SIG - Children and Families
Autumn 2011 Newsletter PDF Print E-mail

IASW Children and Families social workers Special Interest Group

 Autumn 2011 Newsletter

  1.      Introduction

 If you’re a Children and Family Social Worker in Ireland then you’re probably no stranger to finding it challenging to find the most appropriate services and supports available to assist the families and children you work with. You may also have some good suggestions as to how to change and improve aspects of the child protection and welfare system in Ireland to better meet the needs of our service users. As a Children and Family Social Worker working within the context of difficult budgetary restrictions you are also probably feeling the impact of on-going cutbacks and the job moratorium within the HSE. Instead of remaining silent or complaining and putting up with it, we’d encourage you to make your voice heard and advocate for positive and creative change as part of the IASW Children and Families social workers Special Interest Group!

This short newsletter is to update members as well as Children and Families Social workers in Ireland in general on the activities of the IASW Children and Families social workers Special Interest Group  (C&F SIG). It looks at both the activities in the 2010/11 year and the goals for the 2011/12 year.

Most importantly this newsletter is also to advise that the Autumn 2011 open meeting of the Children and Families Social workers Special Interest Group of the IASW will be taking place on Wednesday 5th October at 6:15pm in the IASW office at 114 - 116 Pearse Street, D2.

 

This meeting is open to all Children and Families Social workers, both members and non-members of the IASW. Students on Children and Families Social Work placements are also welcome. This meeting will be an opportunity to plan and strategize after the summer hiatus.

 2.      Children and Families Social workers Special Interest Group

 One of the roles of the Irish Association of Social Workers (IASW) is to advocate on behalf of service users and to provide a national leadership role in advancing this aim through strengthening the social work profession in the Republic of Ireland.

 

The Children and Families Special Interest Group of the IASW represents those social workers who work with vulnerable children and families in the child protection and welfare system in Ireland. It aims to provide its social work members with a forum to express relevant professional perspectives, promote solidarity and best practise among its members and children and families social workers in general and to advocate on behalf of service users.

Membership of the C&F SIG is open to all members of the IASW who work within Children and Family social work in Ireland, usually within the HSE, however social workers in other linked disciplines and services also participate. Social work students who are in placements with children and family services or who have a particularly interest in this field are always welcome.

3.      Update on 2010 / 11 Activities

The following are the main activities that took place in the 2010/11 year i.e. those activities after the 2010 IASW AGM.

  • Regular meetings

The Children and Families Special Interest Group has met approximately every 4 to 6 weeks over the past year and sometimes more often, particularly in advance of the conference in July 2011. These meetings took place in various venues, but generally at the IASW offices at St. Andrews Resource Centre. Over the last year this Special Interest Group was, in the main, made up of Social Workers from the Dublin region.

  • A call for change

‘A Call for Change’ was developed and compiled by the C&F SIG over the course of 2010 / 11. A major piece of work, it calls for comprehensive, meaningful change in the child protection and welfare system in Ireland to promote and protect the welfare of children.

 

The document outlines ten areas of change that frontline social workers identified are needed in the current system and a range of solutions are put forward to address the issues identified. To download, please go to:

 http://www.iasw.ie/index.php/special-interest-groups/sig-children-and-families/432-a-call-for-change

The process of developing the document began in May 2010, when the members of the IASW Children and Families SIG began a process of g gathering ideas, comments and suggestions for change, via email correspondence, from IASW membership, particularly targeting Children and Families Social Workers. These ideas and relevant background research, were compiled into a discussion document by the members of the Children and Families SIG. The document was then edited and revised at various stages, with assistance from the IASW and appropriate external review in the final stages of this process. It was completed in May 2011.

  • Conference and document launch

The Call for Change Document was successfully launched as part of a conference organised by the SIG on 1/07/2011. The speakers at the conference were Sue White, Professor of Social Work in the UK and Brid Featherstone, Lecturer in Social Work in NUI Galway. This conference was well attended and t took place in the Ashling Hotel.

The conference received a large amount of Media attention as can be seen in the links below:

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0702/1224299940095.html

http://politico.ie/social-issues/7652-social-workers-call-for-improvements-to-frontline-services-.html

http://irishexaminer.com/ireland/social-workers-push-for-better-child-protection-159646.html

  • Top level political lobbying and contacts.

The SIG, together with the IASW President, Ineke Durville also attended one on one meetings with Frances Fitzgerald, Minister for Children and Gordon Jeyes, Head of Children’s services in the HSE.  It is envisioned that these meetings will happen on an on-going basis in the coming year with a meeting scheduled with the minister for October 2011.

  • Journal article

An article was published in the summer 2011 edition of the IASW Irish Social Worker Journal which summarised the key points of the Call for Change document.

  • AGM and other IASW business

Members of the IASW, particularly Paul McCarthy the chair person, were active in liaison with the overall IASW committee and in attendance at key regular meetings.

A C&F SIG AGM took place after the conference on the 1/7/11. At that meeting, Paul McCarthy was re-elected as chairperson for the committee. Fiona Power stayed on alongside a new face, Johnny O’Rourke, as joint secretaries for the SIG. Thanks to these three for volunteering their time and energy towards the SIG. A discussion also took place in relation to next steps for the Call for Change document.

  • A well needed break

After all the above activities the SIG took a well needed break for most of July and August 2011 and reconvened for a core group planning meeting on 13th September 2011 to organise for the upcoming open meeting.

4. Goals for 2011/12

The Children and Families Special Interest Group of the IASW represents those social workers who work with vulnerable children and families in the child protection and welfare system in Ireland. It aims to provide its social work members with a forum m to express relevant professional perspectives, promote solidarity and best practise among its members and children and families social workers in general and to advocate on behalf of service users.

The goals for 2011/12 for the C&F SIG under this aim is as followed:

Goal 1: To build on the launch of the Call for Change by promoting and advocating the ideas within it.

  • Meetings with key agencies working in the field to share and promote the ideas in the document
  • Campaigning and publicity raising on key areas within the document
  • On-going top level political campaigning on key areas within the document

Goal 2: To build capacity and skills and promote solidarity among Children and Families Social Workers in Ireland

  • Conference to take place in 2012 which will be focused on practical skills for children and family social workers in Ireland.
  • Regular meetings for membership, including occasional social events.

Goal 3: To participate and advocate in national debates in relation to topical issues

  • Press releases, reports, campaigning and media work in relation to issues arising which have direct relevance to children and families social workers

Goal 4: To develop the C&F SIG to be representative of the views of Social workers working with Children and families in Ireland.

  • Seasonal newsletters updating members and social workers in the field nationally on SIG activities and meetings and other forms of regular contact with membership and children and families social workers nationally.
  • Information gathering from membership and children and families social workers nationally on issues and ensure this guides activities within the 3 previous goals.

 5. Autumn open meeting

As already mentioned, this newsletter is being put out also to advise that the Autumn 2011 open meeting of the Children and Families Social workers Special Interest Group of the IASW will be taking place on Wednesday 5th October at 6:15pm in the IASW office at 114 - 116 Pearse Street, D2.

This meeting is open to all Children and Families Social workers, both members and non-members of the IASW. Students on Children and Families Social Work placements are also welcome. This meeting will be an opportunity to plan and strategize after the summer hiatus within the goals outlined in this document.

6. Conclusion

We hope this short newsletter has given a full sense of the positive activities which took place over the past year within the C&F SIG. We would encourage anyone who wants positive change for vulnerable families and children in Ireland to join up and participate in making that wish into a reality.

Children and Families Social Workers Special Interest Group

Date: 26/9/11

 
'A Call for Change' - developed by The Children & Families SIG PDF Print E-mail

‘A Call for Change’ was developed and compiled by frontline social workers and calls for comprehensive, meaningful change in the child protection and welfare system in Ireland to promote and protect the welfare of children. Quotes from frontline social workers within the document illustrate their experiences of a system failing children and families. Ten clear areas of change are outlined, which frontline social workers identified as needed in the current system, and a range of solutions are put forward to address the issues.

 

Click to read more & dowload a copy of 'A Call for Change' discussion document

Launched July 1st, 2011
 
Annual Report 2010-2011 PDF Print E-mail

Special Interest Group of Children and Families

2010 / 11            Chairperson:                     Paul McCarthy

                             Secretary:                           Mieke Ryan and Fiona Power

 

Introduction:

The Children and Families Special Interest Group has continued to meet approximately every 4 to 6 weeks over the past year in various venues, but in the main at the IASW offices at St. Andrews Resource Centre. Currently this Special Interest Group is, in the main, made up of Social Workers from the Dublin region, however it is hoped that over the coming year that further regional subgroups can be formed as part of the Special Interest Group’s hopes to broaden the membership of the Special Interest Group and therefore the scope of this group in terms of representing a wider and inclusive representative voice for Social Workers working the in area of Children and Family services. This is something which the Special Interest Group believes is vitally important

in enabling the voices of frontline practitioners to be heard at a time of great change and new beginnings for Children and Family services in Ireland. 

The Children and Families Special Interest Group of the IASW aims to provide its members with a network and forum to explore, discuss and exchange ideas and information on relevant professional perspectives and other issues effecting their practice, as well as providing a peer support network for members. The SIG also aims to be a voice for Social Workers in Children and Family services and also, importantly, to advocate on behalf of service users. 

‘Call for Change’

As part of the IASW’s ‘Challenges for Social Work Practice’ series of events in relation to CPD, the Children and Families SIG presented a half-day seminar in September 2009 which addressed some of the challenges facing Social Workers in relation to HSE’s planned introduction of the Standardised Business Process model in Children and Family services, and explored some of the issues in relation to the value of assessment procedures and tools in social work practice. Professor Sue White (now based in the Institute of Applied Social Studies at the University of Birmingham), a member of the 2009 UK Social Work Task Force and more recently one of three expert advisors to the Munro Report on Child Protection, gave the keynote address at this seminar. The SIG also presented a well-received Workshop on the Standardised Business Process model at last year’s IASW AGM. 

Members of the SIG had, and subsequently continued to exhaust all available avenues of consultation with the HSE and government in relation to the development and introduction of the Standardised Business Process model both locally and nationally. This included members having taken part in the HSE’s own consultation process; members having addressed the then Minister for Children, Barry Andrews, at a Town Hall meeting and also the SIG having separately met with the then Minister to discuss the issue; and members having submitted lengthy and detailed submissions to the HSE in relation to the issue. However, following the HSE’s announcement that the model was to go ahead and having exhausted all available avenues of consultation without any success, members of the SIG, having noted that neither their submissions, views or concerns in general had been actively considered in the process, tabled a motion at the 2010 IASW AGM calling on the IASW to oppose the introduction of the Standardised Business Process model. This motion was passed unanimously by the AGM. Subsequently the SIG met with the then HSE Assistant National Director of Children and Family Services, Phil Garland, and advised him of the IASW’s position in this regard. 

Following on from this the SIG formed a subgroup with the goal of developing a ‘Call for Change’ discussion document in response. This process involved the SIG sending out a call for Social Workers in Children and Family services to submit their views and ideas on what they would like to see for the future development of practice in this area. Having compiled these submissions, the subgroup then began the process of collating these into the final discussion document. This process has being ongoing for most of the past year, however it is now in its final stages and the final document will be published by the IASW and launched at a forthcoming seminar, being organised by the SIG, in early July 2011.

This seminar will address the issue of Social Worker’s responses to the HSE’s introduction of the Standardised Business Process model and will also seek to look at alternative models which would meet the needs of the HSE, good Social Work practice and most importantly, the needs of service users, in a more progressive, holistic and evidence-based manner, taking account of evidence-based research and best-practice in this area. The date and details of this seminar, which will also include the holding of the SIG’s AGM immediately after the seminar, will be circulated in the coming weeks. 

The ‘Call for Change’ document does not purport to be a definitive response but rather the vehicle through which a process of consultation with Social Workers nationally can begin, out of which the coherent and experienced voices of Social Workers will be heard in the national debate on this and other issues affecting our profession. It is hoped that part of this process will involve the SIG researching, discussing and developing alternatives to the current system in place in Children and Family services, alternatives which can then be presented to the HSE and government as realistic and achievable opportunities for positive change in Children and Family services. A summarised version of the main ‘Call for Change’ discussion document was recently published in the Spring edition of the IASW’s Irish Social Worker journal. 

Other developments:

While it must be said that the ‘Call for Change’ process and related tasks have taken up the vast majority of the SIG’s time over the past year, there have been other notable developments. The SIG also two other motions, which were both passed at last year’s IASW AGM. The first of these called on the IASW to draw attention to the inequities in the provision of care and aftercare services to separated young people, and the second called on the IASW to meet with the HSE’s Assistant National Director for Children and Family Services to request that the IASW be represented on any future taskforce, committee or otherwise involved in any initiatives to do with Children and Family services, including the reconfiguration of children and family services. 

As noted, the IASW did subsequently meet with the then AND of Children and Family Services, Phil Garland, and Mr. Garland welcomed this request and indicated his openness to this request. More recently the IASW, including representation from the SIG, met with the new recently appointed HSE National Director for Children and Family Services, Gordon Jeyes. Again the issues of consultation with the IASW and the inclusion of IASW representatives on consultative bodies in relation to Children and Family services were brought up and again Mr. Jeyes also indicated his openness to facilitate this request. It is to be hoped that this openness will now be translated into tangible consultation with the IASW. 

Over the past year the SIG contributed to IASW media press releases and responses on issues such as CORU and Professional Registration, the issue of the state’s mandatory responsibility to provide Aftercare services to young people leaving the care system, the Roscommon Report, the need for all children-in-care and children at risk to have an allocated Social Worker, the publication of a number of HIQA Inspection Reports, the death of a young person in care, the need for appropriate fit-for-purpose accommodation for the Out of Hours services and the issue of a national Out of Hours service, the Ombudsman for Children’s Annual Report, the planned Referendum of the Rights of the Child, the National Quality Standards for Residential & Foster Care Services for Children, and the regulation of the Guardian ad Litem service. The SIG will continue to strive to be active on this front in the coming year, with the added aim of increasing a positive wider awareness and understanding of the role of Social Workers in Children and Family services. 

One of the newer aims of the SIG has been to develop links with other agencies and bodies who share a common interest in Children and Family services and to this end it has begun a planned programme of meeting with such agencies and bodies, which will continue in the coming year, by meeting recently with the Children’s Rights Alliance, which was a very positive experience and has opened an important link for the SIG. The SIG also hopes to develop links with IMPACT in the coming year in relation to the many and varied issues which will be impacting on Social Workers and Social Work practice in Children and Family services with the wide-ranging changes and restructuring which are due to come on stream. 

Priorities for the coming year:

Time is precious is the often hectic and busy lives of Children and Family Social Workers and as noted, the ‘Call for Change’ work has taken up a lot of the time of the SIG over the past year. However, as this process nears an end, it is hoped that the forthcoming AGM of the SIG – to be held in July in conjunction with the launch of the ‘Call for Change’ document – will be an opportunity to welcome some fresh faces and ideas to the SIG and with them new ideas and areas to work on. In particular the SIG would like to return to working on professional practice issues for Social Workers in Children and Family services. For example, previously the SIG had been divided into smaller subgroups and one of these subgroups, The Professional Practice and Structural Challenges group worked on a developing a document in relation to issues relating to Access for Children-in-Care. The SIG welcomes ideas on any areas of practice which members would like to work on, and of course we also welcome the new members to help to do this work. 

The recent responses and reactions to the proposed €350 CORU registration fee for Social Workers and the wider issues of concern around registration and its implications have been very encouraging. The overwhelming response has led to the setting up of a Facebook page, ‘Social Workers Unite to Win’ (www.facebook.com/people/SocialWorkers-Unite-To-Win/100002283186790). This Facebook page, which was set up on 25th March last already had over 350 members within one month of going live and was instrumental, through its series of petitions from Student Social Workers, in forcing a rethink, on CORU’s behalf, in relation to the proposed registration fee. The campaigning efforts of the group deserve great credit and should also serve as an example of what can be achieved when we come together to speak as one voice. In addition, we welcome the establishment of the New Social Workers Special Interest Group, which hosts its own impressive website (www.newsocialworkers.com). 

The coming months and years will be characterised by a period of unprecedented change in Children and Family services, with the HSE’s introduction of the Standard Business Process model and its related National Childcare Information System and the government’s announcement that Children and Family services will be taken out of the HSE and placed within the newly established Ministry for Children and Young People, to which the first Cabinet Minister for Children, former Social Worker Frances Fitzgerald, has been appointed, and also the forthcoming referendum on Children’s rights. A time of great change is also a time of great opportunity and the Children and Families SIG hopes to help give Children and Family Social Workers a voice in this.
 
Annual Report 2009+2010 PDF Print E-mail

Special Interest Group of Children and Families

Chairperson: Paul McCarthy

Secretary: Mieke Ryan and Fiona Power 

Children and Families SIG AGM January 2010; Kirsten Byrne stepped down as chairperson after two years. Paul McCarthy was elected as chairperson for 2010. The role of secretary has been empty for a number of years. Mieke Ryan and Fiona Power were elected joint secretary for the coming year. 

Meetings; The Special Interest Group met every six weeks over the past year in various venues. In recent months the regular venue for meetings is the IASW office, St Andrews Resource Centre. The meetings have been attended by a small committed group of members. Other members continue to have close contact with the SIG via email. 

Representation at Council; Kirsten Byrne represented the SIG at IASW Council meetings throughout the 2009. 

Issues for the Children and Families SIG in the past year; Roscommon Incest Case, The Monageer Report, The Ryan Report, Dublin Diocesan Report, Report of the HSE Task Force, Children’s Rights Bill and referendum, the Care of Unaccompanied Minors in the state, HSE plans for standardization, Barry Andrews Town Hall meeting, National Social Work Panel, HIQA Reports on Fostering, Residential and Special Care, General Media attention on Social Work, HSE’s Annual report on Children and Families, Appointment of National Director of Children and Families in HSE. 

Achievements in the past year

  • Ongoing media responses by the SIG on issues including: the Ryan Report, The Monageer Report, report into Service Users Perceptions, HIQA, Children in Care, Roscommon Incest Case, Children’s Rights, letter to news broadcasters re misrepresentation of Shane Dunphy in the media as a Social Worker.
  • Merger and strengthening of subgroups within the SIG.
  • Appearance by Ineke Durville and Gavin Mulhall on Questions and Answers.
  • Declan Coogan speaking on radio (The Last Word) regarding the Roscommon Incest Case.
  • Correspondence from Pavee Point welcoming our information that negative stereotyping of Travellers by Shane Dunphy was not supported by Social Workers or IASW.
  • Conference on standardization of Children and Families Social Work processes and assessment held in September 2009 in the Aisling Hotel.
  • Children and Families Workshop at 2009 Annual Conference/AGM.
  • Attendance at Children’s Rights Alliance AGM – building links and finding common ground.
  • Meeting with Barry Andrews to discuss wide range of policy issues affecting Social Work.
  • Meeting with Jan Sullivan (Labor) to discuss policy issues affecting Social Work.
  • Meeting with Alan Shatter (FG) to discuss broad policy issues including Fairecare policy.
  • Meeting with PA Consultants re: “Strategic Review of the Delivery and Management of Child Protection Services” – association able to highlight crucial role of supervision in Social Work.
  • Position Paper completed in conjunction Ineke Durville in response to recommendations of Ryan Report and submitted to Department of Children and Youth Affairs.
  • Networking with GLEN re: Child Centered Family Reform.
  • Establishing constructive relationships with relevant media outlets in relation to better informed coverage of social work issues.

Priorities for 2010

  • HSE Standardisation plans.
  • Children’s rights referendum/Constitutional Change.
  • Role and Powers of Social Workers (e.g. Barr Judgment, Investigation of child Sexual Abuse)
  • Positive image and Accurate Information about social work for the public, other professions and the media.
  • PA Consulting report and plans for restructuring Social Work.
  • Hearing the Voices of Children OMYCA Consultations. Meeting with Phil Garland as a priority for the SIG.
  • HIQA Inspections and the need for dialogue with HIQA.
  • Children coming into care due to Parents being detained prior to deportation.
  • Special Care Placement and the lack of these. Social Workers holding Risk.
  • Outsourcing of Social Work roles.

 
 
Authority’s National Children in Care Inspection Report 2008 PDF Print E-mail

 http://www.hiqa.ie/media/pdfs/HIQA_National_Children_in_Care_Inspection_Report_2008.pdf