School of Health & Wellbeing

Spend 5 minutes with Mental Health and Wellbeing's Gary Kainth... (Social Work Research Associate)

Tell us a bit about what you do in SHW

My official title is Social Work Research Associate. I’m a Social Worker with lots of experience in children’s services and I’ve specialised over the years in working with vulnerable young children both at home and in foster care. I’m currently working on the process evaluation of The BeST? Services Trial which is an RCT testing the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of an infant mental health intervention developed in New Orleans and brought to the UK context through the efforts of Prof Helen Minnis. I’m also doing a PhD on the impact of legal decision making on children’s mental health outcomes.

What do you enjoy about your role?

It’s a very different working environment to statutory social work. I really enjoy putting all the knowledge and experience gathered over the years to good use in an academic setting and contributing the body of literature which will hopefully be used to improve outcomes for looked after children. It also gives me the opportunity to meet lots of people who work trying to improve outcomes for children in a range of settings and share some of the learning that as a practitioner I never had time to access. I consider it a privilege to be here and I try, whenever I can, to bridge the gap between research and practice.

That and the fact that I can now sleep!

What is the best thing about working in SHW?

That’s an easy one. The people! It’s great being around folk with such a diverse range of expertise. I work in a team where everyone is open and collaborative and everyone I’ve met in the wider school is super friendly and interested.

Tell us something we might not know about you

Music is a big part of my life. I love listening to jazz. I also play percussion and have a residency in a club in the city centre.

When or where are you happiest?

There are two answers to that question. First (and foremost), on or by the water. There's something about being near water that I find calming and during the summer months I’ll take every opportunity to head out to the nearest loch for a spot of kayaking or even just a bit of splashing about.

The second answer is the French Riviera. Who doesn’t like drinking rose by the Med?

Tell us about something (or more than one thing!) you are proud of

My daughter Hannah. She’s an absolute marvel!

If you could have your time again, what might you do differently?

I would have learned sooner not to torture myself with the dread of impending deadlines. They come and go and the work gets done. Its important to live in the present.

Any secret – or not so secret! – ambitions?

To somehow magic up enough money to buy a house in the south of France and work on my tan.

Do you have a favourite quote or saying, or mantra by which you try to live your life?

Again there are two: The first is something that one of my best friends is constantly saying and I'm doing my very best to follow. His motto is "progress, not perfection". I think that’s a good way of making sure we are always moving forward and not letting the perfect become the enemy of the good.

The second is a quote from the late Anthony Bourdain – someone I’ve always admired: "I always entertain the notion that I’m wrong, or that I’ll have to revise my opinion. Most of the time that feels good; sometimes it really hurts and is embarrassing." As I’ve grown older I’ve tried to be less certain of things. The world changes and grows and with new information our understanding of the world and of our place in it should change and grow. Surely that’s at the heart of research...?

If you would like to appear in "5 minutes with...", do please get in touch (shwadmin@glasgow.ac.uk)! We aim to feature colleagues from across a wide range of roles and grades within our school, both staff and students, research/teaching and professional services. 

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First published: 1 April 2023