BA, PhD, PGCert Systemic Practice
Senior Research Fellow
Room: 29.6.1.24

Tel: 028 9097 5980
E-mail: dominic.mcsherry@qub.ac.uk

 

Biography

I have been conducting research in the area of children in care and adopted in Northern Ireland since 1999. I received my PhD in psychology from QUB in July 1999, and in December 1999 joined the School of Social Work (QUB) to work with Dr Collette McAuley on a ten-year follow-up of her PhD study cohort of children in long-term foster care in Northern Ireland. I then worked with Dr Greg Kelly on the Review of Freeing Order Processes in Northern Ireland (Kelly and McSherry, 2003), and following this, was appointed Principal Investigator on a study of Care Order proceedings in Northern Ireland (McSherry, Larkin, and Iwaniec, 2004).

I am currently Principal Investigator on four large-scale research studies in the ICCR: the Northern Ireland Care Pathways and Outcomes Study; the At Home in Care study; the Regional Variations study and the Mind Your Health study.

I am a member of the British Association for Adoption and Fostering (BAAF) Research Group Advisory Committee; a member of the ESRC Peer Review College; a graduate member of the British Psychological Society; a Chartered Psychologist; and a Chartered Scientist.

I am currently convening a module on the Doctorate in Childhood Studies which is being hosted by the School of Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work. This is focused upon the Pathways and Outcomes for children in care.

 

Research interests

Children in public care, adoption, attachment, foster care, kinship care, mental health

 

Publications

McSherry, D., Fargas Malet, M., & Weatherall, K. (2013). Comparing long-term placements for young children in care. The Care Pathways and Outcomes Study - Northern Ireland. London: BAAF. Read the abstract

MacDonald, M. & McSherry, D. (2013). Constrained adoptive parenthood and family transition: adopters' experience of unplanned birth family contact in adolescence. Child & Family Social Work, 18(1), 87-96.

MacDonald, M., & McSherry, D. (2011). Open adoption: Adoptive parents' experiences of birth family contact and talking to their child about adoption. Adoption & Fostering, 35(3), 4-16.

McSherry, D. (2011). Lest we forget: Remembering the consequences of child neglect - a clarion call to 'feisty advocates'. Child Care in Practice, 17(2), 103-113.

McSherry, D., Weatherall, K., Malet, M. F., Larkin, E., & Kelly, G. (2010). Who Goes Where?: Young Children's Pathways through Care in Northern Ireland. Adoption & Fostering, 34(2), 23-37.

Fargas, M., McSherry, D., Larkin, E., & Robinson, C. (2010) Research with children: Methodological issues and innovative techniques. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 8(2), 175-192.

Fargas, M., McSherry, D., Larkin, E., Kelly, G., Robinson, C., & Schubotz, D. (2010) Young children returning home from care: the birth parents’ perspective. Child and Family Social Work, 15(1), 77-86.

McSherry, D., Larkin, E., Fargas, M., Kelly, G., Robinson, C., Macdonald, G., Schubotz, D., and Kilpatrick, R. (2009). From care to where? A care pathways and outcomes report for children and young people. Belfast, Institute of Child Care Research, Queen’s University.

McSherry, D., Larkin, E., Fargas, M., Kelly, G., Robinson, C., Macdonald, G., Schubotz, D., and Kilpatrick, R. (2008). From care to where? A care pathways and outcomes report for practitioners. Belfast, Institute of Child Care Research, Queen’s University.

McSherry, D., Larkin, E., Fargas, M., Kelly, G., Robinson, C., Macdonald, G., Schubotz, D., and Kilpatrick, R. (2008). From care to where? A care pathways and outcomes report for parents. Belfast, Institute of Child Care Research, Queen’s University.

Iwaniec, D., Larkin, E., & McSherry, D. (2007) Emotionally harmful parenting. Child Care in Practice, 13(3), 203-220.

McSherry, D. (2007). Understanding and addressing the ‘neglect of neglect’: Why are we making a mole-hill out of a mountain? Child Abuse & Neglect, 31, 607-614.

McSherry, D., Larkin, E., & Iwaniec, D. (2006) Care proceedings: Exploring the relationship between case duration and achieving permanency for the child. British Journal of Social Work, 36, 901-919.

McSherry, D. (2004) Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Examining the relationship between child neglect and poverty. British Journal of Social Work, 34(5), 727-733.

Kelly, G. & McSherry, D. (2002). Adoption from care in Northern Ireland: Problems in the process. Child and Family Social Work, 7(4), 279 – 311.