Carlene Firmin facts for kids

Carlene Firmin MBE is a British researcher and writer. She focuses on understanding and preventing violence that affects young people. Carlene created a special idea called Contextual Safeguarding. This idea helps keep young people safe outside their homes. She also started the MsUnderstood Partnership. Today, she is a professor of sociology at Durham University.

Early Life and Learning

Carlene Firmin grew up in London and went to St Michael's Catholic Grammar School. She studied philosophy at Fitzwilliam College at the University of Cambridge. Later, she earned a master's degree in social policy from the London School of Economics. She also completed a special doctorate degree from the University of Bedfordshire. For this, she wrote about how to protect young people from harm caused by their friends or other young people.

Her Work

Carlene Firmin has worked hard to help young people. She was a senior policy officer at an organization called Race on the Agenda (ROTA). There, she started a project known as GAG, which focused on helping girls affected by gangs.

From 2011 to 2014, Carlene wrote a regular column for The Guardian newspaper. It was called "Girl in the Corner."

In 2013, she created the MsUnderstood Partnership. This project works with other groups like Girls in Gangs and Imkaan. Its main goal is to make sure young people get better help and support when they face challenges.

Carlene is best known for developing Contextual Safeguarding. This important idea helps protect teenagers from dangers that happen outside their family homes. This could be in places like schools, neighborhoods, or even online. It looks at how a young person's environment affects their safety.

Before joining Durham University, Carlene was a senior researcher at the University of Bedfordshire. In September 2021, she became a professor of sociology at Durham University. This was a big achievement, as she was one of the youngest Black female professors in the UK at that time. She now leads the Contextual Safeguarding team there, continuing her important work.

Special Recognition

Carlene Firmin received a special honor called an MBE in 2011. This award is given for great service to the community. She was recognized for her work helping girls and women. At the time, she was the youngest Black woman to receive this honor.