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Charles.Fonchingong Che

Dr Charles Fonchingong Che

Senior Lecturer

School of Allied and Public Health Professions

Charles is a Registered Social Worker and the author of Growing Old in Cameroon: Gender, Vulnerability and Social Capital, University Press of America.

Dr Charles Fonchingong Che is Senior Lecturer and Course Director of MA Social Work at Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU). He received his BA in Socio-Linguistics from the University of Yaounde, Cameroon in 1992, MA Social Work from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria in 1995, and his Ph.D. in Social Policy from the University of Kent, England, in 2008.

At CCCU, Charles convenes the Foundations of Social Work Practice and Safeguarding modules and co-convenes the Critical Perspectives in Sociology, Social Policy, and Social work module. Charles is also research supervisor for Developing a Research Proposal and MA Dissertation modules.

Previously, Charles has worked in local government, as self directed support practitioner for older adults with Essex County Council. He has been a visiting research fellow to the University of Oxford International Development Centre, as well as a collaborating researcher for the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD), Geneva, on the project 'Social and Solidarity economy'.

Charles has acted as Guest Editor for Sustainability Journal for Special Issue on Social Perspectives of Spatial Inequality and Sustainable livelihoods: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability/special_issues/social_perspectives_spatial_inequality

Charles has lectured in Gender and Community Development at the University of Buea, Cameroon. He was also a Sessional Lecturer at the University of Kent whilst completing his Doctorate in Social Policy. Charles joined Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU) as Senior Lecturer in 2011-2013 and rejoined in 2016.

Charles' areas of research include:

  • Older adults and service provision
  • Social justice, social work and sustainable development
  • Safeguarding adults and social work for deprived and marginal groups
  • International social work,  poverty, livelihoods and empowerment strategies
  • Multi-centric policy making, social solidarity and ageing
  • Spatial inequality and community development
  • Indigenous governance, social inequality, and social justice 

Charles is an external examiner for the MA and Doctorate in Public Health at the University of Chester England, External Examiner for MA and Doctorate Dissertations for the Universities of Cape Town and Fort Hare in South Africa.