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Professor Trevor Spratt

Adjunct Assistant Professor (Sch Office - Social Work & Social Policy)

 sprattt@tcd.ie

 


Biography

Having worked for some 10 years in social work practice with children and families my research interests are in this area. These include, decision making by professionals, how policy objectives are translated into professional practises, the development of child protection systems internationally, and the impact of early adversities in childhood as realised across the life-course. My first academic position was with the University of Ulster in 1997, moving thereafter to Queen's University Belfast in 2000. I took up the position as Director of the Children's Research Centre at TCD in 2014.

Research Projects

 Decision Making in Child Welfare
 The effectiveness of service provided by the Daughters of Charity

Languages

Language Skill Reading Skill Writing Skill Speaking
English Fluent Fluent Fluent

Memberships

Membership of Professional Institutions, Associations, Societies

Details Date From Date To
Registered Social Worker with the Northern Ireland Social Care Council 2004 2014
Fu, Cong., Calatrava, M. and Spratt, T., Factors Associated with Social Workers' Likelihood to Report Suspected Child Abuse: Findings from a National Survey of Chinese Social Workers, British Journal of Social Work, 2024, p1-20 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Swords, L., Kennedy, M. and Spratt, T., Pathways explaining the intergenerational effects of ACEs: The mediating roles of mothers' mental health and the quality of their relationships with their children, Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 2024, p1-7 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Flynn, S., Lakkshme Sundaresan, S., Caffrey, L.,Spratt, T. and Holt, S., Towards Better Outcomes for Children and Families: Evaluation of the Implementation of an Outcomes Framework, 2024, p1 - 64, https://doi.org/10.25546/11021, Report, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  DOI
Calatrava, M., Swords, L. and Spratt, T., Socio-emotional adjustment in children attending family centres: The role of the parent-child relationship, British Journal of Social Work, 2023, p1-17 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Frederick, J., Spratt, T. and Devaney, J., Supportive relationships with trusted adults for children and young people who have experienced adversities: Implications for social work service provision, British Journal of Social Work, 2023, p1-17 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  DOI
Swords, L., Spratt, T. and Hanlon, H., Professional Burnout as a Mediator in the Relationship Between Pandemic-Related Stress and Social Care Workers" Mental Health, British Journal of Social Work, 2023, p1 - 15 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Spratt, T., Frederick, J. and Devaney, J., New understandings in childhood research and their implications for child and family services, Journal of Social Work, 2022, p1-16 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Spratt, T., Swords, L. and Hanlon, H., Domestic Violence and Whole Family Interventions: Charting Change in the Lives of Service Users, British Journal of Social Work, 2021, p1-23 , Notes: [Published online advance access], Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Monson Tracey, Swords Lorraine, Spratt Trevor, Establishing outcome measures in practice: Developing a model for services working therapeutically with children and families , The British Journal of Social Work , 2021, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Spratt, T., Swords, L. and Vilda, D., Outcomes for Families Referred to Family Centres: Using Validated Instruments to Chart Changes in Psychological Functioning, Relationships and Children's Coping Strategies over Time, British Journal of Social Work, 2020, p1-22 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
  

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Spratt, T., Swords, L. and Vilda, D., Why Measures Matter: Charting Change in the Lives of Children and Families, Daughters of Charity, October, 2018, p1 - 135, Notes: [ Example of evidence based practice], Report, PUBLISHED
Ethical considerations in studies with children in, editor(s)B. Hopkins, E. Geangu, & S. Linkenauger , The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Child Development, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2017, pp207 - 210, [Trevor Spratt], Book Chapter, PUBLISHED
Safeguarding Children Research: A United Kingdom Perspective in, editor(s)Lorraine Waterhouse and Janice McGhee , Challenging Child Protection, London, Jessica Kingsley, 2015, pp77 - 88, [Trevor Spratt], Book Chapter, PUBLISHED
Cross-national comparison of caseworkers' attitudes towards child welfare issues and their impact in risk assessments and decisions to place a child out-of-home in, editor(s)C. Canali and T. Vecchiato , Foster care in Europe: what do we know about outcomes and evidence?, Padova, Italy, Zancan Publishing, 2013, pp57 - 60, [Lopez, M., Koopmans, A.C., Knorth, E.J., Witteman, C. Benbenishty, R., Dv], Book Chapter, PUBLISHED
Devaney, J., Bunting, L., Davidson, G., Hayes, D., Lazenbatt, A. and Spratt, T., Still Vulnerable: The Impact of Early Childhood Experiences on Adolescent Suicide and Accidental Death, Belfast, Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People, 2012, 1, 95, Report, PRODUCED
Nett, J. and Spratt, T., An international study comparing child protection systems from five countries (Australia, Finland, Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom) that provides scientifically founded recommendations for improving child protection in Switzerland, Bern, University of Applied Social Science, Bern, August, 2012, 1, 258, Report, PRODUCED
Trevor Spratt, An Evaluation of Dr B's Kitchen, Belfast, Barnardo's , October, 2010, 1, 46, Report, PRODUCED
The Changing Landscape of Social Care: Implications for Working with Involuntary Clients in, editor(s)Martin C. Calder , The carrot or the stick? Towards effective practice with involuntary clients in safeguarding children work, Lyme Regis, Russell House Publishing, 2008, pp12 - 24, [Trevor Spratt], Book Chapter, PUBLISHED
Current Understandings of Critical Social Work in, editor(s)Steven Hick, Jan Fook and Richard Pozzuto , Social Work: A Critical Turn, Toronto, Thompson Education Publishing, 2005, pp3 - 24, [Jim Ife, Karen Healy, Trevor Spratt and Brenda Soloman], Book Chapter, PUBLISHED
Radical Drama with Children: Working with Children Using Critical Social Work Methods in, editor(s)Steven Hick, Jan Fook and Richard Pozzuto , Social Work: A Critical Turn, Toronto, Thompson Education Publishing, 2005, pp105 - 120, [Trevor Spratt], Book Chapter, PUBLISHED

  

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Research Interests

Description Of Research Interests

1. Professional decision making. I have research experience in professional decision making with respect to children's protection and their welfare. Much of this has been concerned with national and comparative international investigations into knowledge and contextual determinants of decision making. 2. The translation of social policy into professional practices. I have undertaken research into patterns of practice in response to social policy initiatives pertaining to children and families. This work has been particularly concerned to investigate the relationship between official system output measures and child wellbeing indicators. 3. The life-course influences of multiple adversities experienced in childhood. This interdisciplinary research has been concerned with investigating associations between early childhood adversities and later health, economic and social outcomes in adulthood and drawing out implications for policy makers and practitioners concerned with evidence informed interventions.