The Annual CRN Conference was held in University College Dublin this year on Thursday 4th December 2025, in collaboration with the UCD Childhood and Human Development Research Centre (UCD CHilD-RC).
The theme of the conference was ‘Advancing Research on Social Determinants of Child Health and Well-being in Ireland: Insights for Improving Outcomes’.
Children and young people’s health and wellbeing are shaped not only by healthcare but by a wide range of social determinants, including poverty, housing, education, family circumstances, and community environments. These factors influence the opportunities and challenges that children and young people face as they grow. In Ireland and Northern Ireland, addressing these determinants is critical for tackling persistent inequalities and ensuring that all children and young people can thrive.
This conference will bring together researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to share new evidence, discuss innovative interventions, and highlight examples of best practice across the island of Ireland. With a focus on equity and collaboration, the event aims to create a space where evidence can directly inform practice and policy, helping to improve outcomes for children and young people.
The conference featured a keynote speaker, workshops and presentations relevant to the conference theme.
Registration has now closed for the Children’s Research Network (CRN) & UCD CHilD-RC Annual Conference 2025, which took place on Thursday, 4th December at the UCD Sutherland School of Law, University College Dublin.
This year’s conference brought together researchers, practitioners, and policymakers who are committed to advancing the well-being of children and families. Attendees experienced to a rich and engaging programme featuring a keynote speaker, research presentations, and interactive workshops that highlighted the latest research and innovative practices in the field.
Key Highlights Include:
Keynote Speaker: The keynote presentation highlighted national and international projects focused on children’s education and wellbeing, showcasing innovative research, policy developments, and practical strategies to support positive outcomes. Attendees gained insights into global approaches and evidence-based practices shaping the field.
Research Presentations: Explored cutting-edge research on children’s health and well-being, digital engagement, educational experiences, and supports for children in disadvantaged contexts.
Interactive Workshops: A new addition to this year’s programme, our workshops offered attendees the opportunity to engage directly with experts, explore new information and practices, and develop practical skills.
Keynote Speaker
Attendees heard from our Keynote Speaker, Dr Jessica Surdey, on advancing adolescent and young adult wellbeing through interdisciplinary research, policy, and education. Dr Surdey has 15+ years of experience in international, interdisciplinary work on policy, educational practice, and intervention research.
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Dr. Jessica Surdey is currently a research fellow project manager in the Geary Institute for Public Policy, Deputy Director of the UCD Centre for the Advancement of Wellbeing in Education, and lectures in the UCD Schools of Education and Public Health. She has an Interdisciplinary PhD from The State University of New York at Binghamton with core emphases in psychology, higher education, and health, a master’s degree in Management, and a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Law. She specialises in adolescent through emerging adult wellbeing, with 15 years’ experience in international, interdisciplinary work on policy, educational practice, and intervention research. She has delivered and developed over 110 wellbeing modules internationally at public universities in Ireland and the US; is the author of several peer reviewed publications, book chapters, a national policy- the National Student Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Policy; an invited presenter at many international conferences; led three large scale RCTs, included developing a research lab; and contributed to €11million in funded research. Jessica has additional private sector professional experience, as a director of marketing, as well as starting and owning two small businesses.
Dr. Surdey is happy to contribute to Children's Research Network Conference on behalf of the UCD Centre for the Advancement of Wellbeing that focuses on interdisciplinary wellbeing research, intervention development, and education across a lifespan. The Centre leads Growing Up in Digital Europe (GUIDE), Europe's first comparative cohort study of child wellbeing, bringing together 25 European countries and over 100 researchers committed to understanding how children develop across diverse cultural, social, and economic contexts. The Centre also hosts wellbeing intervention research projects, wellbeing education/CPD, and a developing community of wellbeing scholars.
Research Presentation Sessions
Our presenters discussed their research on a variety of topics, including children's health and wellbeing, their use of digital technologies, experiences in education and on supporting children in disadvantaged contexts.
Session titles included:
Children & Young People’s Health Journeys: Integrating Research, Experience, & Innovation
Digital Worlds, Developing Minds: Understanding Children’s Tech Engagement
Learning, Wellbeing, & Participation: Children’s Experiences of Education
Breaking Barriers: Supporting Children in Disadvantaged Contexts
Workshops
As part of the CRN & UCD CHilD-RC Annual Conference, a series of interactive workshops was held to explore key themes and practical approaches related to children’s rights and inclusive development. The workshops ran simultaneously, giving attendees the opportunity to choose the session that best matches their interests and professional focus.
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Growing Up in Ireland (GUI) is the national longitudinal study of children and young people. Across three cohorts and 11 waves of fieldwork, a wide range of data relating to family life & relationships, education, socio-emotional wellbeing and physical health has been collected from almost 30,000 young people and their families.
This workshop aimed to provide attendees with practical information about how GUI can be used to support their own research interests. Attendees learned about the overall study design and methodology, how to navigate the study’s many findings, reports and academic publications, and how to access and analyse GUI data themselves to answer their own research questions. The workshop included a practical data analysis tutorial informed by attendees’ own research interests.
Facilitator Bio:
Dr Eoin McNamara has worked as a researcher on the Growing Up in Ireland study for the past eight years, formerly at the Economic and Social Research Institute and currently at the Department of Children, Disability and Equality. He completed his PhD at Queen Mary, University of London, and his post-doctoral research at the University of Cambridge. His research interests focus on a range of child health outcomes and socio-economic disparities therein.
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Providing a research summary of the key research, methodology and frameworks of families living in IPAS and Traveller Community.
The workshop delved into practices that have been created in responding to the presenting needs of supporting parents and families in IPAS and the travelling community.
Attendees have an increased knowledge of the existing research and an understanding of practice that is currently available in supporting marginalised families. It provided consideration for how policy could be considered in supporting change.
Facilitator Bios:
Sinead Roche has almost 15 years experience working with children and families in community and voluntary services and Tusla. Sinead has brought her direct practice experience to now supporting National Family Link Workers in her current role. Throughout Sinead’s work, prevention and early intervention has been the key focus ensuring her approach is children and human rights focused. Sinead is passionate about empowering workers in supporting their own community. Sinead has a passion in creating experiences that inspires growth, meaning, and outcomes for children and families in reaching their full potential.
Donna Butler is an ESF+ Officer within the Prevention Partnership and Family Support (PPFS) unit of Tusla, where she drives the strategic alignment of the Government of Ireland and EU funding with the Family Support Service. Donna brings in-depth knowledge of GOI/EU funding, grounded in her many years of direct service provision through systemic practice and her deep interest in working with families and young people. In this workshop, she will share information on the service and resources that are being utilised to address the complex social exclusion experienced by IPAS families, the funding mechanism designed to appoint practitioners to work directly to support families. Donna has 20 years of experience working with families and young people in multiple roles, supporting change through service development and provision, supporting, and advocating for policy change and more recently within Tusla in the roll-out of services Nationally across specific areas of Young Parents, IPAS Families and Advisory roles.
Dr Johannah Duffy is a National Research Officer with Tusla Child and Family Agency. The National Research Office is part of Tusla’s Quality and Regulation Directorate.
At the heart of Dr Duffy’s professional ethos is a commitment to fostering inclusivity and sustainability in the information field. She is driven by the desire to continually contribute to transformative practices within research and the information science landscape. The National Research Office endeavours to keep child and youth voices at the core of their work programme. Dr Duffy’s current research focus lies in fostering good research practice and evidence-based knowledge.
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This workshop adopted a futures thinking scenario-based methodology to assess research and policy dimensions of system change for a scenario of children/young people experiencing issues of trauma and adverse childhood experiences, sleep difficulties, suspension/ expulsion from school, bullying, poor attendance and hunger in school. An initial scene setting for these themes was given, locating it also conceptually as part of the spatial turn for social inclusion in education. The group examined how to bridge these health and education needs as part of a holistic focus on students' needs in schools that addresses space and complexity in system design.
Facilitator Bio:
Professor Paul Downes is Professor of Psychology of Education, Director of the Educational Disadvantage Centre, Institute of Education, Dublin City University, Ireland and Affiliate Professor, University of Malta, Centre for Resilience & Socio-Emotional Health. With over 125 peer reviewed publications in areas of education, psychology, philosophy, law, anthropology and social policy, Professor Downes has given keynote lectures and invited presentations in 31 countries. His book Reconstructing Agency in Developmental and Educational Psychology: Inclusive Systems as Concentric Space (Routledge 2020) was nominated for the American Psychological Association’s (APA) William James Book Award. He has been involved in various expert advisory roles for the European Commission, including for its Pathways to School Success 2022 and School Policy Working Groups, He is appointed as Member, OECD Expert Group on Education and Inclusive Societies 2025-.
Conference Booklet
Abstract Booklet
This conference is funded through a Conference and Event Scheme grant from the Health Research Board.