Seminar series - School of Social Work and Social Policy

Three rows of people sitting in chairs at a seminar event

The School of Social Work and Social Policy runs a seminar series with presentations by academics within the school and visiting researchers. Anyone is welcome to attend the seminar series. For any questions contact Orla Shortall.

Seminar Series 2026/2027:

Date	Time	Location	Speaker	Title/Topic	Abstract
28/10/26	1-2pm	TRiSS seminar room, level 6, Arts Building	Dr Dinesh Wadiwel	The Elimination of Disability Restraint, Forced Treatment and Seclusion: Notes from the Australian Experience	Across a variety of jurisdictions, restraint, forced treatment and seclusion are routinely used within institutional contexts against people with disability. International legal frameworks have increasingly drawn attention to the problems with these practices, including their non compliance with core human rights obligations, such as those articulated in the Convention against Torture. This paper reflects on recent developments within Australian contexts. I will firstly discuss the approach of the Australian Government to regulate and monitor the use of 'restrictive practices' within disability support services. I will then summarise commissioned research I was involved in for the Australian Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability, and how it informed the recommendations of the Commission in relation to restraint, forced treatment and seclusion. I will finally reflect on the barriers faced for genuine reform, and the frustrations of advocates seeking to eliminate the use of restrictive practices.
11/11/26	1-2pm	Room 4047, Arts Building	Dr Florence Impens, Dr Orla Shortall	An introduction to EU Horizon funding	TBC
25/11/26	1-2pm	Room 3080, Arts Building	Dr Joe Whelan	Uncomfortable Dublin: Researching and creating a walking tour	This seminar will discuss the development of Uncomfortable Dublin, an interdisciplinary research project that brought together researchers in social policy/sociology, education, history, and heritage studies to co-create a critical walking tour of Dublin. Drawing on participatory action research, the project sought to develop an alternative interpretation of the city through collaboration with community participants. Two workshops, conducted on Dublin's northside and southside, invited participants to identify overlooked stories, contested histories, and contemporary challenges shaping urban life. The seminar reflects on the methodological opportunities and tensions involved in interdisciplinary, community-engaged research, examining how different forms of expertise, including academic, professional, and lived experience, were brought into dialogue. It argues that co-creation offers significant potential for producing more inclusive forms of public history while also raising important questions about authority, representation, and knowledge production.
02/12/26	1-2pm	Room 3080, Arts Building	Prof Beth Weaver, University of Strathclyde	Generative AI, critical thinking and social work practice	TBC
02/02/27	1-2pm	Room 3080, Arts Building	Fiona Tyrrell and John Gunnison	An introduction to engaging with the media and SWSP comms	TBC
17/02/27	1-2pm	Room 3080, Arts Building	Dr Leigh-Ann Sweeney	Women's experiences of the free contraception scheme	TBC
03/03/27	1-2pm	Room 3080, Arts Building	Dr Catherine Conlon	Open Scholarship	TBC
24/03/27	1-2pm	Room 3080, Arts Building	Sinead Tobin	Foster Placement Breakdown	TBC
07/04/27	1-2pm	Room 3080, Arts Building	Dr Paula Mayock and Dr Noah Agbo	Migrant Youth Homelessness: Experiences, Pathways and Perspectives	TBC