Research That Matters

Research with Reach and Relevance

Research in the School spans a wide range of interconnected areas, including children and youth, criminal justice, homelessness, disability, domestic violence, poverty and welfare, ageing, reproductive rights, social work education, and technology in human services .What connects this work is not only topic, but approach: collaborative, interdisciplinary, theoretically and methodologically ambitious, and grounded in lived experience. Research is embedded across undergraduate, postgraduate, and professional teaching, ensuring students engage with evidence that is current, critical, and practice informed.

Research Impact

The School’s research is actively engaged with policy and practice. Staff work closely with government departments, NGOs, international organisations, and advocacy groups, providing research, policy advice, and expert input. Much of this engagement is built on long-standing relationships, including with alumni working across policy and practice. This reflects a shared belief that research should not end at publication, but should contribute to positive social change,  particularly for those most affected by inequality.

A Clear Vision and Four Strategic Pillars

The School launched its research strategy in January 2026. The strategy aligns with Trinity’s A Living Research Strategy, the Thrive Strategic Plan, and Ireland’s Impact 2030 strategy, while remaining firmly rooted in our core disciplines of social work and social policy. It commits the School to research that is:

• Excellent, innovative, and rigorous
• Connected to real-world issues
• Collaborative and inclusive of lived experience
• Policy- and practice-facing
• Focused on knowledge exchange

In short: research that matters.

The strategy is structured around four strategic pillars:

1. Collaboration — strengthening connections within the School, across the university, and with national and international partners.
2. Recognising and Enabling Research — creating the conditions for research excellence through time, skills, infrastructure, and recognition.
3. Visibility and Public Engagement — ensuring excellent research is visible, accessible, and of public value.
4. Supporting Early Career Researchers — investing in sustainability through mentoring, recognition, and career development.

School Of Social Work and Social Policy Research Strategy 2025-2030

About the development of the Research Strategy

The School’s Research Strategy was developed over the years 2022 and 2023 and approved in January 2024 by the School of Social Work and Social Policy Executive Committee. The development of this Research Strategy was led by Dr. Edurne Garcia Iriarte, Director of Research, supported by a working group, including staff from:

School of Social Work and Social Policy: Dr. Louise Caffrey, Dr. Catherine Elliott O’Dare; Professor Stephanie Holt; Dr Paula Mayock; Professor Trevor Spratt and Patrick Lansley, Senior Interdisciplinary Research Funding Specialist; Sarah Bowman (Director of Strategic Engagement and Impact Assessment); Bridget Gavin (Research Impact Officer, School of Medicine), Niamh Brennan (Programme Manager, Research Informatics) and Edie Davis (Research Informatics).