Declan is the Director of the MA in Social Work Programme at the School of Political Science and Sociology. He has particular interests in children, families, child to parent abuse and prevention of abuse and violence. He is a personal tutor and research supervisor for students with the MA in Social Work Programme. He is also a Research Fellow with the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre at University of Galway and the then NUI Galway lead for the EU funded Responding to Child to Parent Violence Project ( www.nvrireland.ie ). He also teaches at undergraduate level in the School of Political Science and Sociology at University of Galway.Prior to joining University of Galway, Declan worked for over nine years as a senior social worker as part of the community based multi-disciplinary Mater Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) in Dublin. He was also seconded to the multi-disciplinary Northside Inter-Agency Project (NIAP), continuing his commitment to the prevention of sexual abuse and intervention in response to young people who have sexually abused. He is a member of the Irish Association of Social Workers (IASW) and a Systemic Family Therapist registered with the Family Therapy Association of Ireland (FTAI). Following qualification in social work, Declan worked for almost four years as a social worker in community care child protection and family welfare teams. He has been a practice teacher for social work students on child protection family welfare and on CAMHS placements. He has worked closely with colleagues, families and young people in group work programmes. He has also collaborated with colleagues on undergraduate and post graduate training programmes for courses designed for social workers, social care workers, nurses, doctors and others. Declan is also a committee member of the LGBTQ+ Staff Network at Univeristy of Galway. In May 2020, he and Kylie Kinsella, with the support of the LGBT+ Staff Network and the Equality Diversity and Inclusion Office at then NUI Galway, completed a pilot research project called Mapping LGBTQ+ Lives at NUI Galway.

Child-to-parent violence and abuse ( also known as parent abuse) and the Non Violent Resistance model; participatory and action research; youth mental health, abuse prevention and intervention. LGBTQ+ and minority rights and empowerment

Masters of Arts in Social Work programme: Declan co-ordinates and is involved in teaching in the following post graduate modules: SP 6160 Counselling in Social Work; SP 609 Contemporary Social Issues; SP 722 - Criminal Justice System, Probation and Social Work; SP 608- Fieldwork; SP6118 Mental Health & Applied Law(Child and Adolescent Mental Health). SP6110 Non Violent Resistance In Practice. Undergraduate courses:SP 3129 Sexualities, Genders and Diversities SP 705 - Revisiting Violence: Aggression and Abuse in Contemporary Irish Family and Institutional Life. SP235 Social Issues and Policy Responses (Young People and Sexual Behaviour Problems: Contexts and Correlates).