About Us

Welcome to the School of Social Work and Social Policy. The School is one of the 12 Schools that form the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. Overall, the School strives for an ethos that values multi-disciplinary scholarship; research-led teaching; a diverse student base; a student-centred approach to education and pastoral care; public service; partnership with colleagues in other parts of the University, and with colleagues in other institutions; international experience and connections and integration between teaching, research and policy influence.

The School consists of a community of scholars from the related social science disciplines of social work and social policy, bound together by a common intellectual and applied interest in the nature, functioning and delivery of welfare services, broadly defined. We provide a range of vibrant, exciting, demanding and relevant undergraduate and post-graduate courses for a range of students, ranging from school leavers to advanced professionals.

The School is committed to ensuring high quality and relevant curriculum across all our programmes. We seek to ensure that our teaching responds to new social and economic developments, reflects robust empirical evidence, and is infused with a scholarly vigour, in order that our students are equipped to engage with the challenges they will face as employees and as citizens. We also seek to raise awareness among our students of their role as global citizens in an ever more globalised world. We will strive to equip our students to work successfully in multi-cultural environments whether in Ireland and internationally.

In 2014, the School introduced the first fully online postgraduate programme in the University, namely the postgraduate Diploma in Social Policy and Practice and in 2015 we began the MSc in Social Policy and Practice which is also fully online and allows students who have successfully completed the Diploma to gain an MSc qualification.

As a School of applied social sciences, we are uniquely placed to develop valuable partnerships with Government Departments, Local Government, State and semi-State Agencies and a multiplicity of Non-Governmental Bodies, both domestically and internationally.  These partnerships inform teaching, contribute to shaping policy, and demonstrate the crucial role that the University has in utilising the skills and experience of the staff in order to contribute to resolving complex social issues. The partnership also works for the University in securing work placements for our students and enhancing their employment opportunities.  

So please enjoy your visit to our website in order to explore our programmes, hear the testimonials of students who have qualified from Trinity and explore our staff profiles.  Our website is designed to provide you with the most current and up-to-date information about our students, faculty and programmes.  However, we welcome the opportunity to speak with you directly. We will gladly provide you with any additional information and/or answer any questions that you may still have.

Dr Catherine Conlon
Head of the School of Social Work and Social Policy
& Associate Professor in Social Policy