Paul joined the criminology team at ARU as a Lecturer in Criminology and Policing in 2021, following a career in children’s services. As a child protection practitioner, Paul has proven knowledge and experience in child protection having supported children and young people who are at risk of significant harm or of being criminally exploited.
Visit the ARU in the Community: A Trusted Adult Scheme webpage
Paul has completed his MA in International Slavery Studies and a PhD in Criminology, which was the first research in England and Wales to examine child protection practitioners' understanding of Child Sex Trafficking and the National Referral Mechanism.
He is currently working with colleagues at the International Policing and Public Protection Research Institute (IPPPRI), examining attitudes and victim blaming towards victims of Child Sexual Exploitation and Child Sex Trafficking. This research hopes to shed light on the subterranean bias, reflexive practice and victim blaming that exists within the child protection profession to effect change.
Paul is involved in numerous social enterprises such as the Trusted Adult Scheme. This brings together a team of youth support workers, the network of child protection practitioners, academics and trained adults to work together to advance our understanding of the needs of children and young people. This is in partnership with Cambridgeshire County Council and strengthens ARU’s links to its local communities.
It also champions ARU as a community asset to enable future partnerships and support the professional development and capacity of the voluntary youth sector with a focussed civic mission, which ARU are committed to working on with others through education, research and knowledge exchange to enhance the economic, cultural and social wellbeing of the communities in which we work and live.
Paul is also very keen to support work readiness and increase social mobility in children and young people via social enterprise to develop experience and practice understanding for students studying degrees that lead to careers in services for children and young people, especially for those studying career pathways linked to statutory children and young people’s services and within the third sector.
Paul teaches on a variety of modules across the criminology programme.
Nelson, J. P., 2024. A Multifaceted Academic Framework - Youth Violence Reduction via Civic Enterprise: ARU in the Community, A Trusted Adult Scheme (TAS) Presented at the American Society of Criminology Annual Conference, San Francisco, USA.
Nelson, J. P., 2023. The Child Protection Paradox Model: Child Sex Trafficking in England and Wales Presented at the American Society of Criminology Annual Conference, Philadelphia, USA.
Nelson, J. P., 2023. Child Sex Trafficking in England and Wales: The Need to Close the Gaps. Presented at the European Society of Criminology Annual Conference, Florence, Spain.
Nelson, J. P., 2023. Child Sex Trafficking in England and Wales: Child Protection Responses. Presented at the Making Research Count Conference, University of Bedfordshire, UK.
Nelson, J. P., 2023. Exploring the benefits of Social Enterprise. Presented at the Catania University, Sicily.
Nelson, J. P., 2023. Exploring the benefits of Social Enterprise: How to improve the life of Children and Young People in England and Wales. Presented at the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Safeguarding Conference, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, UK.
Nelson, J. P., 2023. Child Sex Trafficking in England and Wales: Child Protection Responses. Presented at the University of Liverpool, UK.
Nelson, J. P., 2022. Child Sex Trafficking in England and Wales. Presented at the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Safeguarding Conference, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, UK.
Nelson, J. P., 2022. Child Sex Trafficking in England and Wales: The Need to Close the Gaps. Presented at the European Society of Criminology Annual Conference, Malaga, Spain.
Nelson, J. P., 2022. Exploring the benefits of Social Enterprise: How to improve the life of Children and Young People in England and Wales. Presented at the Cambridge International Symposium on Economic Crime, University of Cambridge, UK.
Nelson, J. P., 2021. Child Sex Trafficking in England and Wales: The Need to Close the Gaps in knowledge. Presented at the European Society of Criminology Annual Conference.
Nelson, J. P., 2020. Child Sex Trafficking in England and Wales: The Child Protection Paradox Model. Presented at the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Safeguarding Conference, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, UK.