My main research areas related to youth justice, youth and family homelessness, conflict legacy and domestic violence. I am particularly interested in in-depth qualitative research, focussing on the lives of marginalised youth, often employing the biographical interviews as the key research method. Recent studies include:

A rights based approach to understanding the lived experience of children and families facing homelessness or housing insecurity (2022-2023): Funded by the NI Commissioner for Children and Young People this study employs in-depth interviews with children, young people and parents to examine the lived experiences of homelessness and housing insecurity, analysed through a rights lens.  

Children’s Lives in Jersey – Secure Accommodation Orders (2022): Funded by the Office of the Children’s Commissioner for Jersey, this study used narrative interviews with young people in secure care to inform the Commissioner’s review of Secure Accommodation Orders.

Over-representation in the youth justice system DOJ/YJA (2021-22): Funded by the Department of Justice/Youth Justice agency this research involved secondary analysis of administrative data and interviews with key stakeholders to identify and examine the potential over-representation of groups of children in the youth justice system.  on  aimed to identify factors impact

NICCY Covid Commissed Qualitative Research (2021): Funded by the NI Commissioner for Children and Young People this study examined the impact of Covid-19 pandemic on the planning and delivery of services to children and young people, drawing on interviews with professionals and practitioners working in statutory and voluntary sectors.

Children’s Lives in Jersey (2019-2021): Funded by the Office of the Children’s Commissioner for Jersey this study employed biographical interviews with young people to examine their experiences of growing up in Jersey, to inform the Commissioner’s assessment of Jersey law, policy and practice and areas which are incompatible with children’s rights.

Transgenerational Legacy and Young People (CVS) (2018-21) Commissioned by the Commissioner for Victims and Survivors NI, this study adopted a rights based approach to examining the legacies of the Conflict, and their impacts, on children and young people in NI and the border regions of Ireland.

I joined the School in July 2015 and currently convene three modules:

Youth Crime and Criminal Justice (UG)

Youth Justice: Theory, Law and Practice (PG)

Perspectives on Childhood and Youth (PG)

I also contribute to the following modules:

Childhood and Youth Research in Practice (PG)

Introduction to Criminology (UG)

Research Project and Dissertation (UG)

Youth Justice Dissertation (PG)

I am interested in supervising students in the following areas: youth justice, youth offending & offending careers, experiences of marginalised youth, domestic violence, biographical research, homeless and housing careers.  

Current PhD students:

Alison McDonald (NINE): Examining the implementation and experiences of Domestic Violence Disclosure Schemes 

Lucy Holland (DfE) Alternatives to Detention of Alternative Forms of Detention: Exploring Accompanied Migrant Children’s Perspectives

Alan McKinstry (NINE) Analysing child criminal exploitation as a form of modern slavery through critical victimology.

Programme Director PgDip/MSc in Youth Justice (2019-current)

Disability Advisor, Undergraduate (2020-current)

Member of the Centre for Children's Rights (2017-current)

Member of the School Athena SWAN Self Assessment Team (2017-current)

Member of the School Ethics Committee (2015-current)