What is your role within ARK? 

I have just joined ARK as an Associate and I am looking forward to getting stuck in to supporting the development and dissemination of ARK’s impressive policy work. 

What do you most enjoy about your role in ARK?

I am very passionate about evidence-based policy, and I am committed to using it to shape the public narrative, particularly in respect of poverty and social security policy. I am looking forward to working with colleagues to highlight important policy issues in a way that is acceptable to both policy makers and the wider public. I thoroughly enjoy working with others and I am so excited to be part of such an impressive team

As Senior Lecturer in Law at Ulster University, what is the focus of your research?

My research focuses on the impact of social security law and policy on women and children. Over the last few years, I have written about the implications for women of policies such as the Benefit Cap, the Two-Child Limit and In-Work Conditionality. I have also researched the impact of the Cost-of-Living Crisis on Women. I am increasingly interested in growing implications of devolved policy making. I lead a work stream in a Nuffield funded study called “Safety Nets” which is investigating social security for families in a devolved UK. We are using innovative participatory methodologies to explore people’s experiences of the social security system in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. I am also Chair of the All-Island Social Security Network which encourages collaboration between scholars on the island of Ireland and beyond to work together in imagining a new future for social security on the island of Ireland. I am the Vice-Chair of the NI Anti-Poverty Network, and I use my platform to campaign for better policy to improve the lives of those who are living in poverty. I am a frequent contributor to local media.

Find out more about Dr Ciara Fitzpatrick's work: https://pure.ulster.ac.uk/en/persons/ciara-fitzpatrick