In This Section
- Home
- About Us
- Research
- Research Clusters & Working Groups
- Ageing
- Children and Young People
- Research for Civil Society, Environment and Social Action (REACT)
- Genders, Sexualities and Families
- Disability and Mental Health
- SHAPE
- CARE21
- Migration and Integration
- Poverties, Social Justice and Inequalities
- Gender and the Academy Research Working Group
- Crime and Social Harm (CSH)
- Populism and the Rise of the Far-right
- Work, Organisations and Welfare
- TRANSS UCC Working Group
- Living Well with the Dead
- News and Events
- People
- Events
- Join Us
Containing youth violence or addressing its complex causes? The Four Is framework as a tool for holistic violence reduction
- Time
- 11am - 1pm
- Date
- 15 Oct 2026
- Duration
- 2 hour(s)
- Location
- O'Rahilly Building, CACSSS Seminar Room,
More information
- Registration Required
- Yes
- Registration Information
Speaker: Dr Luke Billingham, The Open University & Hackney Quest
Respondents:
Chief Superintendent Colm Noonan (An Garda Síochána, Cork City Division), Robert Cullen (Success Stories Ireland and PhD scholar) and Brian Slocum (PhD CACSSS Excellence scholar)
Abstract:
"Young people all too often appear in public discourse as either passive victims of being groomed into criminal networks or as reckless perpetrators of senseless violence and harm. What if we bring more complexity into this discussion? In his talk, grounded in both youth work experience and academic research into violence reduction, Luke will discuss the changes needed to improve the wellbeing and safety of young people. Luke will outline the “Four Is” framework, a tool for thinking about inequalities, institutions, interventions and interactions in young people’s lives. The “Four Is” can help us consider the multiple levels of change required to improve the lives of young people affected by acute difficulties, supporting efforts to achieve sustainable peacefulness among young people, rather than the fragile containment of violence. Basing his talk on the story of a particular young person, Luke will lay out the parameters of how we can nurture a better society for children and young people to grow up in."
About Luke
Dr Luke Billingham is a youth worker at Hackney Quest, a long-running charity based in North East London, and an academic researcher at the Open University. His work focuses on violence reduction policymaking. Between 2021 and 2024, he was a Research Associate on a major multi-University study examining violence reduction in England and Scotland. Amongst other work, he has co-authored three books: Against Youth Violence (2022), Preventing Violence (2025) and The Public Health Approach to Violence Reduction (2026). Luke is also an Honorary Research Fellow at the Sociology Department of Durham University and an Associate Fellow of Homerton College, Cambridge. Luke was part of the parliamentary Youth Violence Commission team, which delivered its final report in 2020.
Please register your attendance as places are limited:
https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/dr-luke-billingham-research-seminar-tickets-2001013043880?aff=oddtdtcreator
Institute for Social Science in the 21st Century (ISS21)
Contact us
Top Floor, Carrigbawn/Safari Building, Donovan Road, Cork, T12 YE30