Harrie joined CAVA in November 2003. She was originally appointed as the Research Officer to assist Fiona Williams in producing 'Rethinking Families', funded by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. She is now working on one of CAVA's new projects which examines how far Sure Start programmes empowered individuals and the communities they serve. The project forms part of the National Evaluation of Sure Start (NESS) currently being organised by Birbeck College, University of London. Click here for further information about this research.

Harrie has also recently completed her PhD. The research was a qualitative study of lone mothers' experiences, identities and discourses as carers and paid workers in the context of recent social and policy change. Harrie's broader research interests involve family policy in the UK, parental support, poverty issues and theories of social divisions and social change.