Living Assessments co-investigator Dr Barry Coughlan.
Could you tell us a bit more about your PhD research and time at your current institution?
I did my PhD at the Department of Public Health and Primary Care at Cambridge University, where I’m currently based. I started in October 2017 and submitted my dissertation in Dec
2020. My doctoral research explored assessment practices for children with social and neurodevelopmental conditions. My dissertation was structured to reflect a hypothetical child
and family’s pathway through services starting with a query of autism, moving to the differential conceptualisation of autism, ADHD, and attachment difficulties. My interest in assessment
practices started when I worked in a neurodevelopmental service for children and young people in Ireland. More specifically, I was working as an assistant psychologist at the time and
became interested in the different forms of information that contribute to diagnostic decisions. In addition, I was also fascinated by the logic of organisational practices and, particularly, the interface between different levels of care. My PhD was a mixed-methods project, and I used systematic reviews, qualitative interviews, and quantitative analysis of electronic healthcare
records. I passed my viva in March.
How do you feel your PhD research will contribute towards the ‘Living Assessments’
project?
I think my doctoral research contributes towards Living Assessments in several ways. First, my research was about assessment practices in children and young people. So, I have a sense of the different types of information that health care professionals lean on when making decisions about children and families. Moreover, I know that health and social care assessments can be complicated be an array of organisational factors, and these assessments are rarely emotionally natural. This helps me keep a broad view when providing accounts of these assessments and underscores the importance of making sure that children and families voices are at the core of research on these topics. I also hope to bring the research skills I have developed during my PhD to Living Assessments. So, I have experience conducting various types of reviews, including systemic, conceptual and umbrella. Now, I am working on several reviews with students as part of the work we are doing in Living Assessments. In addition, I am also working on studies on child welfare assessments using electronic healthcare records, which I see as a natural progression from my doctoral research. Already I have learned so much from colleagues at Kent and the National Children Bureau, and looking forward to working closely with colleagues on this exciting project.