Dr. Catherine Naughton

Biography

<< Catherine Naughton is the lead administrator and PI- Ire for the Stable Lives Safer Streets Hub (SLSShub) an All-Ireland policy led research hub in youth justice. SLSSHub is located in the REPPP project (Research Evidence into Policy Programmes and Practice) and is a collaboration between UL, Queens University Belfast and the Center for Effective Service. Catherine joined the REPPP team as a Post-Doctoral researcher on the Greentown Project in January 2017. REPPP then a partnership with DCYA and laterally with the Department of Justice provides scientific evidence predominately in the area of youth justice to inform policy decisions.

Within the Greentown Project, Catherine led the National Prevalence Survey which investigated if the findings from the Greentown Case Study resonated throughout Ireland. She was also the lead researcher on the Redtown replication study which investigated if young peoples' engagement in local criminal networks influenced their prolonged and more serious crime trajectories., and supervised final year Law students investigating levers to protect child victims of criminal exploitation. Currently Catherine is one of two research fellow on the Greentown Project, responsible for monitoring the implementation and evaluating the Greentown Programme which aims to intervene for children their families and community who are caught-up in local criminal networks.
Catherine was the lead researcher on the Evaluation of the Bail Supervision Scheme for Children. This process and outcome evaluation incorporated a quasi-experimental design with a realist contribution analysis. The evaluation report formed the primary evidence in the decision by DCYA to mainstream the pilot scheme and expand the scheme to other locations in Ireland. A supplementary implementation report will support the implementation of BSS in two additional locations. The evaluation was conducted in partnership with An Garda Síochána and collaboration with Irish Youth Justice Services, Oberstown Children Detention Campus, and EXTERN (service providers).

Catherine was the lead organiser of the International Illicit Network Workshop to be hosted by UL in June 2022, which saw leading global scholars, law enforcers, policymakers and practitioners gather in UL. Catherine co-supervises a PhD student and served on the Youth Justice Research Advisory group for DCYA. Catherine was part of the REPPP team involved in a co-design research project with Department of Justice and Equality investigating the impact of COVID_19 on young people who participate in Garda Youth Diversion Projects in Ireland.

Catherine completed her PhD in Psychology in UL (2017) and an MSc in Psychological Sciences in 2013 (first class honours and awarded the prize for outstanding performance for a major research project). Her PhD research investigated the impact of growing up in a home affected by domestic violence and abuse on young people. She has ISI publications in both qualitative and quantitative research methodology. In 2016, she was awarded the Hotaling International Student Research Award at the International Family Violence and Child Victimization conference, New Hampshire, USA. She also received the runner-up position in the Eadbhard O'Callaghan Early Career Research Award for Youth Mental Health, at the ACAMH Youth Special Interest Group Conference, Cork, and was a finalist for the Dean's Prize, Excellence in Research Award, Facility of Education and Health Science, UL. >>