Professor Paula McFadden

Overview

Professor Paula McFadden is a researcher and educator in Social Work at Ulster University, with research interests on workforce wellbeing, resilience, and burnout. Professor McFadden currently is working with the Department of Health Northern Ireland on the Safe Staffing in Social Work research study which will inform policy and legislative development of Safe Staffing law soon to emerge in Northern Ireland. Professor McFadden conducted a series of award winning UK wide research studies, examining burnout, workforce ageing in social work, and wellbeing.

In June 2020, McFadden was awarded funding by the Health and Social Care Board, Public Health Agency, Northern Ireland to study ‘COVID-19: UK Health and Social Care Workforce Wellbeing and Coping’ over a 3 year period.

Full results and publications can be found on the Health and Social Care Workforce Research Study website.

This research informs employers, regulators, professional bodies, and service commissioners, about the key issues for workers and provides strategic guidance on what is needed to address workforce concerns relating to staff absence, turnover and retention.

In addition to workforce research, McFadden is also interested in social work education and graduate preparation for social work practice. Professor McFadden has collaborated with authors from international countries on social work regulatory comparisons including curriculum and practicum. During the onset of COVID-19, McFadden also collaborated with international social work educational providers, on rapid changes to admissions and education due to social distancing and lock down restrictions.

Professor McFadden is commissioned by the Department of Health on Safe Staffing in Social Work, examining workloads and staffing supply. This is in preparation for 'Safer and Effective Staffing in Social Work' policy and legislation, due 2025-2027.

McFadden is also the founder and co-convenor of the Workforce Research Special Interest Group with ESRWA.

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Professor McFadden is collaborating with the International Federation of Social Work (IFSW) and Bath Spa University on a global study of social work working conditions across international countries. This repeat time series survey is the first study to examine working conditions and wellbeing of social workers across the globe, enabling country specific information to inform governments, Non Goverment Organizations and service commissioners and regulators to take an informed approach to workforce and service planning.

Teaching Interests

Professor McFadden teaches at Undergraduate and Postgraduate levels at Ulster University. She is also part of a regional partnership between Ulster University and Queens University

Professor McFadden is the program lead for the MSc in Research Methods for Social Work and Service Users at Ulster University.

Professor McFadden teaches on several undergraduate modules on the BSc Hons Degree in Social Work, on 'Resilience in Social Work Practice'. She has also specialist areas of teaching on Older People and Disability social work practice.

PhD Researcher Profile

Professor McFadden is supervising PhD students whose interests are related to social work workforce wellbeing and practice issues and welcomes applications from potential PhD candidates who are interested in pursuing research in the realms of social work workforce retention and workforce wellbeing and related practice areas.