Paul McCafferty

Paul McCafferty is a Senior Lecturer at Queen's University Belfast's School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work. He joined the university sector in 2016 after 29 years in social work practice and education, including roles as a practitioner, manager, and educator in child protection and welfare systems. His research focuses on children's rights, decision-making processes in child welfare, knowledge utilization, and social work pedagogy. McCafferty leads the European Social Work Research Association's Special Interest Group on Children's Rights in Practice, emphasizing participatory approaches and evidence-based practice.

Key affiliations include the Centre for Technological Innovation, Mental Health and Education (TIME) and the Centre for Children's Rights, where he explores interdisciplinary solutions to child welfare challenges. His teaching interests span child welfare and research methods, with a focus on training socially responsible practitioners.

Research Interests: McCafferty's work critically examines children's participation in decision-making, challenges in implementing Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the integration of immersive technologies in social work training. His studies often address systemic barriers to educational attainment for children in residential care and strategies to enhance knowledge utilization in professional judgments.

Awards:

• Professional Practice Innovation Award (2021)
• Queen's University Belfast Teaching Award (2023)
• Engaged Research Seed Award (2019, with P. Best and M. Meireles)

Advising & Grants: He supervises PhD students on topics like children's rights in child welfare and decision-making. His grants include projects on immersive tools in mental health and participatory research methodologies.

Labs/Teams: McCafferty collaborates with the TIME Centre to innovate digital solutions for mental health and education, and leads initiatives promoting child-centered practices across Europe.