Dr Bernadine Brady is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Political Science and Sociology and Associate Director of the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre at the University of Galway. Bernadine is a mixed methods researcher with a focus on social ecology and young peoples wellbeing, exploring how community, school, family and service provision influence outcomes for young people. She has published a broad range of peer reviewed research papers in international journals, including Children & Youth Services Review, Children & Society, Journal of Mixed Methods Research and Child & Family Social Work as well as a range of reports and book chapters. Bernadine has particular expertise in relation to youth civic engagement, youth mentoring, participation and youth work. She is co-author of A Guide to Youth Mentoring: Providing effective social support (Jessica Kingsley, 2012) and of Mentoring Young People in Care and Leaving Care: Theory, Research and Practice (Routledge, 2020).

Bernadine lectures on the BA in Political Science & Sociology, the MA in Family Support Studies, the Masters in Social Work and other programmes. She holds a Bachelor of Social Science Degree from UCD, an MA in Community Development from the University of Galway and a PhD in Sociology from the University of Galway. She also holds a PG Diploma in Academic Practice from the University of Galway. Bernadine's previous work included research, evaluation, community development work and strategic planning in a range of local development settings.

My research interests are across six key themes:

1. Youth mentoring and advocacy:  A key focus of my research has been understanding how non-formal relationships (with volunteer or natural mentors) support youth well-being and inclusion. I have researched and published widely on youth mentoring in a range of contexts, including community and school and with young people involved with care, youth justice and mental health systems. With colleagues, I have published two books, seven peer reviewed journals, two book chapters and ten research reports based on my mentoring research, presented this research at international conferences and have played a leading role inthe creation of a mentoring research community in Europe.

2. Child and youth participation: Children's participation refers to the involvement of children and young people in decision making, a right upheld by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. My first published peer reviewed journal in 2007 was on this topic, and my colleagues and I have continued to contribute to the international literature on the conceptualization, implementation and evaluation of childrens participation in decision-making in the community and in child welfare services. This research has informed child welfare policy in Ireland.

3. Youth civic engagement and empathy:  An important focus of my research is understanding the factors that influence young peoples social values and orientations towards civic behaviour. I worked with colleagues on an EU Marie Curie funded study of youth civic and political engagement in three cities (2017-2018). I was Principal Investigator on an IRC funded study of youth empathy, social values and civic behaviour in Ireland (2017-2019) and work closely with colleagues on the development of resources to promote empathy in school and community settings.

4. Evaluation, innovation and evidence-based practice in youth work: Youth work is a type of non-formal education, underpinned by principles of voluntary participation, accessibility and equality. Traditionally, youth work practice has not had a robust evidence base due to difficulties associated with evaluation of non-standardised interventions of this nature. My research has played a key role in building theoretical and empirical evidence to underpin youth work in Ireland and internationally. I was lead researcher on the first randomised controlled trial study of youth mentoring in Ireland (2007-2010) and led on a further four quasi-experimental design studies in relation to youth work programmes in the area of citizenship (2012), school based mentoring (2012), relationships and sexuality (2014), and youth justice (2016), all funded by Foróige. With colleagues, I undertook government funded research which informed the development of the youth café model in Ireland (2010, 2015) and a rapid review of evidence in relation to universal youth work (2022). I have also contributed to the international academic literature on the theorisation of evidence in youth work. In 2022, I was appointed as a subject matter expert by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth on an Advisory Group for the reform of the Youth Services Grant Scheme.

5. Research methodology: While most of my output relates to empirical or theoretical work, I have also published on social science research methods. I published peer reviewed articles on mixed methods research (2009) and evaluation design (2016). I co-edited a book on narrative research, which critically examines the value of narrative inquiry (or storytelling) in understanding the everyday lives of children and young people in diverse spaces and places. Deemed a highly original contribution to the literature, this book was nominated for the Geographical Society of Ireland Book of the Year 2022.

6. Youth mental health and suicide prevention:

I was co- PI on Inform-YSP, a HRB funded multi-disciplinary study of youth mental health and suicide prevention, which involves collaboration with the HSE, Planet Youth and other stakeholders. This project examined trends in the mental well-being and suicidal ideation of adolescents in Ireland. From a policy perspective, this research will help inform a youth specific response to suicide prevention in Ireland.