Dr. Paula Mayock
Associate Prof in Youth Research, Social Studies
Associate Prof in Youth Research, Sch Office - Social Work & Social Policy
Associate Prof in Youth Research, Children's Research Centre
Biography
Dr. Paula Mayock is an Associate Professor at the School of Social Work and Social Policy, Trinity College Dublin. She is a qualitative methodologist with a particular interest in biographical and qualitative longitudinal research methods. Paula is currently Director of the BA in Sociology and Social Policy. Previously, she was Director of Teaching and Learning Postgraduate (2018-2022) and Course Director of the Masters in Applied Social Research (2010-2018).
Paula's research focuses primarily on the lives and experiences of marginalised youth, covering areas including homelessness, drug use and drug problems, sexuality, risk behaviour, and mental health. Since 2004, she has worked to build a programme of research on homelessness. She has been the Principal Investigator of three studies of homeless youth, one of them a 6-year qualitative longitudinal study of homeless young people in Dublin. More recently, Paula has undertaken a biographical study of homeless women in Ireland and she is currently Principal Investigator of an all-Ireland study of homeless young people and their families. Paula is the recipient of numerous research awards from statutory and voluntary agencies (e.g. Crisis Pregnancy Agency; Department of Education and Skills; Department of Children and Youth Affairs; Dublin Region Homeless Executive; Focus Ireland, Health Service Executive; Housing Agency; National Office for Suicide Prevention). She is a NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse) INVEST Post-doctoral Fellow (2006-07) and an IRC (Irish Research Council) Research Fellow (2009-10). She was also the recipient of an IRC 'New Ideas' Award (2012), which has supported a range of research initiatives aimed on fostering international collaborative research on women's homelessness. She is the founder and Chairperson of the Women's Homelessness in Europe Network (WHEN), which currently has sixteen members representing twelve European countries. Paula is the author of numerous articles, chapters and research reports and is Assistant Editor to the international journal Addiction.
Publications and Further Research Outputs
Peer-Reviewed Publications
Homelessness and Substance Use in, editor(s)Bretherton, J. & Pleace, N. , The Routledge Handbook of Homelessness, London, Routledge, 2023, pp244 - 255, [Mayock, P. & O'Shaughnessy, B.]
Youth in, editor(s)Bretherton, J. & Pleace, N. , The Routledge Handbook of Homelessness, London, Routledge, 2023, pp169 - 179, [Mayock, P. & Parker, S.]
Durand, L., Keenan, E., Boland, F., Harnedy, N., Delargy, Í., Scully, M., Mayock, P. ... Cousins, G., Consensus recommendations for opioid agonist treatment following the introduction of emergency clinical guidelines in Ireland during the COVID-19 pandemic: A national Delphi Study, International Journal of Drug Policy, 106, 2022, p1 - 8
Stapleton, A. & Mayock, P., Structured ethical reflection as a tool to recognise and address power: A participatory action research study with separated young people in France, Educational Action Research, 2022, p1 - 21
Finn, M. & Mayock, P., The Housing Experiences of Immigrants in a 'New Immigrant Gateway': An Exploration of Process in an Era of 'Super-Diversity', International Journal of Housing Policy, 22, (3), 2022, p174 - 197
Mayock, P. & Butler, S., "I'm always hiding and ducking and diving": The stigma of growing older on methadone, Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy, 29, (2), 2022, p139 - 149
Glynn, N. & Mayock, P., Housing after care: Understanding security and stability in the transition out of care through the lenses of liminality, recognition and precarity, Journal of Youth Studies, 2021, pDOI: 10.1080/13676261.2021.198
Mayock, P. & Neary, F., Domestic Violence and Family Homelessness, Dublin, Focus Ireland, 2021
Bretherton, J. & Mayock, P., Women's Homelessness: European Evidence Review, Brussels, FEANTSA, 2021
Mayock, P., & Butler, S. , Pathways to 'recovery' and social reintegration: The experiences of long-term clients of methadone maintenance treatment in an Irish drug treatment setting., International Journal of Drug Policy, 90, 2021, p10.1016/j.drugpo.2020.103092
Mayock, P., Parker, S. & Murphy, A, Family 'turning point' experiences and the process of youth becoming homeless, Child and Family Social Work, 2021, p10.1111/cfs.12823
Young people narrating the meaning of homelessness and home. in, editor(s)L. Moran, K. Reilly, & B. Brady , Narrating childhood with children and young people: Diverse contexts, methods and stories of everyday live, London, Palgrave MacMillan, 2021, pp35 - 61, [Mayock, P. & Parker, S.]
Mayock, P. & Sheridan, S. , Women negotiating power and control as they 'journey' through homelessness: A feminist poststructuralist perspective., European Journal of Homelessness, 14, (2), 2020, p17 - 47
Mayock, P., (Re)assembling the self: Young people's identity journeys and the search for ontological security, Child Care In Practice, 2023, p1 - 23
Mayock, P. & Sheridan, S. , Women negotiating power and control as they 'journey' through homelessness: A feminist poststructuralist perspective. , European Journal of Homelessness, 14, (2), 2020, p17 - 47
Mayock, P., & Parker, S., Homeless young people 'strategizing' a route to housing stability: Service fatigue, exiting attempts and living 'off grid', Housing Studies, 35, (3), 2020, p459 - 483
Parker, S., & Mayock, P. , "They're always complicated but that's the meaning of family in my eyes": Homeless youth making sense of "family" and family relationships. , Journal of Family Issues, 40, (4), 2019, p540 - 570
Ceatha, N., Mayock, P., Campbell, J., Noone, K. & Browne, K. , The power of recognition: A qualitative study of social connectedness and wellbeing through LGBT sporting, creative and social groups in Ireland, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16, (19, 3636), 2019, p1 - 18
Natalie Glynn and Paula Mayock, 'I've changed so much within a year': care leavers' perspectives on the aftercare planning process, Child Care in Practice, 25, (1), 2019, p79 - 98
Mayock, P., Butler, S. & Hoey, D., "Just Maintaining the Status Quo?" The Experiences of Long-term Participants in Methadone Maintenance Treatment, Dublin, Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Drug and Alcohol Task Force, 2018, p1 - 121
Glynn, N. & Mayock, P., "I've changed so much within a year": Care leavers' perspectives on the aftercare planning process, Child Care in Practice, 2018, pDOI: 10.1080/13575279.2018.152
Parker, S. & Mayock, P., "They're always complicated but that's the meaning of family in my eyes": Homeless youth making sense of 'family' and family relationships, Journal of Family Issues, 2018, phttps://doi.org/10.1177/019251
Parker, S. and Mayock, P., "They're Always Complicated but That's the Meaning of Family in My Eyes": Homeless Youth Making Sense of "Family" and Family Relationships, Journal of Family Issues, 2018, p1-31
Mayock, P., Review of Women Rough Sleepers in Europe: Homelessness and Victims of Domestic Abuse, by Moss, K. & Singh, P. , European Journal of Homelessness, 11, (2), 2017, p187-190
Mayock, P. & Parker, S., Living in Limbo: Homeless Young People's Paths to Housing, Dublin, Focus Ireland in collaboration with Simon Communities of Ireland, Threshold, Peter McVerry Trust , 2017, 1 - 162pp
Bryan, A. & Mayock, P. , Supporting LGBT Lives? Complicating the Suicide Consensus in LGBT Mental Health Research, Sexualities, 20, (1-2), 2017, p65 - 85
Mayock, P. & Bretherton, J., Women's Homelessness in Europe, 1st, London, Palgrave MacMillan, 2016, 1 - 283pp
Conclusions in, editor(s)Mayock, P. & Bretherton, J. , Women's Homelessness in Europe, London, Palgrave MacMillan, 2016, pp263 - 283, [Mayock, P. & Bretherton, J.]
Long-term and Recurrent Homelessness among Women in, editor(s)Mayock, P. & Bretherton, J. , Women's Homelessness in Europe, London, Palgrave MacMillan, 2016, pp207 - 231, [Pleace, N., Bretherton, J. & Mayock, P.]
Mothers who Experience Homelessness in, editor(s)Mayock, P. & Bretherton, J. , Women's Homelessness in Europe, London, Palgrave MacMillan, 2016, pp177 - 206, [van den Dries, L., Mayock, P., Gerull, S., van Loenen, T., van Bente Hulst, B. & Wolf, J.]
Women's Homelessness and Domestic Violence: (In)visible Interactions in, editor(s)Mayock, P. & Bretherton, J. , Women's Homelessness in Europe, London, Palgrave MacMillan, 2016, pp125 - 152, [Mayock, P., Bretherton, J. & Baptist, I.]
Introduction in, editor(s)Mayock, P. & Bretherton, J. , Women's Homelessness in Europe, London, Palgrave MacMillan, 2016, pp1 - 12, [Bretherton, J. & Mayock, P.]
Learning to live with 'Big Fat Words'? An Exploration of the Dominant Concepts Applied to Problem Drug and Alcohol Use in, editor(s)Kolind, T,, Thom, B. and Hunt, G. , The SAGE Handbook of Drug and Alcohol Studies, London, Sage, 2016, pp383 - 393, [Butler, S. & Mayock, P.]
Mayock,P., Sheridan, S. & Parker,S, The Dynamics of Long-term Homelessness among Women in Ireland, Dublin, Dublin Regional Homeless Executive, 2015
Mayock, P., Cronly, J. & Clatts, M.C., The risk environment of heroin use initiation: Young women, intimate partners and "drug relationships"., Substance Use and Misuse, 50, (6), 2015, p771 - 782
Mayock, P., Sheridan, S. & Parker, S. , "It's just like we're going around in circles and going back to the same thing ...": The dynamics of women's unresolved homelessness., Housing Studies, 30, (6), 2015, p877 - 900
Mayock, P., Parker, S. & Murphy, A., Executive Summary: Young People, Homelessness and Housing Exclusion, Dublin, Focus Ireland, 2014
Mayock, P., Parker, S. & Murphy, A., Young People, Homelessness and Housing Exclusion, Dublin, Focus Ireland, 2014
Mayock, P. & Sheridan, S., 'At Home' in Prison? Women and the Homeless Incarceration Nexus, Irish Probation Journal, 10, 2013, p118 - 140
Mayock, P. & Corr, M.L., Young People's Homeless and Housing Pathways: Key Findings from a Six-year Qualitaitve Longitudinal Study, Dublin, Department of Children and Youth Affairs, 2013
Neale, J., Hunt, G., Lankenau, S., Mayock, P. et al. , Editorial: Addiction journal is committed to publishing qualitative research, Addiction, 108, (3), 2013, p447 - 449
Mayock, P., Corr, M.L. & O'Sullivan, E , Moving on, not out: When young people remain homeless, Journal of Youth Studies, 16, (4), 2013, p441 - 459
Mayock,P., Parker, S. & Sheridan, S, Mapping Services for Homeless Women in Dublin, Dublin, Dublin Region Homeless Executive, 2013
Association of Criminal Justice Research & Development(ed.), Exit from Custody: Through-care, Resettlement & Related Issues, The role of incarceration in prolonging young people's homelessness, Dublin, Oct 12 2012, 2012
Aftercare not afterthought: Supporting the transition to adulthood for children in care in, editor(s)D. Lynch & K. Burns , Keeping Children Safe: Critical Times, Critical Issues, Manchester, Manchester University Press, 2012, pp202 - 221, [Doyle, A., Mayock, P. & Burns, K.]
The meaning of drug use among homeless young people: A longitudinal pathways analysis in, editor(s)M. Wouters, J. Fountain & D.J. Korf , The Meaning of High: Variations According to Drug, Set, Setting and Time, Berlin, Pabst Science Publishers, 2012, pp132 - 148, [Mayock, P. & Corr, M.L.]
Mayock, P., Sheridan, S. & Parker, S., Migrant women and homelessness: The role of gender-based violence, European Journal of Homelessness, 6, (1), 2012, p59 - 82
Bryan, A. & Mayock, P, Speaking back to dominant constructions of LGBT Lives: Complexifying 'at riskness' for self-harm and suicidiality among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Youth, Irish Journal of Anthropology, 15, (2), 2012, p8 - 15
Young People Exiting Homelessness: The Role of Family Support in, editor(s)Lynch, D. and Burns, K. , Children's Rights and Child Protection: Critical Times, Critical Issues in Ireland, Manchester, Manchester University Press., 2012, pp184 - 201, [Mayock, P., M.L. Corr and E. O'Sullivan]
Mayock, P., E.O'Sullivan and M.L. Corr, Young People Exiting Homelessness: An Exploration of Process, Meaning and Definition, Housing Studies, 26, (6), 2011, p803 - 826
Mayock, P., Corr, M.L. and E.O'Sullivan, Homeless young people, families and change: family support as a facilitator to exiting homelessness, Child and Family Social Work, 16, (4), 2011, p391 - 401
Mayock, P., Bryan, A., Carr, N. & Kitching, K., Supporting LGBT Lives: A Study of the Mental Health and Well-being of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People, Dublin, Gay and Lesbian Equality Network (GLEN) and BeLonG To Youth Service, 2009, p1 - 186
Ireland in, editor(s)Hadfield, P. , Nightlife and Crime: Social order and Governance in International Perspective, London, Oxford University Press, 2009, pp77 - 98, [Seymour, M. & Mayock, P.]
De Vries J., Mayock P., Higgins A., Sherlock L., Doyle L., Andrews L. and Sheaf G., A review of the international literature on the role of outside facilitators in the delivery of school-based sex education, Dublin, Crisis Pregnancy Agency, December, 2009, p1 - 190
Researching 'New' Heroin Users in Ireland: An Ethno-epidemiological approach in, editor(s)Zsolt Demetrovics, Jane Fountain, Ludwig Kraus , Old and New Policies, Theories, Research Methods and Drug Users Across Europe, Lengerich, Germany, Pabst Science Publishers, 2009, [Mayock, P., Cronly, J.& Clatts, M]
Young people's pathways through homelessness: The offender-victimisation nexus in, editor(s)D. Downey , Perspectives on Irish Homelessness: Past, Present and Future, Dublin , The Homeless Agency, 2008, pp76 - 86, [Mayock, P.]
Young people negotiating abusive home situaitons: Some implications for child protection and welfare in, editor(s)D. Lynch & K. Burns , Child Protection and Welfare Social Work: A Changing Profession in a Changing Ireland, Cork, Cork University Press, 2008, [Carr, N. & Mayock, P.]
Mayock, P., Corr, M.L. & O'Sullivan, Young People's Homeless Pathways, Dublin, The Homeless Agency, 2008
O'Sullivan, E. and P. Mayock, Youth Homelessness in Ireland: The Emeregence of a Social Problem, Youth Studies Ireland, 3, (1), 2008, p15 - 29
K. Lalor, F. Ryan, M. Seymour, & C. Hamilton(ed.), Young People and Crime: Research, Policy and Practice, 'Scripting' risk: Young people and the construction of drug journeys, Dublin, Sept 12-13, 2005, Dublin Instittue for Technology, 2007, 1-23 p
Mayock, P. O'Sullivan, E., Lives in Crisis: Homeless Young People in Dublin. Dublin: The Liffey Press. , Dublin, The Liffey Press, 2007
Mayock, P., Kitching, K. & Morgan, M., Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) in the Context of Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE): An Assessment of the Challenges to Full Implementation of the Programme in Post-Primary Schools, Dublin, Crisis Pregnancy Agency, 2007
Ireland in, editor(s)Arnett, J. , International Encyclopedia of Adolescence, New York, Routledge, 2006, pp481 - 489, [Greene, S., Mayock, P.]
Mayock, P. & Vekic, K., Understanding and Responding to Youth Homelessness, Dublin, National Children's Office, 2006
Butler, S. & Mayock, P., . Harm reduction and Irish drug policy: a case study in ambiguity, International Journal of Drug Policy, 16, 2005, p415 - 422
Mayock, P., Scripting risk: young people and the construction of drug journeys, Drugs: education, prevention and policy, 12, (5), 2005, p349 - 368
Mayock, P. & Byrne, T., A Study of Sexual Health Issues, Attitudes and Behaviours: The Views of Early School Leavers, Dublin, Crisis Pregnancy Agency, 2004
Binge drinking and the consumption of pleasure in, editor(s)M. McLachlan & C. Smith , Binge Drinking and Youth Culture: Alternative Perspectives, Dublin, Liffey Press, 2004, pp113 - 141, [Mayock, P.]
Mayock, P., Drug pathways, transitions and decisions: the experiences of young people in a Dublin inner- city community, Conternporary Drug Problems, 29, (1), 2002, p117 - 156
Cocaine use in Ireland: An exploratory study in, editor(s)R. Moran, L. Dillon & M. O'Brien , A Collection of Papers on Drug Issues in Ireland, Dublin, Health Research Board, 2001, pp80 - 152, [Mayock, P.]
Social issues and public attitudes associated with drug misuse in, editor(s)R. Moran, M. O'Brien, L. Dillon & E. Farrell , Overview of Drug Issues in Ireland, Dublin, Health Research Board, 2001, pp79 - 90, [Mayock, P. & Moran, M.]
Mayock, P., Choosers or Losers? Influences on Young People's Choices about Drugs in Inner-City Dublin, Dublin, Children's Research Centre, 2000
Engaging 'difficult to reach' young people in a study of inner-city drug use in, editor(s)J. Fountain , Understanding and Responding to Drug Use: The Role of Qualitative Research, Luxembourg, Office for Official Publication of the European Communities, 2000, pp273 - 278, [Mayock, P.]
Non-Peer-Reviewed Publications
Mayock, P., Women's Homlessness and Domestic Violence, Childlinks: The Journal of Barnardos, (3), 2016, p12 - 17
Mayock, P. & Sheridan, S. , Women and Long-term Homelessness, Homeless in Europe, Summer 2016, 2016, p4 - 5
Mayock, P. & Sheridan, S., Migrant Women and Homelessness: Key Findings from a Biographical Study of Homeless Women in Ireland, Dublin, School of Social Work and Social Policy & Children's Research Centre, 2012
Mayock, P. & Sheridan, S., Women's Homeless 'Journeys': Key Findings from a Biographical Study of Homeless Women in Ireland, Dublin, School of Social Work and Social Policy & Children's Research Centre, 2012
McCrystal, P., Mayock, P. & Hannaford, S. , A Study of Cocaine Use in Northern Ireland, 2009, Belfast, Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, 2010
Mayock, P., O'Sullivan, E. & Corr, M.L., Young people's pathways through homelessness, Homeless in Europe, Autumn 2010, 2010, p4 - 6
Mayock, P. & Carr, N., Not Just Homelessness ... A Study of 'Out of Home' Young People in Cork, Cork, Health Service Executive, 2008
Mayock, P. , A 'career' in youth homelessness?, Cornerstone - the magazine of the Homeless Agency, 30, 2007, p20 - 22
Mayock, P., Young people and drugs: the need to target 'high risk' groups, Drug Network News, 2, (1), 2000, p1 - 2
Sinead Tobin, Young People's Experiences of Foster Placement Breakdown: A Qualitative Study, Masters in Applied Social Research, 2013
Research Expertise
Description
Marginalised youth, youth homelessness, women's homelessness, drug use, adolescent sexuality, LGBT mental health, qualitative research methods, biographical research, qualitative longitudinal researchProjects
- Title
- Homeless Young People and their Families
- Summary
- This biographical study aims to examine young people's paths to homelessness or housing instability and trace their 'journeys' through homelessness. The study also aims to include a family member of the homeless young person (sibling, parent, carer) and to gain their perspectives on the young person's current living situation.
- Funding Agency
- Focus Ireland
- Date From
- April 2013
- Date To
- June 2014
- Title
- Mapping Services for Homeless Women in Dublin
- Summary
- This mapping exercise was designed to support the commitment on the part of the Dublin Region Homeless Executive to conduct a review of service provision for homeless women. It primarily aimed to collect comprehensive information on the range of accommodation services currently available to women in the Dublin region in order to develop a clearer and more nuanced understanding of the nature of current provision for female service users women. It additionally aimed to gain service providers' perspectives on the adequacy of existing services for homeless women.
- Funding Agency
- Dublin Region Homeless Executive
- Date From
- December 2012
- Date To
- April 2013
- Title
- Women and Homelessness: A Biographical Pathways Analysis
- Summary
- The core aim of this research was to conduct an in-depth investigation of the lives and experiences of homeless women in Ireland with specific attention to their homeless 'pathways', that is, their entry routes to homelessness, the homeless experience itself and, possibly, their exit routes from homelessness. The study, which integrated biographical interviewing and ethnographic observation,aimed to contextualises and locate women's homelessness within a continuum of precipitating, perpetuating and/or enabling factors, crossing both structural and individual factors, that help to explain their homeless/ housing 'careers'.
- Funding Agency
- Irish Research Council Research Fellowship Scheme, 2009-10
- Date From
- November 2009
- Date To
- October 2010
- Title
- The Process of Youth Homelessness: A Six-year Qualitative Longitudinal Study
- Summary
- This study set out to conduct an in-depth examination of the lives and experiences of homeless young people in the Dublin region. A core aim was to understand transition and change in their lives with a specific focus on their trajectories into, through and out of homelessness. The term 'homeless' was defined and operationalised to include young people who were 'roofless' or sleeping rough as well as those living in homeless hostels or other emergency or temporary accommodation types. It also included a small number of young people who had recently experienced homelessness. The study design was underpinned by a pathways approach, a conceptualisation which recognises the fluid and changeable nature of homelessness and the experiences that surround homelessness. Thus, homelessness is not viewed as static or fixed, but rather is an evolving status that is continually subject to change.
- Funding Agency
- Department of Children and Youth Affairs and Dublin Region Homeless Executive
- Date From
- October 2004
- Date To
- May 2011
- Title
- A Study of Cocaine Use in Northern Ireland
- Summary
- The aim of the study was to provide DHSSPS and treatment service providers with a better understanding of cocaine use in Northern Ireland by using qualitative research methods to explore patterns of drug use and the lifestyles of cocaine users. The research incorporated the following: 1.An assessment of drug use patterns and lifestyles of cocaine users in Northern Ireland; and 2.Information prevention treatment options and information needs about cocaine use.
- Funding Agency
- Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS), Northern Ireland
- Date From
- June 2008
- Date To
- August 2009
- Title
- Supporting LGBT Lives: A Study of the Mental Health and Well-being of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Youth
- Summary
- This research set out to examine mental health and well-being among LGBT people in Ireland with a specific attention to: . The identification of experiences that heighten vulnerability to suicidal behaviour among LGBT people in Ireland, with special emphasis on young people. . The identification of experiences that strengthen resilience in the lives of LGBT people. A core aim of the study was to make policy, service delivery and practice recommendations related to mental health promotion and suicide prevention.
- Funding Agency
- National Office for Suicide Prevention
- Date From
- May 2007
- Date To
- December 2008
- Title
- Young People's Initiation to Heroin Use: An Ethno-epidemiological Approach
- Summary
- The study adopted an ethno-epidemiological approach in order to more fully explore the contextual factors influencing young people's initiation to heroin use. The specific objectives of the research, which incorporated ethnographic observation and qualitative interviewing techniques, included the development of social and epidemiological descriptions of the types of physical environments and social groups in which young people first use heroin. Methodologically, the research included many of the basic approaches routinely employed in anthropological fieldwork (Mayock et al., 2009) and the study was divided into four components: (1) community assessment process; (2) ethnographic observation; (3) the administration of an 'interceptor' survey; and (4) the conduct of life history interviews. Each of the four components was designed to build on another, both methodologically and theoretically, with the general aim of gaining in-depth understanding of the social course of heroin initiation.
- Funding Agency
- NIDA INVEST Fellowship Scheme and Irish Research Council Doctoral Fellowship
- Date From
- 2006
- Date To
- 2009
- Title
- A Review of the International Literature on the Role of Outside Facilitators in the Delivery of School-based Sex Education
- Summary
- This international literature review of the role of outside facilitators in the delivery or Relationship and Sexuality Education (RSE) in post-primary school aimed to: (i) develop an evidence base of the range, type, and role of outside facilitators of RSE programmes in post-primary schools; (ii) document RSE programmes internationally that may meet the needs of students and teachers in Ireland, including the range of expertise of facilitators delivering them and how they ideally meet the needs in Ireland; and (iii) feed into formulating 'good practice' guidelines and models for RSE support involving outside facilitators.
- Funding Agency
- Crisis Pregnancy Agency
- Date From
- December 2008
- Date To
- May 2009
- Title
- A Study of 'Out of Home' Young People in Cork City
- Summary
- A core objective of this research was to generate in-depth knowledge and understanding of the experiences of homeless young people in the Southern region of the Republic of Ireland with particular attention to Cork city. Cork has consistently recorded one of the highest numbers of ¡¥out of home¡" young people nationally. Despite this, relatively little is known about the factors or experiences that lead to young people becoming homeless in this region or about the impact of housing instability on their lives. In its broadest terms, the research set out to: "X Identify young people¡"s pathways or routes into homelessness. "X Examine the experience of living out of home from the perspective of young people. "X Examine the challenges and difficulties experienced by young people who leave home prematurely. "X Make policy recommendations related to service provision, early intervention and the prevention of negative health outcomes.
- Funding Agency
- Health Service Executive, South
- Date From
- April 2006
- Date To
- September 2007
- Title
- National Study of the Implementation of Relationships and Sexuality Education in Irish Post-primary Schools
- Summary
- This study aimed to build upon research on RSE in Ireland, with a specific focus on the structures and process related to RSE implementation and delivery at a number of levels; these range from national (Department of Education and Science and Department of Health and Children) to local (school) level. Specifically, the study aimed to: 1.Investigate the extent to which RSE policy is implemented and the RSE curriculum delivered in post-primary schools nationwide. 2.Explore the factors and processes that impact on RSE delivery at national, regional and school levels. 3.Identify barriers and facilitators to RSE implementation and delivery at policy and practitioner level.
- Funding Agency
- Department of Education and Science and Crisis Pregnancy Agency
- Date From
- January 2005
- Date To
- June 2006
- Title
- A Study of Sexual Health Issues, Attitudes and Behaviours: The Views of Early School Leavers
- Summary
- A core objective of this research was the systematic investigation of the sexual attitudes, behaviours and beliefs of young people aged between 13 and 17.5 years. The research also sought to investigate the processes and mechanisms whereby young people construct, experience and define their sexuality and sexual practice. This study specifically targeted young people who leave school prematurely, that is, before the legal school-leaving age, which is fifteen years in Ireland. It also includes a smaller number of young people who we describe as 'at risk' of early school leaving. Specifically, the research aimed to: 1.Examine the sexual knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of the study's young people. 2.Investigate young people's sexual practices (including their sexual risk-taking behaviour) and to examine the belief systems, concepts and ideas underlying these practices. 3.Identify the different sources and contexts from which young people acquire their knowledge and understanding of sexual issues and sexual health, in particular. 4.Identify the sexual health education and service needs of this group of young people.
- Funding Agency
- Crisis Pregnancy Agency
- Date From
- October 2003
- Date To
- September 2004
- Title
- A Exploratory Study of Cocaine Usee in Ireland
- Funding Agency
- Health Research Board
- Date From
- June 2000
- Date To
- January 2001
- Summary
- Researcher: Responsible for data collection (in-depth individual interviews) with young people aged between 10 and 14 years as part of a multi-method research strategy for evaluating a nationwide strategy for evaluating a national intervention aimed at tackling educational disadvantage.
- Date From
- 1998
- Date To
- 1998
- Summary
- Principal Investigator: Phase I of a community-based ethnographic study of young people's drug use, Children's Research Centre, Trinity College, Dublin. Fieldwork and data collection involved participant observation and the conduct of in-depth interviews and focus group discussionsl
- Date From
- 1997
- Date To
- 1998
Recognition
Representations
Founder and Co-Director, Women's Homelessness in Europe Network (WHEN)
Assistant Editor, International Journal Addiction
Management Team Member, Growing Up in Ireland (National Longitudinal Study of Children in Ireland)
Member, Research Advisory Group, 'Changing Generations': A Study of Intergenerational Solidarity in Ireland (Trinity College Dublin)
International Mentor, Four-country Study of Street Children (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia and Kosove), European University of Tirana, Albania
Independent Advisor to Review of the Youth Homelessness Strategy, Department of Children and Youth Affairs & Centre for Effective Services
Member, International Expert Reference Group to support the development of the Youth Policy Framework, Department of Children and Youth Affairs
Member of Board of Directors (Vice Chair for a period of one year), EPIC (Empowering Young People in Care)
Member, Clinical Advisory Group, Coolmine Therapeutic Community
Editorial Board Member, Youth Studies Ireland
Awards and Honours
Provost's Project Award
Irish Research Council (formerly IRCHSS) 'New Ideas' Award
Irish Research Council (formerly IRCHSS) Senior Research Fellowship Award
NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse), National Institutes of Health (NIH), USA, INVEST POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP Award
Government of Ireland Scholar, Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences
Memberships
Women's Homelessness in Europe Network (WHEN)
European Society for Social Drugs Research (ESSD)
Association for Criminal Justice Research and Development (ACJRD)
Children's Research Network
Irish Social Policy Association (IAPA)