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Dr. Eavan Brady

Assistant Professor (Social Studies)
      
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Dr. Eavan Brady

Assistant Professor (Social Studies)

 bradye3@tcd.ie

 


Eavan is an Assistant Professor in Social Work in the School of Social Work and Social Policy at Trinity College Dublin. She holds a Masters in Social Work from Trinity College Dublin, a Higher Diploma in Psychology from Trinity College Dublin, and a Bachelor of Arts from Trinity College Dublin. Eavan's PhD explored the educational pathways of adults with care experience in Ireland using a life course perspective. Prior to joining the School of Social Work & Social Policy, Eavan worked in the homelessness, housing, and mental health sectors in both Dublin and Toronto, Canada. Eavan also spent two years working with Practice and Research Together in Toronto where she was heavily involved in supporting staff in child welfare agencies across Canada to use evidence-informed practices in their work. Eavan is the Course Director for the Master in Social Work Programme in Trinity College Dublin and teaches on this programme, the Bachelor in Social Studies (Social Work) programme, and the Postgraduate Diploma in Child Protection and Welfare.
Project Title
 Covid and Care Leavers Project
From
2020
To
2022
Summary
This study was undertaken in partnership with advocates from Empowering People in Care (EPIC). The aim of the study was to learn more about the experiences of care leavers in the time of the Covid-19 pandemic. By exploring how the pandemic was experienced by care leavers in Ireland we sought to shed light on the ways in which daily life may have changed for care leavers in this period, how they navigated those changes, and how they made sense of their experience.
Funding Agency
Department of Children and Youth Affarirs
Project Title
 Children and Young People's Experiences of the Child Protection and Welfare Service in Tusla, Child and Family Agency.
From
2020
To
2023
Summary
This study aimed to provide a point-in-time capture of children and young people's experiences of Tusla"s child protection and welfare services. It sought to align with the Signs of Safety Theory of Change and produce actionable findings that provide a deep understanding of children and young people's experiences as well as the factors that influence those experiences.
Funding Agency
Child and Family Agency - Tusla
Project Title
 Care Leavers: Ten Years On
From
2023
To
2025
Summary
The study, Care Leavers " Ten Years On, will be the first in Ireland to address the experiences of `graduates" of the care system in adult life, in terms of education, family, work, accommodation, health and well-being. Study findings seek to answer such questions as how do young people who leave the care system fare as adults? What makes a difference in supporting care leavers? What is important from their point of view? Funded by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, the study is part of Care Experiences: Journeys through the Irish Care System, a new national research and data project examining the lives of children in care and adults who were in care as children.
Funding Agency
Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration, and Youth
Project Title
 A Qualitative Life Course Study of the Educational Pathways of Care-experienced Adults
From
2014
To
2019
Summary
This study sought to pioneer a new line of inquiry in this area exploring the educational pathways that `older" care-experienced adults have taken over the course of their lives. In addition, this study drew on the life course perspective (Elder, 1994; 1998) as both guiding research paradigm and theoretical framework to explore if, and how, this perspective could provide new insights into how the educational pathways of care experienced adults have been shaped and influenced over time. To that end, the central research questions guiding this study were: 1) What are the educational pathways that care-experienced adults have taken over the course of their lives, and expect to take in future? 2) How can the life course perspective enhance understanding of the ways that educational pathways are shaped and influenced over time?

Details Date
Member International Research Network on Transitions to Adulthood from Care (INTRAC) Executive Committee 2021
Contributor: Practice Links Quarterly Publication, University College Cork February 2013 - to date
Co-chair: Ontario Bookworm Club Steering Committee November 2012- August 2014
Board Member - Breaking Through: Supporting Practitioners 2017 to date
Irish Aftercare Network Committee - Member 2017 to date
Reviewer - Child Care in Practice 2017 to date
Reviewer - Journal of Social Work Practice 2018 to date
Reviewer - Child Welfare 2018 to date
Reviewer - Journal of Technology in Human Services 2018 to date
All Ireland Social Work Research Conference - Organising Committee Member 2018 to date
Reviewer - Social Work Education May 2020 to date
Editorial Board Member - Child Care in Practice September 2019 to date
Reviewer - Children and Youth Services Review June 2020 to date
Reviewer - Children & Society August 2020 to date
Reviewer - Journal of Youth Studies August 2020 to date
Details Date From Date To
Registered Social Worker: License Number SW000286 CORU - Health & Social Care Professionals Council, Ireland 2012 To date
Irish Association of Social Work - Member 2014 To date
Recent developments in aftercare provision in Ireland in, editor(s)Refaeli, T Mann-Feder, V. , Leaving Care around the world: Twenty years of the International Network on Transitions to Adulthood from Care, 2025, [Brady, E., Gilligan, R., Whiting, S.], Book Chapter, IN_PRESS
Whiting, S. & Brady, E., Exploring the role of family names in identity development for care experienced young people, European Scientific Association on Residential & Family Care for Children and Adolescents (EUSARF), University of Zagreb, Croatia, 10-12 September 2025, 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, 2025, Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Sting, S., Stohler, R., Brady, E., Gilligan, R., Werner, K., Barriers to the educational progress of care leavers: the neglected role of stigma?, Children & Youth Services Review, 173, (June), 2025, p9 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
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
Økland, I., Brady, E. & Oterholm, I., A life course perspective on timing social network enhancement for child welfare-experienced young people, British Journal of Social Work, 2025, Journal Article, SUBMITTED
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, 2025, Journal Article, SUBMITTED
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
Økland, I., Oterholm, I., Brady, E., Social network enhancement: Bridging and bonding the social networks of child welfare involved youth, Child & Family Social Work, 2024, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
O'Kane, E & Brady, E., What Happens After Care? Investigating the Post-care Housing Pathways and Experiences of Adult Care Leavers in Ireland, Children and Youth Services Review, 2024, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
  

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Eavan Brady, Janet Boddy, Lynne Cahill, Robbie Gilligan, Stephanie Holt, & Sarah Parker, Care Leavers: 10 years on, A Narrative Rapid Review, 2025, 1-51, Report, PUBLISHED
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, Children and Youth Services Review, 2023, -, Miscellaneous, PUBLISHED
Monson, T. & Brady, E., Editorial , Child Care in Practice, 2022, Notes: [https://doi.org/10.1080/13575279.2021.1999642], Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Brady, E., Book Review - Marginalised Communities in Higher Education: Disadvantage, Mobility and Indigeneity, Scottish Journal of Residential Child Care, 21, (2), 2022, Notes: [https://celcis.org/application/files/2216/6791/6427/2022_Vol_21_No_2_Brady_E_Book_review.pdf], Review, PUBLISHED
Brady, E., Supporting progress in education and employment among care leavers: Challenges and opportunities [INVITED SPEAKER], Irish Aftercare Network Annual Conference - "Together we Can" Promoting Education, Training & Employment Opportunities for Care Leavers., Athlone, Ireland, 25th May 2018, 2018, Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Brady, E. & Gilligan, R., Supporting the educational progress of children and young people in foster care: Challenges and opportunities, Foster, 5, 2018, p29 - 41, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Brady, E., How to be a Critical Consumer of Research: Strategies for locating and critically reading published research, The Irish Social Worker, 2018, p77 - 82, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Brady, E., Supporting the Educational Attainment and Progress of Children in State Care: A Preliminary Review of International Evidence, 2017, Notes: [ TRiSS Working Paper Series TRiSS-WPS-01-2017], Working Paper, PUBLISHED
Brady, E., Journey to Publication, Irish Association of Social Workers National Social Work Conference, Dublin, Ireland, June 2016, 2016, Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Holt, S., Whelan, S. & Brady, E.,, Evaluation of the Cottage Home Family Support Service, 2014, Report, PUBLISHED

  


Award Date
Provost's Teaching Award Nominee 2016-2017
European Social Services Award for Child-centred Research 2023
Trinity Excellence in Teaching Award Nominee 2023-2024
Trinity Excellence in Teaching Award Nominee 2024-2025