Biography
Dr Susan Flynn is a full-time University Lecturer (Asst. Professor) in the School of Social Work and Social Policy at Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin. Prior to this, she lectured full-time in social sciences at the Institute of Technology, Sligo. Additionally, Susan has experience teaching at the National University of Ireland, Galway.
Susan's PhD examined, through through a phenomenological and biographical narrative interpretative method, the impact of the economic recession on intellectually disabled young people and their families. Within this, an affirmative non-tragedy theoretical lens situated within an overarching critical disability studies perspective, was adopted.
More broadly her work has, and continues to, focus upon child and family services. Within this, she has a particular focus on disability, child protection and welfare, and social work and social care. Susan was elected to the prestigious position of Fellow at Trinity in 2024 in recognition of achievement.
Susan has over a decade of practice experience in a diverse range of applied social settings including child protection and welfare social work; intellectual disability; residential social care practice; acting managerial work; youth justice work; special education; counselling and advocacy; disability day activation work, and other roles. Susan also has experience as a social science researcher in the industry.
Twitter: @susanflynn1912 Orchid ID: https://orchid.org/0000-0002-2807-0866
Publications and Further Research Outputs
Peer-Reviewed Publications
Flynn S, Safeguarding children with disabilities: a life course perspective, Journal of Public Child Welfare, 2024
Nematy, A., Flynn, S. and McCarthy-Jones, S., Youtube commentators discourse of paedophilia: A qualitative social media analysis, Sexuality & Culture, 28, 2024, p71 - 95, phttps://doi.org/10.1007/s12119
Flynn, S., Lakkshme Sundaresan, S., Holt, S., Price, A. and ONeill, G., Disabled womens experiences of intimate partner abuse in Ireland: Research project report, Women's Aid, 2024, https://doi.org/10.25546/11021
Nematy, A., Flynn, S., and McCarthy-Jones, S., Perspectives, Treatment Goals, and Approaches of Prevention-Specialist Mental Health Professionals in Working with Clients Attracted to Children, Sexual Abuse, 2024
Kane, K., and Flynn, S., Forgotten Victims: Recommendations for Social Care on the Impact on Children of their Parent"s Incarceration, Journal of Social Care, 4, 2024, pArticle 3-
Doolan Maher, R., Flynn, S. and Byrne, J., Shifting Mindsets; A Critical Commentary on Child Protection and Welfare, Disability, and Online Risk Through Critical Literature Review, Child Care in Practice, 2024, phttps://doi.org/10.1080/135752
Flynn, S.,Lakkshme Sundaresan, S., and Caffrey, L., Outcomes Measurement in Social Care: Insights from Current Evidence, Journal of Social Care, 4, 2024, pArticle 2-
Okoro, N. and Flynn, S., What does Literature say about Signs of Safety? Making an Inquiry through Critical Literature Review, Irish Social Worker, Winter 2024, 2024, p50-
Flynn, S., A critical history of child protection and welfare services for disabled children in the Republic of Ireland 1960 to 2023, Critical and Radical Social Work, 2024
Flynn, S, In exceptional times: The covid-19 pandemic, parenting and the disabling effects of mental health difficulties, Child Care in Practice, 2024
Flynn, S., Disability in Narrative Inquiry: A Case of Methodologically Unusable Data from a Participant with Intellectual Disability, Disability Studies Quarterly, 43, (2), 2024
Flynn, S., Thinking Politically about Social Work in Child Protection and Welfare: A Reappropriation of the Works of Hannah Arendt, Child Protection and Practice, 2024
Flynn, S., Critical Disability Studies and the Affirmative Non-Tragedy Model: Presenting a Theoretical Frame for Disability and Child Protection, Disability and Society, 39, (2), 2024, p269 - 290
Flynn, S., Lakkshme Sundaresan, S., Caffrey, L.,Spratt, T. and Holt, S., Towards Better Outcomes for Children and Families: Evaluation of the Implementation of an Outcomes Framework, 2024, p1 - 64, https://doi.org/10.25546/11021
Disability and Intersectionality in, editor(s)Dr Gabriel Bennett and Dr Emma Goodall , Palgrave Encyclopedia of Disability, Palgrave, 2024, [Flynn S]
Flynn, S. and Whelan, J., A Sociological Reading of Statutory Social Work and Irish Corporate Governmentality: On the Death of Creativity, British Journal of Social Work, 54, (1), 2024, p95 - 104
Critical Disability Studies in, editor(s)Dr Gabriel Bennett and Dr Emma Goodall , The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Disability, 2024, pp1 - 4, [Flynn, S.]
Flynn, S., Caffrey, L. Sundaresan, S.L.,, Achieving Better Outcomes for Disadvantaged Children within the Cost-of-Living Crisis: Findings of a study into the Implementation of an Outcomes Framework, International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect Conference, Uppsala Sweden, 2024
Disability and Child Protection in, Palgrave Encyclopedia of Disability, 2024, [Flynn, S.]
Sweeney, L.A. and Flynn, S., Exploring feminist egalitarian discourse and sex work for the social work curriculum: A critical pedagogy, Critical and Radical Social Work, 2024
Flynn, S. and Doolan Maher, R., Building digital competency in social work to manage internet-related risks: Findings of a study on the internet, disability and child protection risk, European Conference on Social Work Research, Lithuania, 17th-19th April 2024, 2024
de Róiste , A.; Mulkeen , M.; Flynn, S; and Conroy, S., Social care work and social work in Ireland: A comparative analysis of standards of proficiency, Administration, 72, (3), 2024, p1 - 30
Johnson, L.M., Flynn, S., Thomas, C. and Slayter, E., Attention to disability in child protection policies across four liberal welfare regimes., Journal of Public Child Welfare, 2024
Flynn, S., Sundaresan Lakkshme, S., and Caffrey, L., Putting outcomes into practice: The implementation of a framework of outcomes measures within a child and family service., British Journal of Social Work, 2024
Flynn, S., Intersectionality, childhood disability and rurality: What does rural life mean for disabled children and their families?, Sociologia Ruralis, 2024
Flynn, S., Doolan Maher, R. and Byrne, J.,, Empowerment versus Protection in the Digital Era: Connecting Intellectual Disability, the Internet and Child Protection, International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Chicago, United States of America, 2024, 2024
Doolan Maher, R., Flynn, S. and Byrne, J., Keeping Young People with Disabilities Safe Online The Voice of 32 Young People with Disabilities about their Internet Use, International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect Conference, Uppsala Sweden, 2024
Flynn, S.,Caffrey, L.,Antosik-Parsons, K.,Whiting, S., Byrne, J. and Conlon, C., New-Materialist Bricolage: Presenting an Ontological Position for Qualitative Internet-Based Research, International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 2024
Flynn, S., Doolan Maher, R. & Byrne, J.,, Coping with complex intersections of child protection risk, the internet and disability: Towards informing and understanding professional responses, International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect, Edinburgh Scotland, 2023, 2023
Thomas, C., Flynn, S., Slayter, E. and Johnson, L., Disability, Intersectionality, Child Welfare and Child Protection: Research Representations., Scandanavian Journal of Disability Research, 25, (1), 2023, p45 - 64
Flynn, S., Understanding practice placements where students falter and fail: A theoretical exposition of critical realism for social work practice education, Journal of Practice Teaching and Learning, 20, (2), 2023
Sweeney, L-A & Flynn, S., A critical review of intersectionality, social work education and sex work: an Irish perspective, Critical and Radical Social Work, 11, (2), 2023, p199 - 214
Whelan, J. and Flynn, S., Whos right? What rights? How? Rights debates in Irish social work: a call for nuance, Critical and Radical Social Work, 2023, phttps://doi.org/10.1332/2
Flynn, S., Critical Disability Studies, Corporeality and Child Maltreatment: Theorizing the Somatechnics of Self and Other., Somatechnics, 13, (3), 2023, p255 - 273
Veeran, V., Flynn, S. & Sweeney, L.A., Feminist Egalitarian Discourse in Social Work Education for Practice: Theoretical Exposition from the Irish Perspective, Practice: Social Work in Action, 35, (3), 2023, p219 - 233
Flynn, S., Doolan Maher, R. and Byrne, J., Child protection and welfare risks and opportunities related to disability and internet use: Broadening current conceptualisations through critical literature review, Children and Youth Services Review, 157, (107410), 2023
Flynn, S., Slayter, E., Johnson, L. and Thomas, C., Cut from the Same Cloth: A Comparative Policy Content Analysis of Disability in Child Protection and Welfare Policies within Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic, Child and Youth Services Review, 150, (106969), 2023
Flynn, S. , The Views of Parents Subject to Child Protection Investigation for their Child or Children with Disabilities: An Exploratory Qualitative Study, Social Work and Social Sciences Review, 24, (1), 2023
Flynn, S. and Feely, M., A new-materialist reading of disability, senescence and the life-course, International Journal of Disability and Social Justice, 3, (3), 2023
Flynn, S., Parenting in Context: Applying a Critical Disability Studies Lens to the Qualitative Accounts of Parents subject to Child Protection Investigation for their Children with Disabilities, Nordic Network on Disability Research 2023, Reyjkavik, Iceland, 10.05.23-12.05.23, 2023
Flynn, S., Child Protection and Welfare During the COVID 19 Pandemic: Revisiting the Value of Resilience-Building, Systems Theory, Adverse Childhood Experiences and Trauma-Informed Approaches, Child Care in Practice, 29, (4), 2023, p371 - 388, phttps://doi.org/10.1080/135752
Flynn, S., Discourse and religious doctrine: Professional social work and the moral regulation of the body in Roman Catholic Ireland, Sexualities, 25, (3), 2022, p267 - 283
Flynn, S., Applying Critical Feminist Theory to Intersections of Womanhood and Disability: Stories of Exhaustion and Emotion from Mothers Subject to Child Protection Investigation, Activist Energies, Melbourne Australia, 2022
Flynn, S., Literature on Professional Social Work and Controversies Surrounding Roman Catholicism in the Republic of Ireland: Adapting the Dynamic Model, Journal of Religion & Spirituality in Social Work, 41, (2), 2022, p143 - 165
Flynn, S., Accounts of Parents subject to Child Protection Investigation for their Child or Children with Disabilities: Findings of an Exploratory Qualitative Study, ICSPAN Congress, Estonia , https://estonia2022.exordo.com/programme/presentation/180, 2022
Flynn, S., The Hidden Price of Poverty: Irish Austerity Measures and the Abuse and Neglect of Children with Disabilities by Parents and Caregivers, The International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse & Neglect, Quebec, Canada, https://quebeccity2022.exordo.com/programme/presentation/120, 2022
Flynn, S., Critical disability studies and quarter life crisis: Theorising life stage transitional crisis for disabled emerging adults, Disability & Society, 37, (2), 2022, p183-205
Flynn, S., Trajectories of social justice within social stratification: towards a Bourdieusian reading of social class for social workers, Critical and Radical Social Work, 10, (1), 2022, p145 - 159
Thomas, C., Flynn, S., Slayter, E., & Johnson, L., Disability, intersectionality, and child protection: A scoping review, ISPCAN 2022 Congress, Estonia, https://estonia2022.exordo.com/programme/presentation/285, 2022
Flynn, S., Untroubling childrens identity in child protection and welfare assessment through a postconventional analytic, Journal of Social Work, 21, (6), 2021, p1450-1468
Flynn, S., Learning from the Literature on Social Work and Social Care with Children: The Utility of a Jansson Framework of Policy-Practice, Child Care in Practice, 27, (3), 2021, p281 - 294
Flynn, S. & Wengraf, T., Devices for illuminating defended subjectivities in complex qualitative case interpretation: An example from recent BNIM practice, Journal of Psychosocial Studies, 14, (2), 2021, p105 - 119
Flynn, S. & Corbally, M., Narrative and Remaking Social Futures in Times of Pandemic Crisis: The Story-Making and Story-Telling of the Heroic Nurse, The Sociological Observer, (3), 2021, p68 - 76
Flynn, S., Strengths and Affirmations: Practitioners Views of Disability and Child Protection Through an Affirmative Lens, The Irish Social Worker, Winter 2021, 2021
Flynn, S., Making Acquaintance: Compatibility of Critical Disability Studies Conventions with Child Protection and Welfare Social Work Practice in Ireland., Practice: Social Work in Action, 33, (2), 2021, p137-148
Flynn, S., Convergent Identities, Compounded Risk: Intersectionality and Parenting Capacity Assessment for Disabled Children, Child and Youth Services Review, 129, (106185), 2021
Flynn, S., Social workers, critical theory, and the political sphere: Addressing misrecognition and marginalization in the Republic of Ireland., Critical and Radical Social Work., 9, (3), 2021, p389-404
Flynn, S., Towards Parity in Protection: Barriers to Effective Child Protection and Welfare Assessment with Disabled Children in the Republic of Ireland, Child Care in Practice, 27, (4), 2021, p333-351
Flynn, S., Social Constructionism and Social Care: Literature on Evidence Informed Practice within the Professionalisation of Social Care Professionals who work with children in Ireland., Child Care in Practice, 27, (1), 2021, p87 - 104
Flynn, S., Corporeality and Critical Disability Studies: Toward an Informed Epistemology of Embodiment, Disability & Society, 36, (4), 2021, p636-655
Flynn, S., Social Work Intervention Pathways within Child Protection: Responding to the Needs of Disabled Children in Ireland, Practice: Social Work in Action, 33, (1), 2021, p51-63
Flynn, S., Protection as a Human Fundamental Need: Re-Conceiving Signs of Safety for Social Work in the Republic of Ireland, British Journal of Social Work, 51, (7), 2021, p2590 - 2607
Flynn, S., Safeguarding Adults at Risk: Critical Commentary on the Construction of the Adult at Risk in Ireland, Irish Journal of Applied Social Studies, 21, (1, article 3), 2021, phttps://arrow.tu
Sweeney, L.A.; Flynn, S.; Finan, S.; Ganong, K.; Gallagher, J.; Golden, L.; McCarthy, C.; Feeney, B.; & McMullin, C., Evidence Based Social Work: A Showcase of Research from MSW Students at the Institute of Technology, Sligo, The Irish Social Worker, Winter 2021, 2021
Flynn, S., Measuring parenting capacity for disabled children using a child protection assessment, Journal of Social Work, 21, (6), 2021, p1489-1511
Flynn, S., Irish Intellectual Disability Services for Children and Austerity Measures: The Qualitative Impact of Recession through Framework Method, Child Care in Practice, 27, (4), 2021, p372-388
Flynn, S., Revisiting Hegemony: A Gramscian Analysis for Contemporary Social Work., Irish Journal of Sociology, 29, (1), 2021, p77 - 96
Flynn, S., Exploring internal critique: theoretically developed critical commentary on the Self-Appraisal of critical disability studies, Disability & Society, 36, (1), 2021, p1 - 18
Flynn, S., Convergent spaces: Intersectional analysis of ethnic minority status and childhood disability in Irish safeguarding work, Child & Family Social Work, 25, (3), 2020, p648 - 656
Flynn, S., Theorizing Disability in Child Protection: Applying Critical Disability Studies to the Elevated Risk of Abuse for Disabled Children, Disability & Society, 35, (6), 2020, p949 - 971
Flynn, S., Proficiency within Professionalisation: A Social Constructionist Critique of Standards of Proficiency for Social Care Workers in the Republic of Ireland, Irish Journal of Applied Social Studies, 20, (2), 2020
Flynn, S., Globalisation and Social Work Education in the Republic of Ireland: Towards Informed Transnational Social Work for Transnational Problems such as Covid-19, International Social Work, 63, (4), 2020, p524 - 537
Flynn, S. & Sweeney, L.A., Placing Irish Social Work in a Global Context: Assembling International Comparisons Through the Literature, Irish Journal of Applied Social Studies, 20, (1), 2020
Flynn, S., Ecosystems of Educational Disadvantage: Supporting Children and Young People receiving Child Protection and Welfare Services in Ireland, Social Work and Social Services Review, 21, (3), 2020
Flynn. S., Social Care and Self Care: Exploring the Implications of Evidence Informed Practice (EIP) and Professionalisation for the Care of Social Care Professionals in Ireland, Social Care Ireland Conference, Limerick, Ireland , 2019, 2019
Flynn, S., Economic Recession, Austerity and Disability: Socio-Biographic Learning for Social Work from the Exceptional Case of Ireland, European Conference for Social Work Research, Leuven, Belgium , https://kuleuvencongres.be/ecswr2019/files/ecswr-2019-voorblad-abstract-book-final.pdf, 2019
Flynn, S. , Disability and Irish Austerity: Socio-Biographic Narratives of Intellectually Disability and Economic Recession, Nordic Network on Disability Research Conference, 2019, Copenhagen, Denmark, 2019
Flynn, S., Life Stories of the Economic Recession: Biographical Narrative Interpretative Method (BNIM) and the Lived Experience of Disability in Times of Austerity, Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research, 21, (1), 2019, p58 - 66
Flynn, S., Rethinking Debates in Narrative Methods: Narrative Orthodoxy and Research Challenges with Children with Intellectual Disability, Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research, 21, (1), 2019, p167-176
Flynn, S. & McGregor, C., Recessionary Tales: An investigation into how intellectually disabled young people, and their families, experienced the economic downturn, 2018
Flynn, S., Engaging with materialism and material reality: Critical disability studies and economic recession, Disability & Society, 32, (2), 2017, p143 - 159
Flynn, S. & McGregor, C., Disabled children and child protection: Learning from the literature through a non-tragedy lens, Child Care in Practice, 23, (3), 2017, p258 - 274
Flynn, S., Perspectives on austerity: The impact of the economic recession on children with intellectual disability, Disability & Society , 32, (5), 2017, p678 - 700
Flynn, S., Social work practice within an economic downturn: Understanding austerity through an anti-oppressive framework, Practice: Social Work in Action, 29, (3), 2017, p179 - 199
Flynn, S., Economic recession and children with intellectual disability: Applying an affirmative non-tragedy framework to the issue of austerity, Disability Studies Conference , Lancaster, England , https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/fass/events/disabilityconference_archive/2016/documents/CEDR16%20Book%20, 2016
Non-Peer-Reviewed Publications
Flynn, S., Doing Research about Disability: Potential Methodological, Ethical and Practical Challenges, PhD Seminar Series, School of Social Work and Social Policy, 2024
Flynn, S., Holt, S., O'Neill, G., Price, A., Sundaresan S. (2024), Launching the Findings of a Mixed Method Research Project on Disabled Women's Experiences of Intimate Partner Abuse, Project Launch Event, Dublin, The Mansion House, 24.10.24, 2024
Conlon, C., Antosik-Parsons, K., Flynn, S., Caffrey, L., Byrne, J. and Whiting, S., Lessons from Pivoting to Online Interviewing: Ethical and Technical Considerations for Qualitative Researchers following the COVID-19 Pandemic, Social Sciences Research Network, 2023
Flynn, S., Childhood Disability in the Context of Parental Alienation: Another Layer of Complexity?, Parental Alienation Awareness Newsletter, 2022
Flynn, S. , Review of New Directions Implementation: Lifelong Learning 1 and Lifelong Learning 2, Lancaster, England, 2021, 1-62
Flynn, S., Children with Disabilities and their Families during the Covid-19 Pandemic, 2020, - https://www.tcd.ie/swsp/assets
O'Connor, E., Whiting, S., Gilligan, R.,Holt, S., Brady, E.,Eliffe, R., Feely,M., Flynn, S., Houston, S., McEvoy., P., Hybrid Placement Model: A Social Work Teaching and Learning Resource, TARA, 2020
Flynn, S. , Adolescence Disrupted, Covid 19 and Protecting Teenagers , 2020, - https://www.tcd.ie/swsp/assets
Flynn, S. & Wengraf, T., Defended subjectivities: peer-audit as a means for quality control in social work research, All-Ireland Social Work Educators Research Forum, Ireland , 2020
Flynn, S., A History and Sociology of Willowbrook State School., Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 64, (2), 2017, p227 - 229
Flynn, S., Children with intellectual disability, their families and the economic recession: Serious concerns and practical challenges through an affirmative non-tragedy optic., Sociological Association of Ireland Annual Conference. , 2016
Flynn, S., The Impact of the economic downturn on children with intellectual disability and their families. , Seminar Series: School of Political Science and Sociology, NUI Galway, 2016, 2016
Flynn, S., Investigating how children with intellectual disabilities, and their families, experience the current economic downturn.', Lunchtime Seminar: Centre for Disability Law and Policy. , 2016
Flynn, S., Novel Narrative Possibilities: Using a Biographical Narrative Interpretative Method (BNIM) within Intellectual Disability Research, 3rd International Irish Narrative Inquiry Conference. , 2016, 2016
Flynn, S., Literature through an affirmative non-tragedy lens: the impact of the economic recession on children with intellectual disability, Theorising Normalcy and the Mundane Conference, 2016, 2016
Flynn, S., Narrative Continuities: Reflexivity in Action Between Research and Practice. , IASW Research and Practice conference. , 2016, 2016
Flynn, S., Poster: Recessionary Tales: An investigation into the impact of the economic recession on young people with intellectual disability, and their families,, Youth Mental Health and Self Stigma Conference. 2015., 2015
Flynn, S. , Proposition for a PhD: The impact of austerity on intellectually disabled young people and their families. , Irish Association of Social Workers Annual Conference , 2015, 2015
Flynn, S., The current economic recession: Social work perspectives on it's impact on people with intellectual disability, The Irish Social Worker , Spring 2015, 2015, p31 - 55
Flynn, S, O'Neill, G., Holt, S., Price A. and Sundaresan, S. (2024), An Overview of a Ground-breaking Collaborative Project on Disabled Women's Experiences of Intimate Partner Violence, Women's Aid 50th Anniversary Conference, Dublin, 21/11/24
Recognition
Awards and Honours
The ESWRA Award for an Outstanding Publication in European Social Work Research: Nominee
Nominee for a Trinity Excellence in Teaching Award in 2023-24
Nominee for an Award for Excellence in Research Student Supervision