Eileen Beamish

   

Eileen established the Social Research Centre in 2006 following close to two decades of consultancy experience with premier consultancies including Research & Evaluation Services, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Capita, and First Consulting Group.

Eileen specialises in designing and conducting consultation, facilitation and evaluation exercises across the not for profit sector in relation to high-profile, complex and sensitive initiatives. Throughout her career, she has undertaken research for the NI Assembly, the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister, and for or with all 11 of the central government departments, all of the health trusts, all local councils and a considerable number of the non-departmental public bodies in Northern Ireland. Her experience spans, health, local government, housing, community safety, criminal justice, equality and diversity and wider public policy and reform initiatives.

She has also designed and conducted 8 major qualitative assignments on behalf of the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister in relation to the Review of Public Administration (RPA). The RPA is the largest restructuring of local government NI has witnessed in the past thirty years. To our knowledge, 8 is the largest number of research assignments which any independent consultant has been appointed by central government to undertake in relation to it.

As evidence of her expertise in qualitative research methods it is noteworthy that, since 2006, Eileen has been also the only external trainer appointed by Queen’s University, Belfast to provide specialised training on Best Practice in Running Focus Groups; Best Practice in Research Design; and Applying Research to Policy Agendas.