Fiachra Ó Suilleabháin is a Senior Lecturer/Associate Professor in the School of Applied Social Studies, University College Cork. A professionally qualified, CORU registered Social Worker since 2002, he teaches modules on gender and sexualities, LGBT+ matters, social services and welfare practice, child sexual abuse, child protection and welfare, and professional practice at undergraduate and graduate levels across the College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences.

Teaching and Learning

Fiachra is the Programme Director of the multi-disciplinary Master of Social Work Team and Postgraduate Diploma in Social Work Studies programmes, delivering professionally-accredited, two-year taught (NFQ?QQI Level-9) postgraduate programmes to students who wish to become social workers. He has played a pivotal role in the consortium-led development of the new level-9 Apprenticeship in Social Work in Ireland. In these specific programmes, Fiachra teaches and mentors students’ practice skills and lectures on critical and radical social work, social work approaches, research methods and research ethics for practitioners, investigative interviewing, child protection and welfare, probation-based social work, queer social work, ecological justice, sustainability and eco-social practices, and professional practice. Fiachra's was awarded UCC President's Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2018. 

Research

Fiachra’s doctoral degree examined for the first time the parenting experiences of gay men in Ireland. In addition to publications, he has delivered papers and seminars at conferences both nationally and internationally regarding child sexual abuse, LGBT+ issues and social work practice. Fiachra's research has been shortlisted in 2019 and 2021 for the national Education Awards. His scholarly outputs have been focused in three areas of engaged social work and social policy research:

Violence and Harassment:

• Online and social media abuse and harassment of social workers,
• Violence against women,
• Sexual violence, sexual safety and sexual abuse,
• Social Work practice with people who cause sexual harm.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:

• Genders and sexualities,
• LGBT+ family practices and Irish social policy,
• The experiences of trans and gender expansive youth,
• Increasing and diversifying access to higher education for underrepresented social groups.

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning:

• Teaching and learning for professions,
• Trans-disciplinary teaching and inter-professional learning,
• Teaching and learning ecological justice and sustainability for social work and allied health professionals.

Fiachra supervises research carried out by students at post-graduate level and would welcome expressions of interest from potential doctoral researchers in the areas of social work practice, sexualities, genders, family studies, professional practice, child sexual, adoption and fostering. Fiachra is also the Programme Director of the PhD in Social Work programme and a member of the School of Applied Social Studies Graduate Studies Committee.

Practice and Civic Engagement

Fiachra has extensive practice experience. He was the manager of a regional multi-disciplinary child sexual abuse assessment unit within the Child and Family Agency (TUSLA) from 2009 to 2017. Prior to that he worked in the same agency as a Principal Social Worker and as Basic Grade Social Worker. He also has professional knowledge of child protection and fostering social work practice. Fiachra has provided a range of continuous professional development training to social workers, social care leaders, medical doctors,nurses, teachers and foster-carers about child sexual abuse, direct work with children and managing children with sexualised behaviour problems, and talking with children and young people about sensitive matters. He was a member of the TUSLA Cork Foster Care Committee in Cork from September 2010 to December 2016.

Fiachra is a member of a number of practice advisory boards and action learning groups for social work organisations (including the All-Employers' Forum for Social Work, SWEPT, Tusla's Practice Education Development Working Group). He also provides social work consultancy to practitioners and is/has been:

A member of the Board of the Irish Association of Social Workers;

A member of the Board of EPIC (Empowering Children in Care);

A member of the Board of the Gay Project;

The Chairperson of the Board of St Patrick's Infant School, Gardiners' Hill Cork;

The Hon. Treasurer of UCC's LGBT+ Staff Network;

Chairperson of the Board of Douglas Credit Union Ltd.

My research interests have centred on sexual behaviours, LGBTQIA+ issues, genders and sexualities, child protection and welfare, alternative care, investigative interviewing practices, online/e-social work as well as learning, teaching and access to higher education in Ireland. I welcome the opportunity to collaborate on research with academics, researchers, community organisations and students (including graduate and doctoral research supervision).

My key areas of teaching expertise and interest are LGBTQIA+ issues and sexualities, child sexual abuse and harmful sexual behaviour, child protection and welfare, direct work with children and young people, and welfare pluralism in the delivery of social services. Throughout my professional practice, I have sought to be a research-minded and evidence-informed practitioner. I have utilised research to reflect on, and improve, my practice. I believe that teaching, research and practice are part of a connected cycle of ongoing learning and professional development. As an educator in UCC, I aim to share my passion for social work research, education and practice. I work to enhance students’ learning experiences and to achieve the best possible learning outcomes for students. I aim to inspire students to practice ethically and in anti-discriminatory ways to promote equality and social justice. I aim to assist students to develop a proficiency in critical thinking in order to develop their capacity to undertake assessments in practice and to professionally evaluate and judge situations. I seek to familiarise students with the application of theory to practice and how they are inter-connected and to help them understand how social policies at the macro-level can influence the lived experiences of individuals and communities at the micro-level. I view teaching as an interactive process which sees students as key partners in the learning project. I view teaching as an interactive process with students being partners in the learning project. I like to provide students with a poly-vocal learning environment where students are empowered to learn from each other. I am student-centred in my approach to teaching – information and knowledge needs to be imparted in an accessible way in order for students to understand and they need to understand the knowledge before they can apply it to practice.

Overall, I use a range of teaching methods to engage students in learning rather than being overly dependent on one method. I use lectures, role-plays, case-studies, practice experiences, media studies, group discussions, peer support and visual aids as learning tools in the classroom.

Bachelor of Social Science

SS2024 Fieldwork Placement (with Dr. Eileen Hogan)

SS3030 Fieldwork Placement (with Dr. Eileen Hogan)

SS3021 Sexuality and Society (with Prof Máire Leane and Aoife Price)

SS3010 Social Science and Social Work

Bachelor of Social Science (Youth and Community Work)

SS3120 Social Policy III: Position of Minorities (16% credit)

SS3119 Sustainability, Environmental and Social Justice Issues in Youth and Comm Work (with Dr Catherine Forde and Mary Hurley)

Bachelor of Social Work

SS3210 Deviance, Welfare and Justice (8% credit)

SS4211 Anti-Racism and Anti-Discriminatory Practice

Higher Diploma in Social Policy (online)

SS5011 Social Science and Social Work (with SS3010)

Master of Social Work

SS6112 Practice Skills and Fieldwork Placement I (with MSW team)

SS6112 Practice Skills and Fieldwork Placement II (Lectures)

SS6106 Applied Social Research (with Dr. Eleanor Bantry-White & Dr. Kenneth Burns)

SS6200 Social Work Approaches - Critical and Radical Social Work

SS6200 Social Work Approaches - Sustainability, Environmental and Social Justice Issues in Professional Practice (with Dr Catherine Forde and Mary Hurley)

SS6202 Social Work Settings II - Probation

SS6207 Practice Skills and Fieldwork Placement II (with MSW team)

SS6207 Practice Skills and Fieldwork Placement II (Workshop Week with Olwen Halvey)

SS6206 Dissertation in Social Work (with Dr. Eleanor Bantry-White)

MSocSc

SS6313 Contemporary Social Policy Issues (8% credit)

DSocSc

SS7003 Research Methods and Skills 1: Qualitative (8% credit)

SS7008 Designing for Research and Evaluation (8% credit)

PhD Social Work

SS7701 Methods for Social Work Research I (with Dr Caitríona Ní Laoire and Dr  Eleanor Bantry White)

DClinPsych

AP7005 Clinical Psychology Applied to Child and Adolescent (1 x 3 hr workshop)

Microcredentials

SS63 Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Awareness for Health, Social Care and Education Professionals (20% credit)