School of SSESW academic Paul McCafferty (Social Work) has established a pioneering collaboration with the Western Health and Social Care Trust, creating an annual, Trust-funded PhD programme to support the professional development of social work practitioners. Working closely with the Trust, Paul has played a key role in designing applicant criteria and selection procedures for the PhD programme, ensuring a structured and sustainable pipeline for social work professionals to engage in doctoral research. This initiative marks an innovative partnership between Queen’s University and the Trust, with a long-term vision of expanding the programme across all Trust areas in Northern Ireland. By fostering this initiative, Paul McCafferty aims to strengthen the evidence base for social work practice, ultimately enhancing professional knowledge and service delivery.

Accompanied by senior Trust managers Maria Emilsson and Norma Cairns, Paul met recently with Bill Vail, the first student to gain a place to take a PhD at Queen’s University under this doctoral study initiative. Bill’s research focuses on ‘The impact of vicarious trauma on the well-being and career trajectories of social workers, and the effectiveness of various support strategies across different levels of professional experience within social work organizations.’ His PhD study is being supervised by Paul McCafferty and fellow School of SSESW academic Davy Hayes.