Staff

John Canavan

Lecturer

Associate Director, Child and Family Research Centre

BA in Political Science & Sociology and Economics, National University of Ireland, Galway
Post-Graduate Diploma in Applied Computing, University of Limerick
MA in Community Development, National University of Ireland, Galway
Ph.D, Queen’s University Belfast

Office: Child and Family Research Centre, Science and Engineering Technology Building
Telephone: 353 (0)91 495397
Email: john.canavannuigalway.ie

Member of the Children, Youth and Families Research Cluster (the Child and Family Research Centre)

Profile

Dr. John Canavan has extensive experience in researching and evaluating social intervention programmes in the areas of child and family care, educational disadvantage, and community and local development. He received his PhD from Queens University, Belfast in 2006 and holds an MA in Community Development from NUI, Galway. His is joint founder and Associate Director of the Child and Family Research Centre.

Teaching

Children and Families: Sociological Insights and Policy Perspectives (Diploma / MA in Family Support Studies)
Contribute to range of other School Undergraduate and Post-Graduate programmes

Research Interests

My main research interest is Family Support as a paradigm for policy and services for children and families and its theoretical underpinnings. A second core area of interest is evaluation theory and methodology. 

Selected Publications

Canavan, J., Coen, L., Dolan, P. and White, L. (2009) Privileging Practice: Facing the Challenges of Integrated Working for Outcomes for Children. Children & Society, Vol.23, No.5, pp.377-388.

Integrated working for outcomes is complex and challenging in theory and practice. Yet, outcomes and integrated working are central to the policy goals for children and families in Ireland. In this article, the authors present two main arguments: first, that reflective practice offers a useful general methodology for engaging with the theoretical and practical challenges of integrated working for outcomes; and second, reflective practice as a specific approach can help achieve the balance between policy and services blueprints and the realities of practice, a necessity in achieving better outcomes for children. The authors’ recent involvement in policy development work in Ireland is drawn on to illustrate the arguments.

Canavan, J., Gillen, A. and Shaw, A. (2009) Measuring Research Impact: Developing Practical and Cost-Effective Approaches, Evidence and Policy, Vol.5, No.1., pp.167-178.

This article discusses the theoretical context of the measurement of research impact within thinking on research dissemination and utilisation. Then, using their experience in a university-based research centre in Ireland, the authors discuss six propositions for successful research impact measurement and illustrate their application in a case study of research on services for people with learning disabilities. The article concludes by examining the implications for research centres in building partnerships with policy and practice communities.

Byrne, A. Millar, M. (2009) Participatory Research and the Voice Centred Relational Method of Data Analysis: It is Worth It? International Journal of Research Methodology, Vol. 12, No.1, pp.67-77.

Much has been written about participatory approaches in planning and implementing research. The process and practice of participatory data interpretation and analysis is, however, less discussed. This article explores the value of the Voice-Centred Relational (VCR) method of data analysis and interpretation in the context of participatory research with socially excluded teenagers. Focussing on participatory data analysis, the implementation of the method with teenagers in a West of Ireland town who have left school early is described. Written from the perspectives of academic researchers, members of a research team that included teenagers and a Community Arts artist, this article introduces the VCR method and describes the participatory processes, practices and pitfalls. The challenges of doing participatory interpretation with VCR method are considered.

Nic Ghabhainn, S., Dolan, P., Canavan, J. and O’Higgins, S. (2009) Current Practice in Meeting Health Needs in Family Support Services: Variation by Service Type and Perspectives on Future Developments, Child Care in Practice, Vol.15, No.2.

The needs of all service users include those related to physical, emotional, sexual and mental health. This article documents where child health needs are recognised and being met within family support services in the west of Ireland, investigates whether there is variation across different types of family support services and presents the views of service providers as to how health needs could be more fully addressed. Four randomly selected service managers were interviewed; followed by a census survey of managers within the region. Thirty-three managers returned questionnaires (80% response) on their formal briefs in relation to health, perceived health needs being met and unmet, approaches to meeting health needs and resources required to adequately meet client health needs. Emotional and mental health needs were most frequently being met within current services, while group work, one-to-one work and referring on were all popular approaches. Systematic differences emerged by service size and client group. Access to expertise and staff training were perceived as the most popular approaches to improving service provision. These data illustrate that there is a need to develop guidelines for practice, foster links between services and provide for specialised staff training in relation to child health issues.

Canavan, J. (2008) Resilience: Cautiously Welcoming a Contested Concept, Child Care in Practice, Vol.14, No.1, pp.1-7.

This overview article serves to introduce the content of a special issue of Child Care in Practice devoted to the topic of resilience and its relevance for policy and practice. In order to contextualise the contributions to the journal, the article introduces the concept of resilience, provides some definitions, raises some issues in definition and outlines some critiques and debates within the literature. It then describes the content of the subsequent contributions, before concluding briefly on the value of the concept.

Dolan, P., Canavan, J. and Brady, B. (2008) Youth Mentoring and the Parent-Young Person Relationship: Considerations for Research and Practice. Youth and Policy, No.99, Spring, pp.33-42.

Dolan, P., Canavan, J. and Pinkerton, J. (Eds.) (2006) Family Support as Reflective Practice, London: Jessica Kingsley.

Dolan, P., Canavan, J. and Brady, B. (2006) Connecting with Practice in the Changing Landscape of Family Support Training, Child Care in Practice, Vol.12, No.1, pp. 43-51.

Canavan, J. and Dolan, P. (2003) Policy Roots and Practice Growth: Evaluating Family Support on the West Coast of Ireland, in I. Katz and Pinkerton J (Eds.), Evaluating Family Support: Thinking Internationally, Thinking Critically. Chichester: John Wiley and Sons, pp. 253-270.

Canavan, J., Dolan, P. and Pinkerton, J. (2003) Optimising the Relationships Between Research, Policy and Practice: A Systemic Model in R. Munford and J. Sanders (Eds.), Making a Difference in Families: Research that Creates Change, Crows Nest NSW: Allen and Unwin, pp.35-54.

McGrath, B. and Canavan, J. (2002) Educational disadvantage and rural youth in the West of Ireland, in Dax, T. and Machold, I. (Eds.) Voices of Rural Youth: A Break with Traditional Patterns, Vienna: Bundesanstalt fur Bergbaurenfragen, pp.15-37.

Canavan, J., Dolan, P. and Pinkerton, J. (Eds.) (2000) Family Support: Direction from Diversity, London: Jessica Kingsley.  

>> For a full list of publications, click here. 

Supervision of Research

MA in Social Work Dissertation (1: in 2007, 2008, 2009)
MA in Family Support Dissertation (4: 1 in 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009)
MA in Community Development (4: in 1997, 1998, 2000 and 2007)

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