Last week, we marked an important moment at the Crann Centre with the launch of our new Research Strategy by An Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD – a step forward in strengthening how whole‑family disability support is designed, understood and valued.
An Taoiseach’s visit reflected growing interest in how evidence‑based, family‑centred approaches can inform disability services and policy.
As the Taoiseach noted, “Crann’s Research Strategy reflects a strong commitment to evidence‑based innovation to support families living with disability.”
Our work at Crann is rooted in lived experience and we apply the ethos of “nothing about us, without us” to our Research Strategy, ensuring the voice of our families is captured. Families tell us what’s needed, what’s missing and what makes the biggest difference in everyday life. Our Research Strategy gives Crann and our partners a clear structure and roadmap to capture learnings and use them to evidence and inform our work and recommendations for how disability care is provided in Ireland.
It enables us to strengthen and scale our 2Generation (whole‑family) Model of Care, and to demonstrate why supporting the whole family leads to better outcomes.
As our founder, Kate Jarvey describes it, “This Research Strategy is about making the invisible visible … ensuring that the voices and lived experiences of families are translated into robust evidence that can drive meaningful and lasting change.”
Building Evidence with UCC
A central part of the strategy is our partnership with University College Cork (UCC). This collaboration combines academic rigour with real‑world practice, ensuring what we learn is credible, useful and transferable. Professor John O’Halloran, President of UCC, reflected this shared approach, highlighting the value of research that is grounded in local services but widely relevant.
The strategy has been co‑designed with people who live with disabilities, alongside practitioners and researchers. That commitment – “nothing about us, without us” – is embedded through our Living Lab approach, where families play an active role in shaping, testing and refining supports.
Ronan Palmer, parent and Chair of our Research Advisory Board, described it simply:
“By working alongside disabled clients and their families, Crann’s research makes a real contribution to changing our lived experience for the better.”
Current analysis indicates a social return of €3.68 for every euro invested in key Crann services, with the Research Strategy providing the mechanism to further evidence, understand and expand this impact.
Our Research Strategy is led by Dr. Alice Moore, Research & Impact Lead at Crann. To contact Alice and learn more please visit our Research and Impact page https://cranncentre.ie/research-and-outcomes/
An Taoiseach Micheál Martin with from left, Dr. Andy Phillips, REO HSE Southwest; Dr. Alice Moore, Crann Research Padraig Mallon, Chief Executive, Crann Centre and; Kate Jarvey, Founder and Board Chair, Crann Centre; Dr John O'Halloran, President UCC and Ronan Palmer, Chair of Crann Centre Research Advisory Group and family client of Crann after he officially launched a research strategy developed by the Crann Centre in partnership with University College Cork during a visit to the centre. The first-of-its-kind research addresses the interconnected needs of children,adults and families living with disability through a whole-family, two-generation framework. Picture; Eddie O'Hare