UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre
Welcome to the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre (UCFRC)
Message from the Director
Professor John Canavan is the Director of the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre at the School of Political Science and Sociology. The UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre is committed to improving the lives of children, young people and families through research, education and service development.
We are uniquely positioned to advance theory and practice and to facilitate knowledge transfer through better connecting the worlds of research, policy and practice
Professor John Canavan's main research interests are Family Support, Evaluation theory, and connecting research, policy and practice. I have the privilege of working for many years with practitioners, service managers and policy makers in the children and families’ field, and am passionate about the role of research in improving children’s lives.
Our Research
Our core research focus is the wellbeing and rights of children, young people and their families. We are recognised international leaders in the field of Family Support, incorporating research on prevention and early intervention and parenting support.
Framed within the operation of the prestigious UNESCO Chair on Children, Youth and Civic Engagement, our focus on Youth incorporates a body of work on mentoring, empathy and youth civic engagement. We respond to research, evaluation and planning needs of state and NGO organisations nationally and internationally across policy fields including child protection and welfare, alternative care, youth work, education, mental health and juvenile justice.
UNESCO Chair in Children, Youth & Civic Engagement
The UNESCO Chair in Children, Youth & Civic Engagement, the first in the Republic of Ireland, was awarded to Professor Pat Dolan at the National University of Ireland, Galway in 2008.
The UNESCO Chair in Children, Youth & Civic Engagement, the first in the Republic of Ireland, was awarded to Professor Pat Dolan at the National University of Ireland, Galway in 2008.The UNESCO Chairs programme, part of the UNESCO University Education and Twinning Programme, advances research, training and programme development in all of UNESCO’s fields of competence by building university networks and encouraging inter-university cooperation through the transfer of knowledge across borders. Professor Dolan conducts a programme of work within and supported by the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre (UCFRC) that spans a range of global partnerships involving universities, NGOs, international agencies and youth organisations encompassing research, education, and policy development activities.