Dr. Susan Ketner

Susan Ketner (born 1976) is a professor specialised in the research area Comprehensive Approach to Child Abuse, which falls under the professorship Youth, Education and Society.

Ketner obtained her PhD at the University of Groningen with research on identity formation among Moroccan youth. She then worked as a policy researcher in areas including diversity, youth, and parenting support. As a senior researcher at the professorship on Parenting and Parental Guidance at Leiden University of Applied Sciences, she focused on risk and protective factors affecting parental well-being. She continues this focus in her current role as a professor, with a strong commitment to supporting (vulnerable) parents.

In cases of child abuse within a family, parents are often under significant pressure for various reasons, such as poverty, mental health issues, or traumatic experiences from their own past. According to Ketner, a comprehensive approach to preventing and stopping child abuse requires collaboration between families and professionals from different disciplines. She emphasises the importance of openness about the challenges of parenting and the need to consider parents' perspectives.

Susan Ketner is the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Social Intervention: Theory and Practice, an open-access, peer-reviewed journal that publishes research and innovations in the social domain. This leading journal includes articles on research, policy, and practice developments, book reviews, and contributions from students about their (final) research projects.