Role: Senior Research Officer
Company: National Children’s Bureau
Track Record:
What does your job entail?
My job involves managing a number of high-profile and large scale research projects on behalf of our clients including the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM) and the Colin Early Intervention Community.
I have an input in all aspects of project delivery, from set-up through to analysis and reporting.
As we do a significant amount of work across the children and young people’s sector, quite a lot of my time is spent working with stakeholders including Government departments, community and voluntary organisations, and schools. These groups have a key role in helping to shape the research and they are also important customers of our research reports.
The most important aspect of my job is making sure that what we do at NCB has a direct impact on improving the lives of young people.
This is what makes NCB stand out from most of the other research organisations — our capability to combine our research skills and know-how with our capacity to meaningfully engage young people in delivering our research.
In addition, it is also about working within communities, such as the Colin area in West Belfast, to help improve outcomes not just for young people but also for their families.
A lot of our work, is therefore, about trying to make sure that services in place are having a direct and measurable impact on improving the lives of children, young people and their families.
Is it 9-5?
Yes, it predominantly is a 9-5 job.
There are occasions when we have to work in the evening or at the weekend to accommodate the young people who work alongside us on projects.
How did you get into this line of work?
I have always had an interest in doing research in the children’s and young people’s sector, having worked in this field for seven years at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).
Before joining PwC, I trained as an economics and business studies teacher in addition to undertaking a PhD in education. So, for me, making a move to NCB naturally fitted with my interest in doing research within the children and young people’s sector.
What was particularly appealing about joining NCB was its focus on combining rigorous research with the active participation of young people.
Outline your career to date
I worked as a senior consultant at PwC between 2005 and 2012. I specialised in the education sector and, in particular, evaluation of education policies and programmes in England.
I also worked as a research fellow at Queen’s University of Belfast (QUB) in 2004 researching the occupational health of farmers in the Armagh and Dungannon region. I was also a temporary teaching assistant and part-time lecturer between 1997 and 2005 across the schools of management and economics, agriculture and food science and education.
Tell us about your qualifications/training
I have a BSc in agricultural economics and management awarded by QUB in 1997. In 1997/98, I studied for a Masters degree in European integration studies at the Institute for European Studies (QUB).
In 2000/01, I trained to be a teacher at the graduate School of Education at QUB. I also did my PhD in education at the graduate school, which I completed in 2004. I have most recently graduated from QUB with a post-graduate diploma in research methods.
What qualities are required for your job — personal and professional?
I think in any job where you work with children and young people, you need to be non-judgemental and show unconditional respect for the children and young people you work with.
The young people we work with come from all walks of life and many live in particularly challenging circumstances. It is important that their views and contributions are valued and respected.
In terms of professional qualities, it is critical to work constructively with others in the team and draw on their skills and experience. Being able to combine the skills and experiences of a participation officer with a research officer in conducting research with children and young people is a powerful combination in terms of what we can offer our clients.
What are the biggest challenges and rewards?
Keeping young people involved, particularly those who live in a challenging environment themselves, is always a particular challenge that we face.
Fortunately, I am lucky to have really experienced and hands-on youth participation officers in our team.
This combination has enabled us to enhance the quality of research that we undertake and I’m always surprised at how innovative young people are in coming up with suggestions that have had a positive impact on delivering our research projects. That is the biggest reward of my job.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I like to travel quite a lot and my most recent foreign trip was to Russia. Unfortunately, when I booked the bargain holiday, I hadn’t realised how expensive obtaining a Travel Visa would be — costing half the price of the flight! As much as I enjoyed the experience, it will be a one-off (unless they offer me a diplomatic visa!)
Quite a lot of my spare time is taken up with the De Paul Trust and I am currently teaching a Polish family English. Their eagerness to learn is refreshing and they have made a lot of progress since starting.
Tell us an interesting fact about yourself
I have an interest in researching my family history. The history of my father’s side of the family goes back to when the Nugent family arrived in Ireland in the early 1100’s.
I thought the most interesting fact from my family history is that one of my ancestors taught Queen Elizabeth I the Irish language back in the 1600s.
However, I wasn’t impressed to learn that another one of my ancestors died in the Tower of London before he could be tried for treason!
Who has inspired you most in your life?
It is difficult to single out one person, but probably my mother. She always instilled in all of us the value of education and its importance as a means to progress in life.