institute for employment studies

about IES

Helen Barnes BA, MSc, DPhil

Profile

Helen joined IES in 2008 from the Policy Studies Institute, where she was Head of Qualitative Research. She has been undertaking public policy research since 1994, following a previous career as a paralegal adviser and trainer in welfare rights.

Helen has a long-standing interest in labour market disadvantage, particularly the interactions between different sources of employment disadvantage, and in the interface between work and benefits. She has managed many evaluations in the welfare to work area, and is currently leading the evaluation of Employment and Support Allowance. Helen also has a special interest in older workers, and has carried out a range of research in this area.

Helen is a qualitative specialist, with a keen interest in methodological development, but has a great deal of experience of managing mixed-methods evaluations. She has also conducted a number of national and international policy reviews on issues such as disability and employment, child support, family policy and child well-being.

Education

Career