Carol was appointed as a Professor of Children’s Rights at the University of Strathclyde in April 2023. Prior to this, Carol started her career as a teacher and has taught in secondary schools, pupil referral units and in a college of further education. She completed her PhD at the University of Sussex in 1996 and then took up a post as a Research Fellow in the University of Sussex’s Education Faculty. Carol joined the Education Research Centre within the School of Education at the University of Brighton as a Senior Research Fellow in 2008, became a Principal Research fellow in 2011, an Associate Professor in 2016, and a Professor in 2019. Carol became Professor of Children's Rights within the Faculty of Education at Edge Hill University in October 2019. 

During her time at the University of Brighton, Carol co-led the cross-university Higher Education Pedagogies and Policy Research and Enterprise Group. This brought together colleagues from across the university who had an interest in improving learning and teaching and informing policy and practice in higher education. She chaired the Social Science Cross-school Ethics Committee and was a member of the Concordat Implementation Group and the School of Education’s Research Management Group. She also was a member of the Research Excellence Framework (REF) Unit of Assessment Leadership Group and Output Review panel and mentored colleagues within the School of Education, supporting their academic writing and professional development. While at Edge Hill University she initiated and led a peer mentoring scheme, initiated and co-led Children's Rights and Well-being network, and chaired the Education Faculty Research Committee.

A major focus of Carol’s work has been around developing insights into issues relating to Children’s Human Rights Education (CHRE). The external recognition of her expertise in this area is evidenced by national and international invitations to: present lectures and keynote addresses; examine doctoral theses; join journal editorial boards; and lead professional learning focusing on children's righst and rights education for teachers, healthcare workers and other professionals whose work involves children.  Carol also regularly receives invitations to contribute to discussions around Children’s Rights and voice. For example, in October 2018 she commented on the UK’s Equality and Human Rights Commission draft strategy for school-based CHRE and contributed to an all-party parliamentary group discussion at the House of Commons focusing on a vision for public (including school-based) Legal and Human Rights Education. Furthermore, in March 2019, following an invitation from the Chairman of the Care of Children in Jersey Review Panel, Carol commented on the Draft Law relating to the powers of the Children’s Commissioner for Jersey. In October 2022, Carol was invited by a Whitehall-based Senior Policy Advisor for the Crown Prosecution Service to comment, from a children's right's perspective, on draft new policy guidance for the Youth Justice Service which focuses on children who are suspects and defendants. In November 2022 she also took part in a House of Lords Think Tank, disucssing the direction of education research on real classroom issues. Carol is also a member of the Scottish Cross Party Group on Children and Young People.

Carol’s research interests combine theoretical and empirical work focusing on the voices, experiences, rights and empowerment of children and young people. She has led several pupil voice projects in primary, secondary and special schools, helping staff to develop ways of listening to the voices of children and young people. She also led the ‘Pupils’ Voices’ strand of the Cambridge Primary Review of Education in England and was Co-Investigator for the evaluation of UNICEF UK’s Rights Respecting Schools Award. Building on this work, she is currently working with Osaka Kyouiku University and the Japanese Ministry of Education to develop a ‘Safety Promotion School’ award for schools across Japan. Since 2022, Carol has been involved in the iSupport project which is working to develop the standards for children and young people, aged 0-18 years, undergoing clinical procedures, based on internationally agreed children’s rights set out by the UNCRC (1989).

Carol’s methodological interests focus on constructivist approaches to research and, within this, particularly favours narrative approaches.