Series 1

In the final episode of the Generation Pandemic podcast, host Catherine McDonald talks to the two principal investigators behind the Interdisciplinary Child Well-Being Network. Dr Kat Chzhen is the Network’s Irish principal investigator and is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Scoiology at Trinity College Dublin. Dr Julia Mikolai focuses on the UK and … Read more

In the penultimate episode of the Generation Pandemic podcast, we ask two important questions; where are we now in terms of the recovery of our children and young people, and what gaps in the evidence has the pandemic highlighted? Joining host Catherine McDonald are a selection of contributors from across the Generation Pandemic series.  University … Read more

In episode 8 of the Generation Pandemic podcast, we’re looking through the eyes of a youth worker at the experiences of children and young people during COVID-19.  Joining host Catherine McDonald is Declan Keenan, a youth worker at the Just Ask after-school club in Dublin. Declan explains how the pandemic affected the young people he … Read more

In episode 7 of the Generation Pandemic podcast we focus on how COVID-19 has doubled down on lone parent families. Joining host Catherine McDonald are Professor Susan Harkness from the University of Bristol; Dr Jim Kaufman from the COVID Realities project; Niamh Kelly, Policy Manager at One Family Ireland and Stacey, a lone parent of … Read more

In episode 6 of the Generation Pandemic podcast we’re looking at the lived experience of children in the UK and Ireland during the pandemic. Joining host Catherine McDonald are Dr Aisling Murray, Senior Research Officer on the Growing Up in Ireland study team; Aoife McNamara, Participation and Rights Education Co-ordinator at the Ombudsman for Children’s … Read more

In episode 5 of the Generation Pandemic podcast we discuss the mental health and wellbeing of children before, during and after the pandemic. Joining host, Catherine McDonald, are Professor Cathy Cresswell and Dr Jennifer McMahon from the Co-SPACE study, Professor Birgitta Rabe from the Institute of Social and Economic Research, and Laura, a mother of … Read more

In episode 4 of the Generation Pandemic podcast we explore how the COVID-19 pandemic doubled down on disadvantaged familes and children. Joining host, Catherine McDonald, are Dr Jim Kaufman from the COVID Realities project, Sarah Edmonds from the Irish Youth Foundation and Emma, a mum of three whose family has been hit hard by the … Read more

In episode 3 of the Generation Pandemic podcast we focus on the learning loss suffered by children as a result of the pandemic. Joining host, Catherine McDonald, are Adam Salisbury, Research Economist from the Institute for Fiscal Studies, Dr Jennifer Symonds, Asosciate Professor of Education at University College Dublin’s School of Education, and Alice Brighty-Glover, … Read more

In episode two of the Generation Pandemic Podcast we compare the social policy responses to the pandemic in the UK and Ireland. We look at the significance of the policy landscapoe pre-COVID-19, what was implemented, and the impact of the different schemes on individuals, families and children. We discuss the longer term policy legacy of … Read more

In the first episode of the Generation Pandemic series, we discuss the experiences of parents during the COVID-19 pandemic. We explore the experience of home-schooling, the isolation and what it took to keep our children on track –  and we look at what the recovery needs to prioritise. Joining host Catherine McDonald are Dr. Jennifer … Read more