Áine is a CORU registered Social Worker with extensive experience in medical and maternity social work including supporting service users and their families, assessing risk to children and vulnerable adults, policy development and relationship building with key stakeholders.

Qualifying in 2003, Áine completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Fieldwork Practice and Supervision (Social Work) which she implemented in her role as Senior Social Worker in supporting both Social Workers and students. Áine contributed to both the Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Social Work programmes in UCC and has significant experience as a Social Work Practice Teacher.

Áine developed a keen interest in child protection proceedings within a maternity social work context and undertook research in this area for completion of a Postgraduate Diploma in Child Protection and Welfare. She completed an LLM in Children’s Rights and Family Law in 2023 with her dissertation focusing on Mandatory Reporting, and how victims of abuse might be better protected in this process.

Keen to develop her skills in academia, Áine joined the School of Applied Social Studies in September 2024 as the Work Based Learning Co-Ordinator for the Master of Social Work Apprenticeship programme. Áine is passionate about lifelong learning and helping and developing the learning of others, through collaboration and muti-agency support.  

Denise Cronin joined the School of Applied Social Studies in Autumn 2025.  She is the Work Integrated Learning Coordinator on the Bachelor of Arts in Social Care programme. She is also the Module Coordinator for the programme and a part time Lecturer in the School teaching on the BA (Social Care) and on the Masters of Social Work programmes.

Qualifying in 2005 after completing a BA (Hons) degree in Applied Social Studies in Social Care (from TUS) Denise continued her education overseas completing in 2018 a Masters in Social Work through Monash University, Victoria, Australia.

With extensive experience of over 20 years in Social Care Work and Social Work in Ireland and in Australia, Denise brings a comprehensive understanding of practice, education, and workforce development to her teaching and the Work Integrated Learning Coordinator role.

Denise is a CORU registered Social Worker, as well as a Social Care Worker (CORU registration pending).  Her memberships of the SCI, IASW and IASCE reflect a strong professional identity grounded in ethical and evidence-informed practice.

Having coordinated student placements, mentored practitioners, and practised in both Australia and Ireland, Denise is skilled in linking academic learning with professional application.

She has a keen interest in expanding knowledge and interventions in family violence, child protection, and family preservation initiatives. Her work experience in these areas further strengthens her capacity to support students’ integration of theory, policy and reflective practice within social care work and social work settings.

Denise is a former Student Mentor and Career Development Mentor within Child Protection Services. She has a passion for supporting new graduates as they commence their careers, specifically in both self-care and reflective practice. In 2022 Denise completed additional training through the Bouverie Family Therapy Centre, Victoria, Australia on Reflective Practice.

Teaching:

With work experience including but not limited to child protection, family violence, family services, special needs and mental health, Denise’s teaching interests are focused on practice skills, preparation for placement and linking this to academic learning.

Claire joined the School of Applied Social Studies as a Digital Education Officer in August 2024.  Her role primarily supports the delivery of the School’s blended programmes in particular the new MSW Apprenticeship programme.

Before joining Applied Social Studies, Claire worked as a Strategic and Accreditation Data Analyst in UCC's Cork University Business School. She was also a Senior Instructional Designer in the Office of the VP for Learning and Teaching where she worked collaboratively with staff to plan, develop, manage and deliver online/blended programmes. While there, Claire developed several support resources for staff in the area of Technology Enhanced Learning and was also the lead organiser and trainer for several training initiatives including the University-wide Canvas Training Programme which trained over 1,000 UCC staff when Canvas was introduced in UCC to replace the previous VLE. 

Prior to the above, Claire held an IT project management role at State Street, a multinational fund administrator and she also worked in several short-term posts in Higher Education at UCC and the UK.

I graduated from CIT in 2006 with a Bachelors Degree in Social Care, and I worked in the Disability Sector before undertaking a Masters in Social Work in UCC in 2009, graduating in 2011.

I spent 13 years in the field of Child Protection and Welfare working in Protection and Assessment teams and with Children in Care. As a Social Work Team Leader, I managed a Therapeutic and Family Support team, a Child Protection and Welfare team, a Specialist Inquiry Team and a Children in Care team.

Throughout my time in practice, I was committed to driving learning and development initiatives for social workers. I established a peer mentoring programme and provided management support and guidance to Practice Teachers for MSW and BSW students and delivered a number of guest lectures on Child Protection in UCC.

In 2024 I joined the School of Applied Social Studies as a part-time Tutor on the MSW programme. I subsequently took up a full-time role in the School in May 2025 as a Work-Based Learning Coordinator on the Masters in Social Work Apprenticeship programme.

I have a keen interest in the areas of social work education and career development, promotion of the social work profession, child development, trauma and child care law.

Sinead Hanley

Sinéad is a part-time Executive Assistant in the School of Applied Social Studies who works part-time -  9am to 10pm from Mon-Thurs incl.  Sinéad provides administrative support for the co-ordination and administration of Social Work placements in the school.

Orla McDonald

Orla is a Senior Executive Assistant in the School of Applied Social Studies having joined the school in 2006.   She graduated from UCC with a BA(English & Spanish) in 1997, an MA in Hispanic Studies in 2000 and a BCL in 2015.

Fionnuala O'Leary

Fionnuala is Manager of the School of Applied Social Studies, a role that involves working closely with the Head of School and senior management to drive the strategic development of the School.  She is responsible for the school's administrative functions and its day-to-day operations as well as managing the school's financial and budgetary functions.  Fionnuala has 25 years experience as a School Manager. She holds a Diploma in Management from the UK's Institute of Leadership & Management.  

Her role includes:

• Executive responsibility for the administrative systems that support the School's teaching, learning and research activities.
• Working with the Head of School on managerial and operational matters. 
• Managing the school's financial and budgetary functions.
• Responsibility for leading and managing the school's administrative staff.
• Working with the Head of School and Vice-Heads to drive the strategic development of the school.
• Managing local HR functions such as part-time staff contracts and pay, studentships and scholarships.
• Liaising with the school's external stakeholders.
• Membership of the School's Executive Management Committee.
• Chairing the School's Risk Register Committee.
• Membership of the CACSSS College Executive Management Committee. 

Margaret O'Leary

Margaret is an Executive Assistant in the School of Applied Social Studies having joined the school's administrative staff in early 2022.  She provides administrative support to the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) and the Masters of Social Work (MSW)/Postgrad. Dip. in Social Work Studies programmes.  

Margaret graduated from UCC with a BA in History and Spanish in 1989 and a Diploma in Computer Science in 1990.

Phil O'Sullivan

Phil joined the School's administrative staff in 2001 having previously worked in UCC's Careers Service and in the private sector.  She was promoted to Administrative Assistant (Grade V) in 2023.  Phil holds a Diploma in Social Studies from UCC.  

Phil is a very experienced administrator who provides admin. support to the School's social science and social policy programmes.  She is a member of the BSocSc course team. 

Phil's main duties include the following:

Programme Administrator for one undergraduate and two postgraduate programmes in Social Policy.  This involves supporting approximately 380 students per year and the related academic staff teams.

Social Work Placements administration working directly with the Placements Co-Ordinator as well as external Practice Teachers and placement supervisors in social work agencies. Approximately 160 placements are organised and administered each year.

Exams Co-Ordinator for the School with responsibility for organising and administering collection, distribution, tracking and return of a high volume of exam scripts and the subsequent uploading of marks in co-operation with academic colleagues.

Administrative Support and Liaison for Fitness to Practice including membership of the University Fitness to Practice Committee.

The re-appointment of Mary McDermott as an Adjunct Professor to the School of Applied Social Studies for three academic years up to 2029 is intended to make a significant and unique contribution to University College Cork, particularly regarding the production of new knowledge and understandings of Domestic Sexual and Gender-based Violence (DSGBV) that will help us learn better ways of living together.  

Mary McDermott has worked as a University Lecturer, Social Policy Analyst, in Community Development in Ireland and in the Caribbean, and most recently, as CEO of a national network of domestic violence frontline responders.

Mary's knowledge, experience and scholarly record, which are shared through a series of seminars, is enriching the University’s discourses, practices and research agendas on issues related to DSGBV.   

Dr. Donna O’Leary is a Researcher in Child Protection and Welfare in Tusla – Child and Family Agency. Her appointment as an Adjunct Professor to the School of Applied Social Studies for three academic years to September 2029 is a great opportunity for developing the school’s research proficiencies.  Donna’s research focuses on strengthening responses to children who experience child abuse and neglect, with particular interests in secondary data analysis, assessment and decision-making, and the epidemiology of abuse and neglect.

Donna leads and contributes to cross-sectoral and international research. She is co-lead of the Horizon Europe project  Assessing and improving access to health and social care services for children rendered vulnerable by abuse (SERENA). which examines barriers to care and care pathways across multiple European countries to generate evidence-based recommendations for improving detection, services and policy. She was also a member of COST Action EuroCAN: Multi-Sectoral Responses to Child Abuse and Neglect in Europe: Incidence and Trends (2000–2025), which preceded SERENA.

Her methodological expertise and scholarship span qualitative, quantitative and mixed-methods research, including longitudinal and cohort studies, cross-sectional research and systematic reviews. She is an enthusiastic supporter of student research having supervised undergraduate and graduate students at University College Cork and Trinity College Dublin.

As Adjunct Professor with a specific focus on research, Donna is contributing to the University’s research, scholarship and practice through a series of seminars and is advancing understanding and evidence-informed responses to child abuse and neglect.