Police Scotland

“Janine accompanied me to a number of presentations and provided her 'real life' experiences of witnessing domestic abuse as a child and the effect it had on the family unit. She also touched on failings in the way her mother and family were dealt with by the Police Service in Northern Ireland and latterly support services who disclosed personal information to the perpetrator.

All audiences, which have included police, students and other professionals found Janine's input extremely beneficial and added realism to the topic rather than being presented with facts and figures.”

DCI Graham Smith (Police Scotland)

Grampian Women’s Aid

“Janine used her personal experience of family domestic abuse to educate and inform the Board of Grampian Women's Aid (GWA) and helped improve the understanding of the realities and impact of domestic abuse on both women and children. Her insight was invaluable, and she effectively helped develop the Board`s strategy particularly using her skills in research training and advocacy. The board benefited from her insight in prioritising the children’s support services and she was instrumental in the development and design of a new organisation structure that supported this very important side of the work of GWA. She always encouraged the staff and board members to think critically, independently and to develop their voice around policy and legislative changes on domestic abuse/violence against women. We found Janine to be highly knowledgeable as regards violence against women and always eager to understand and communicate with everyone involved with GWA. The Board also found her to be extremely articulate and she proved herself to be an excellent speaker. During her time with GWA she gave talks on the impact of domestic abuse and family relationships from her own perspective at e.g. The Aberdeen Law Student Project, Grampian Women’s Aid AGM, Aberdeen City Council Children’s Workers and Aberdeen Police Domestic Abuse Taskforce. Janine has a good business acumen and  was able to identify and make funding applications the success of which has resulted in the appointment of a new children’s worker and a women’s advocacy worker.”

Grampian Women's Aid

Criminology Tutor

“Janine always stood out as an exceptional student, engaging with the course fully and submitting work of a very high standard; demonstrating proficiency in applying the course materials, explaining key points of discussion very concisely and always including supporting arguments that were both clear and persuasive Her commitment, perseverance and initiative in terms of her academic development and the desire to study further was evident throughout the course. Her written work was always clear and concise, demonstrating a sound understanding and excellent analytical skills. Janine was a motivated student who I found to have exceptional qualities.”

Beverley Gilbert (Criminology tutor) 

Senior Lecturer

“I am an academic based in New Zealand and I got to know Janine through her work as a Trustee of Umbrella Lane, a community-based sex worker organisation in Scotland. Janine is a person of real integrity and I greatly admire her commitment to social justice and challenging oppression. Her approach to her work is informed by a combination of academic and practitioner knowledge, and lived experience, which has given her deep knowledge and invaluable insights. She has an innate ability to connect with people, and her passion for supporting others shines through in everything that she does. I highly recommend Janine for any social justice focused project.”

Dr Lynzi Armstrong (Senior Lecturer in Criminology)

Tutor for Leadership and Management in Health and Social Care

“As a student, Janine showed commitment and diligence in undertaking study on leadership and management in health and social care.  She communicates clearly, effectively and objectively and has shown a positive and proactive approach in wanting to learn and develop. Janine was awarded an overall distinction for her coursework.”

Tom Gibb

Support Worker Coordinator

“While studying, Janine took a contract of employment with Disability Services as a Non-Medical Personal Helper (NMPH) and was a proofreader for a couple of students who had Dyslexia. I always found Janine to be kind, considerate, trustworth and adaptable in her role as a NMPH. Janine attended training sessions and was always willing to offer her support to disabled students. Janine communicated well and was interested in disability and the needs of disabled students. Her honesty and integrity goes without saying and I found her to be a very compassionate, helpful and understanding human being.”

Christina Costello

NHS Grampian

“I formally thanked Janine for all of the support that she provided in helping NHS Grampian communicate the relocation of our Sexual Health service. Through setting up and participating within the focus groups, Janine enabled us to collect invaluable feedback from our target group of 16-25 year olds. Not only was this feedback surrounding the relocation, but also around the topic of Sexual Health which will be extremely useful for future projects we plan to undertake. I would not have any hesitation in working with Janine in the future.”

Sarah Munro

Centre for Law Enforcement and Public Health (PhD endorsement)

“I am writing in support of the application by Janine Ewen for entry to a PhD program at the University of Aberdeen.

Janine is an active member of the Global Law Enforcement and Public Health Association, a member of the GLEPHA Gender Special Interest Group, and to my judgement is a very capable professional committed to supporting marginalised communities on a local, national and international level. 

Janine has presented at International Law Enforcement and Public Health conferences twice and has been actively involved in meetings of the Law Enforcement and HIV Network, by presentations, developing consultation work on the policing of vulnerable populations. She has helped establish and co-facilitate Scotland’s first gender, safety and harm reduction programme. 

She is becoming a valuable part of a rapidly growing international community of researchers, police officers, public health practitioners, activists and others. Her proposed PhD project, looking at the illicit drug market over the energy transition in the northeast of Scotland, would be a very valuable contribution to an issue of great concern to all sectors of our Association and of Scottish society. Through my involvement in Scotland, directing the 5th International LEPH Conference in Edinburgh in 2019, through membership of the International Advisory Board of the Scottish Institute of Police Research, and through editing research contributions from Scotland for the Harm Reduction Journal (of which I am Editor-in-Chief), I am very familiar with the issues of drug-related deaths in Scotland, and, correspondingly, the lack of understanding of the changing dynamics of drug markets. 

I have no doubt that Janine will complete a very productive and useful PhD program.”

Professor Nick Crofts

Student

Janine has demonstrated a wealth of knowledge on a variety of subjects to me. She always backs her opinions up with theory and enables access to written sources where required.

During recent struggles with an essay of mine, I asked Janine for help. She agreed to look over my work and suggested some changes, provided helpful links, to point me to places, where I could further my knowledge on the subject I was writing about.  

I believe Janine would be an asset to any establishment, teaching in any capacity. A great, relatable speaker, Janine will be sought after. I wish her every success in any endeavour of hers.

Sarah Suter 

Professor Criminology/Sociology

I strongly support the Janine’s application for funding. This is very important research for Scotland, but also has international reach in that it combines three key societal challenges – illicit drug use and organised crime; post-industrial issues of decline, poverty/austerity; and energy transitions. The applicant is eminently prepared for and committed to this study, given: a strong foundation of knowledge; involvement in the voluntary sector to date; and evidence of the application of a criminological imagination. The applicant is a first-rate scholar, evidenced in the achievements to date, publications, and narrative cv. Second, the applicant’s narrative curriculum vitae tells a compelling story about and their biography, experience, creativity and scholarship in developing pioneering research, in publishing (before entering a PhD programme) and working in and with communities, particularly with marginalised groups, criminal justice involved people, and those impacted by crimes of abuse and violence. Third, the creative and sensory methodologies that the applicant is pioneering in the Scottish context demonstrate excellence of their scholarship and have had impact on my students and the Cambridge criminology group. Finally, the applicant’s commitment and drive to complete a PhD is clear. Not only is there potential to undertake and complete a PhD, to flourish whilst doing so, but the applicant also has the resilience to go the extra mile and deliver research that makes a difference-that brings people and ideas together to create change. The applicant is a thoroughly good person, of sound ethics, a team player, a scholar committed to collaboration (not competition) and to delivering excellent scholarship in ways that matter to the communities the PhD will work with.

Maggie O’Neill