Jenny McWhirter

Dr Jenny McWhirter is a freelance researcher and author who has been interested in the health and well being of children and young people since working as a part time youth worker in the 1980s.  She has been researching effective approaches to PSHE education for more than 25 years.  At Southampton University she managed an MSc in Health Education with Health Promotion and developed a special study in PSHE and Citizenship for the secondary PGCE programme.  Her research includes many aspects of PSHE education, including personal finance, asthma and drug education.  After leaving academia in 2003, Jenny worked for DrugScope and, later RoSPA, as an education advisor. Jenny has been chair of the Drug Education Forum and the Drug Education Practitioners’ Forum.  She was a member of the NICE Programme Development Group ‘Strategies to prevent unintentional injuries among the under 15s’. Jenny’s current research includes effective responses to drug and alcohol hidden harm.