studies

Further research projects were developed, where Em worked in partnership with domestic abuse organisations and high schools/educational professionals to educate teenagers about healthy relationships. A series of projects were developed and evaluated the efficacy of a series of methods and interactive participatory performances and workshops. The aim of these workshops was to: 
-reduce teenager’s tolerance of abusive relationships  
-equip teenager’s to actively learn to detect red flags that relationships or friendships might be toxic  
-give cohorts of teenager’s opportunities to practice, in a safe environment how to challenge others’ abusive behaviours.

In 2019, Em agreed to design an evaluation of the Staffordshire Women’s Aid SURVIVE sexual assault and abuse service for adult service users. The findings and recommendations were used to inform the service’s application for further funding to continue to deliver its service. The evaluation (and report produced) was credited as securing the organization a further five years of funding to continue delivering the service.

Em is in the fourth (and penultimate) year of a longitudinal evaluation of the SURVIVE service: Evaluating the effectiveness of Staffordshire Women’s Aid Survive sexual assault and abuse service (2021-2026). The evaluation has another year of data collection planned (victim/survivor perspectives and practitioner perspectives). A final study report will be produced in 2026.