Joanne is a registered social worker and fieldwork coordinator in social work with a background in working with children and adults in statutory foster care and voluntary community disability services. She is a qualified practice teacher with postgraduate qualifications in social policy, social work and teaching and learning in higher education.

Joanne's research concerns social work education, with particular attention to how practice learning and field education shape students' development. Her publications examine the preparation of future practitioners, the experiences of practice teachers, the use of reflective dialogue, and the dynamics of cross-institutional and transnational placements. She investigates collaborative and co-created approaches to field education and draws on qualitative inquiry to understand learning in practice settings. Joanne also engages with wider issues, including professional knowledge, oppressive practice, and the influence of technology-enabled learning environments.

Joanne's teaching focuses on preparing social work students for effective, ethical, and reflective practice, with particular emphasis on placement preparation, planning, induction, and practice learning. Her work highlights the importance of structured support for students entering field education, the development of professional knowledge and the use of reflective dialogue to strengthen learning. She also contributes to teaching that integrates collaboration and co-creation, especially in technology-enabled placement contexts, aligning her teaching with broader goals of quality education and inclusive professional development. Joanne contributes to CPD with social work practice teachers, emphasising professional, accreditation and university requirements guided by social work ethics and reflective, relationship-based practice teaching.