Skip to main content

Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin

Menu Search


Trinity College Dublin By using this website you consent to the use of cookies in accordance with the Trinity cookie policy. For more information on cookies see our cookie policy.

      
Profile Photo

Dr. Louise Caffrey

Assistant Professor in Social Policy (Social Studies)
      
Profile Photo

Dr. Louise Caffrey

Assistant Professor in Social Policy (Social Studies)

 LOUISE.CAFFREY@tcd.ie

 


Louise is an Assistant Professor in Social Policy in the School of Social Work and Social Policy at Trinity College Dublin. She holds a PhD in Social Policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), where she was awarded an LSE PhD Scholarship to undertake her research. Louise also holds a Full Post-Graduate Certificate in Higher Education Teaching (PGCHE) from the LSE, an MSc in Applied Social Research from Trinity College Dublin and a BA (International) in Political Science and History from University College Dublin (UCD). Immediately prior to joining Trinity College Louise worked as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Division of Health and Social Care, King's College London, and prior to entering academia she worked as a research consultant, delivering numerous reports for government and NGO clients in Ireland and the UK. Louise is Director of the MSc Applied Social Research. She teaches across the following courses: MSc Applied Social Research, BA Joint Honours Social Policy, BA Social Studies, PGDip Social Policy and Practice, PGDip Child Protection and Welfare and the Masters in Social Work. Louise"s research interests include hearing and representing children"s voices, child contact, inspection of child and family services and policy and practice implementation and evaluation. Louise is also expert in systems approaches and realist evaluation. She uses these frameworks to investigate important questions around policy and practice implementation, including why reforms introduced are not having the intended results or why results are patchy. Louise welcomes PhD applications in the following areas of child protection and welfare and health systems policy: policy or practice implementation, inter-professional working, regulation of services including, audit/inspection of services and performance measurement and management. I have a particular interest in studies adopting complexity theory, a systems approach or realist evaluation/synthesis. Children's experiences/voices in child protection and welfare services; child contact, Signs of Safety.
Project Title
 The Focus and Methodology of Inspection in Ireland: a documentary analysis of Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) child protection and welfare services inspection reports
From
2024
To
2025
Summary
Role: PI
Funding Agency
Department of Children Equality Disability Integration and Youth
Project Title
 Quantitative and Qualitative Research into the Impact of Signs of Safety on the Outcomes for and Experiences of Children, Young People, thier Parents and Support Networks in Child Protection
From
01/03/2026
To
01/03/2027
Summary
The study is an evaluation of the implementation of Signs of Safety, a framework for child protection social work, in Flanders, Belgium funded by the Flemish The PI is Dr Wouter Vanderplassche. I am an external international expert on the project.
Funding Agency
Growing Up Agency Flemish Government, Belgium
Project Title
 A rapid review of the international evidence on the focus and effects of inspection of child and family services
From
2023
To
2024
Summary
Role: PI
Funding Agency
Department of Children Equality Disability Integration and Youth
Project Title
 MAMMI in the work place: Enhancing femal equity, parental resilience, and maternal health in the workplace
From
01/03/2026
To
28/02/2028
Summary
Interdisciplinary project aiming to improve understanding of how women as mothers, together with their partners and organisations, navigate their professional role and responsibilities after having children. It includes 3 work packages. I am leading Work Package 3: 1. 10 year follow up survey for the MAMMI study with section on work-related implications of motherhood 2. Qualitative interivews with women and partners 3. Systems policy analysis of parents and work The study is led by Co-PIs Dr Sinead Monaghan (TCD Business School) and Prof. Deirdre Daly (TCD Midwifery)
Funding Agency
Irish Research Council
Programme
COALESE 2A
Project Title
 Children's experiences of child protection and welfare services in Tusla Child and Family Agency
From
2022
To
2023
Summary
A qualitive study exploring children's experiences of the child protection and welfare services in Ireland. A collaboration in the School of Social Work & Social Policy, led by Prof. Stephanie Holt. Role: funded co-investigator
Funding Agency
Tusla Child & Family Agency

Page 1 of 3
Details Date
Louise is a Fellow of the UK Higher Education Authority. Further information at: https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/individuals/fellowship Since 2013
UNICEF Reference Group for Review of Child Protection Systems in Four Countries in South Asia. I am providing guidance to the project on the use of a systems approach. February 2017 to November 2017
Munro, E., Caffrey, L., Effective Child Protection, 4th, London, SAGE, 2027, Book, IN_PRESS
Tobin, S., Caffrey, L., Brady, E., Whiting, S., Sheaf, G., Gilligan, R., Mayock, P., Quinn, N., Foster Placement Breakdown: A Scoping Review of Care-Experienced Narratives, Child & Family Social Work, 2026, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Caffrey, L., Tobin, S., Flynn, S., Holt, S., Houston, S., Petautschnig Arancibia, C. & Sheaf, G., The Intended and Unintended Effects of Inspection on Child and Family Social Work Services: A Rapid Evidence Review of the International Literature, Human Service Organizations: Management, Leadership & Governance, 2025, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  URL
Gilligan, R., Holt, S., Brady, E., Caffrey, L., Safety and Beyond: What are children's priorities for their participation in the child protection and welfare process?, Child Abuse and Neglect, 2025, p11 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Gregory S, Caffrey L, Daly D, Sheaf G., How woman-centred care is experienced and understood in maternity services by women and professionals: A rapid review, Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, 2025, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  DOI  URL
De Clercq, L., Meulewaeter, F., Rowaert, S., Decoene, S., Caffrey, L., Caslor, M., Vandevelde, S., & Vanderplasschen, W., Families' perspectives on the impact of signs of safety in child protection services through the lens of self-determination theory, Children and Youth Services Review, 2025, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  URL
Liz Farsaci, Padraic Fleming, Louise Caffrey, Sara Van Belle, Catherine O'Donoghue, Arianna Almirall Sanchez, David Mockler, Steve Thomas, Barriers and facilitators to international Universal Health Coverage reforms: A realist review, International Journal of Health Policy and Management, 2025, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI  URL
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, 28, (2), 2025, p179 - 192, Notes: [DOI: 10.1080/13645579.2024.2329430], Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  URL
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-, Notes: [https://arrow.tudublin.ie/jsoc/vol4/iss1/2], Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text
Caffrey, L., Brady, E., Keegan, O., Dunne, S., Sheaf, G., Holt, S., & Gilligan, R., Children's Experiences of Signs of Safety: A Scoping Review, Children and Youth Services Review, 2024, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  DOI
  

Page 1 of 4
Tobin, S., Caffrey, L., Brady, E., Whiting, S., Sheaf, G., Gilligan, R., Mayock, P., Quinn, N., Foster Children's Lived Experience of Placement Breakdown: A Scoping Review., European Scientific Association on Residential & Family Care for Children and Adolescents (EUSARF), University of Zagreb, Croatia, 2025, Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Tobin, S., Caffrey, L., Brady, E., Whiting, S., Sheaf, G., Gilligan, R., Mayock, P., Quinn, N., Foster Children's Lived Experience of Placement Breakdown: A Scoping Review, European Scientific Association on Residential & Family Care for Children and Adolescents (EUSARF), University of Zagreb, Croatia,, October 2025, 2025, Conference Paper, PRESENTED
Caffrey, L. & Browne, F., A Realist Synthesis of Signs of Safety, International Conference for Realist Research, Evaluation and Synthesis, Atlanta, USA, 22/09/2025, 2025, Notes: [The abstract was accepted but I couldn't was unable to attend the conference for personal reasons], Conference Paper, ACCEPTED
Caffrey, L. Brady, E., Keegan, O., Dunne, S., Sheaf, G., Holt, S., Gilligan, R., Children"s Experiences of Signs of Safety: a scoping review, National Child Protection and Welfare Conference, UCC, 24/20/2025, 2025, Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Caffrey, L., Flynn, S., Tobin, S., Quinn, N., Holt, S., Houston, S., Petautschnig, C., Sheaf, G., Inspecting Insection: What does inspection of child and family social work services focus on and with what effects?, Tusla Child & Family Agency National Operations Meetings, online, 16/12/25, 2025, Invited Talk, PRESENTED
Caffrey, L. & Browne, F., Practice Points: The Challenge of Implementation in Complex, Adaptive Child Welfare Systems: A Realist Synthesis of Signs of Safety, 2024, -, Notes: [Following our invited webinar PART Canada created a 'Webinar Practice Points' publication to disseminate the reserach to practitioners], Miscellaneous, PUBLISHED
Caffrey, L. & Browne, F., Conceptualising the Social Worker-Organisational Relationship through Self-Determination Theory: A Realist Synthesis of Signs of Safety, European Conference for Social Work Research, University Milan, April 2023, 2023, Conference Paper, PRESENTED
Stephanie Holt, Robbie Gilligan, Louise Caffrey & Eavan Brady, Through the Eyes of the Child: A Study of Tusla Child Protection and Welfare Intervention - A Research Briefing, 2023, Invited Talk, PUBLISHED
Caffrey, C. & Browne, F., The challenge of implementation in complex, adaptive child welfare systems: A Realist Synthesis of Signs of Safety, Practice and Research Together (PART) Canada Webinar, Online, 16/01/2023, 2023, Practice and Research Together (PART) Canada, Invited Talk, PUBLISHED
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, Report, PUBLISHED

  


Page 1 of 3
Award Date
LSE PhD Scholarship 2010-2014
UCD Entrance Scholarship 2002
My research programme examines how public services improve quality, safety and outcomes through regulation, inspection and the implementation of policy and practice reform, with a particular focus on child protection, family welfare and health systems. A central concern of my work is understanding how inspection, audit and performance management influence organisational behaviour and contribute to service improvement. More broadly, my research seeks to explain why policy and practice change is often challenging to achieve and how evaluation can generate more useful evidence for policymakers and practitioners. I have developed a distinctive research profile at the intersection of implementation science, systems thinking and realist evaluation, applying complexity theory and systems approaches to understand how change occurs within complex public-sector organisations. Three interconnected strands characterise my research. First, I examine the regulation of services, including inspection, audit and performance measurement, exploring their effects on accountability, organisational learning, inter-professional working and system safety. This body of work has contributed to understanding both the intended and unintended consequences of regulatory activity and the conditions under which inspection can support service improvement. Second, I investigate the experiences and perspectives of service users, particularly children and young people involved with child protection services, ensuring their voices inform policy and practice development. I also contribute to research on patient voice within health systems research. Third, I study the implementation and evaluation of complex interventions and reforms, including Signs of Safety, outcomes frameworks and wider system-change initiatives. Across this work, I have contributed to the application and development of systems and realist methodologies to understand what works, for whom, in what contexts and why. My research has attracted funding and collaborations with government departments, statutory agencies and international partners, generating outputs that have informed policy, practice and service development. Through this body of work, I have established a growing leadership role in implementation, regulation and evaluation research within social policy, child welfare and social care.