About Us
The Child Protection and Welfare Social Work Conference and Research committee was established late 2005. This inter-agency committee is comprised of staff and members of the Social Work Development Unit at University College Cork, the Child Protection and Welfare Social Work teams of the Health Service Executive South and the Irish Association of Social Workers Southern Branch.
This committee was established to address a need articulated by practice to create a space for practitioners in the area of child protection and welfare to hear about and debate new developments in the areas of research, policy and practice and to network with colleagues. To meet these needs we run a biennial conference held every second October and we also mentor and support a small number of practitioner research in the field of child protection and welfare.
Conference Committee:
Marie MacSweeney, Training Officer, Health Service Executive South (Chairperson)
Joe McCarthy, Principal Social Worker, Health Service Executive South
Pat Kelleher, Social Worker, Health Service Executive South (Secretary)
Teresa Leahy, Social Worker, Health Service Executive South
Mary Duggan, Child Care Manager’s Office, Health Service Executive South
Barry Murray, Child Care Manager, Health Service Executive South
Caroline Shore, College Lecturer, Social Work Development Unit, University College Cork
Dr Kenneth Burns, College Lecturer, Social Work Development Unit, University College Cork
Rachel McCormack, Social Worker, Health Service Executive South and Irish Association of Social Workers Southern Branch
Terry Bradshaw, Senior Social Work Practitioner, Health Service Executive South and Irish Association of Social Workers Southern Branch
Social Work Development Unit (UCC):
The Social Work Development Unit (SWDU) was set up in September 2005 among social work colleagues in the Department of Applied Social Studies (UCC) to actively develop and enhance the profession of social work in Ireland. The aims and objective of the SWDU are to: 1) Facilitate, strengthen and support the profession of social work both within the University, and wider national and international community; 2) Support the professional representative organisation - Irish Association of Social Workers (IASW); 3) To work collaboratively as a staff group by mentoring and supporting each other; 4) Act as a resource for social work practitioners who wish to pursue research interests and activities, conference presentations and publish paper; 5) Co-ordinate conferences and presentations under the SWDU umbrella to enhance the profile of the Department; 6) Create and develop social work teaching resources; 7) Engage with the media on issues related to Social Work and Social Justice.
Irish Association of Social Workers Southern Branch
The Southern Branch of the Irish Association of Social Workers was re-established in January 2006 in response to a growing demand for social workers to have a regional professional body to represent them. Since its establishment, the committee has grown in strength and have been active in professional development and training. There are presently ten committee members and meetings are held on a monthly basis. The Southern Region Special Interest Group are now convening regular free training and development seminars on a bi-monthly basis in Cork city for IASW members. For further information on Southern Region IASW, please log onto http://www.iasw.ie.
Child Protection and Welfare Social Work Services, Health Service Executive South
The HSE South provides a wide range of Child Care and Family Support services. Child Protection and Social Work Services are in place to provide front-line response services to children who are not receiving adequate care and protection. Child Protection Services work to promote positive and enduring change in the lives of children and families by providing caring services for children and families. Services range from Family Support Services which include prevention and early intervention initiatives, to targeted services which respond to children who have been harmed or have not received adequate care. Support and advice is also provided for adults who wish to disclose abuse which they have experienced in their past. National policy for child protection services is informed by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child 1998, The National Children's Strategy 2000, and Children First, National Guidelines for the Protection and Welfare of Children, 2010.