Dr Carol Holohan author of the new Amnesty Ireland report entitled “In Plain Sight” will present this research in one of the keynote slots.

The committee are delighted to announce that Frances Fitzgerald, Minister for Children and Youth Affairs will open the conference and sit on the panel for the plenary session in the afternoon.

The conference committee are delighted to announce The Hon. Mr. Justice Seán Ryan, of the High Court and Chairperson of the Commission to Inquire Into Child Abuse Inquiry as a keynote speaker for our 2011 conference.

Professor White from the University of Birmingham will present on the child protection reform process (Munro review) ongoing in the United Kingdom. This paper will provide a contrast to the Irish reform process in child protection and welfare post Ryan (Ryan Implementation plan).

Staff from the Roscommon Child Welfare and Protection team will facilitate a workshop on the experience of participating in a child abuse inquiry process. Click here for a copy to the Roscommon inquiry report.

Michele Clarke will present a keynote on progress relating to the Ryan Report implementation plan.

Paul Clarke, Liz Canavan and Michele Clarke will lead the “Have Your Say” parallel session.

John Farrelly, Head of Children's Services, Health Information and Quality Authority will speak on the future oversight and inspection by HIQA of child protection teams.

As part of the conference committee’s new mentoring programme for practitioner research, practitioners from the North Lee Child Protection and Welfare team and Arbour House Addiction Services will present the findings of their joint research project at the conference.

Fiona Daly, Research Officer with the Irish Association of Young People in Care (IAYPIC) and a Dawn Ryan care leaver will present the findings of an innovative research project where care leavers worked as co-researchers on this study.

Dr Brian Taylor, Senior Lecturer in Social Work at the University of Ulster and author of Professional Decision Making in Social Work Practice (Learning Matters, 2010) will lead a seminar on Professional Decision Making in social work. A number of child abuse inquires in Ireland and the UK, as well as recent research studies, have highlighted the seminal importance of decision-making processes in child protection and welfare. Click here to view Brian’s biography.

Maebh Kenny will present on the process of evaluating an intervention model through the lens of her evaluation of an intensive family support project. The presentation will also examine how to incorporate the voice of service users in the evaluation process.