About
Tracey Varnava is a Research Fellow who is currently working with stakeholders to explore the implications of the Tackling Household Debt and Eviction project funded by the Aberdeen Financial Fairness Trust (aFFT): https://southampton.likn.co/research/projects/tackling-housing-debt-eviction together with Professor Lisa Whitehouse. Tracey's duties include: collection, analysis and interpretation of research data, stakeholder engagement, preparation of research reports and articles, organisation of meetings and events to disseminate project information and findings.
Research
Research interests
- Homelessness
- Housing
- Governance
- Exclusion and inequality
Current research
Tracey’s research with Professor Whitehouse involved an investigation of the experiences of those in housing debt and at threat of eviction to understand why there is limited engagement by occupiers in the arrears and eviction process. The project explored whether better, more meaningful engagement between occupiers and housing providers could reduce the likelihood of eviction. The project employed a mixed methods approach and collected data from those involved in the arrears management process, such as debt advisers, lawyers, court officials and lenders, as well as occupiers and housing providers. The project provides evidence-based and user-led proposals to remove barriers to engagement arising from the experiences of respondents. These barriers include: the inflexibility of online advice services and welfare benefits systems, low levels of digital literacy, the lack of face to face advice, poor and inadequate responses from advice service providers. The research shows the importance of breaking down such barriers as without proper advice and representation, those in housing debt are more likely to lose their homes.
Research projects
Completed projects
Publications
Teaching
Tracey began her career as a Lecturer in Law at the University of Leicester specialising in criminal law and criminology. She then moved to the University of Warwick to manage the National, later UK, Centre for Legal Education (UKCLE), developing services to support more effective learning, teaching and assessment practices in law schools across the UK. While at the UKCLE, Tracey encouraged the establishment of the Law Teacher of the Year award and was a member of the first judging panel. She was also involved as a member of the Subject Benchmark Statement for Law Review Group, with responsibility for drafting the learning, teaching and assessment section. Tracey has co-produced and edited teaching guides for core and optional law subjects in her roles at the UKCLE and subsequently as Deputy Director of the Undergraduate Laws Programme at the University of London. Tracey received an award for outstanding contribution to legal education from the Association of Law Teachers and has received two awards for teaching innovation from the University of London. Tracey is an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
Biography
Tracey was recruited as a Research Fellow to work with Professor Lisa Whitehouse on the Household Debt and Eviction project. Since the completion of the project in March 2024, Tracey has been engaged in follow on activities including organising stakeholder events to further explore the impact of the project report's findings and recommendations. Additionally, she has provided research support to academic colleagues working on various projects in the Law School.
Tracey’s PhD thesis, undertaken at the University of Kent, examined the governance of street homelessness in Canterbury. Previously, Tracey has managed a range of research teams and projects during her time as Associate Director of the UK Centre for Legal Education at the University of Warwick and then as Education Research Manager at the Solicitors Regulation Authority, where she oversaw the production of the Legal Education and Training Review report. Tracey has a BA (Law) from the University of Kent and an MPhil in Criminology from Cambridge University.