Social Workers in Disabilities – SWID

2010 / 11            Chairperson:     Caitriona Whitty

Secretary:           Anne O’ Loughlin

Treasurer:          Ann Byrne

The National SWID committee met approximately every 6/8 weeks in the past year. The meetings were mainly held in KARE Services, Kilcullen, Co. Kildare.

It has been a busy year for SWID with involvement in a number of areas. 

Following the IASW AGM IN 2010 where SWID’s motion regarding the IASW drafting a policy on the recording/collection of confidential client information was adopted, a working group was set up by IASW to develop same. SWID was represented on this group. Great strides has been made in this area with clarification sought from the Data Protection Commission who upheld the Social Work view in relation to the protection of confidential information which should only be shared on a need to know basis.

During the past year SWID was represented at the HIQA Launch of the draft National Standards for Safer Better Health Care in Sept 2010 and also contributed to their consultation document. There is a SWID rep on the National Rehabilitation Strategy Group and on the Council on Stroke. 

SWID participated in a focus group organised by the National Disability Authority in regards to a consultation process that would inform their policies on key issues such as Independent living and what helps or hinders people in participating in the everyday life of the community. 

Over the past year, SWID has been developing links with the Universities. In November 2010 following a request from Trinity College, 2 SWID members provided lectures to Social Work students looking at contemporary issues in the areas of Age and Disability. In February 2011, UCD invited SWID to give an input into the UCD curriculum Review. 

SWID committee has a representative on the IMPACT Social Work Vocational group. Ruth Robinson’s involvement has kept us abreast of matters regarding the Croke Park agreement as well as other significant Union issues in the past year. 

The Annual Conference/AGM of SWID took place in October 2010. The Conference was titled ‘Value for Money – At what cost?’ Given the current financial climate, the presentations at the conference created a forum for lively discussion and debate.

The main speakers were; Brendan Broderick who spoke on the issues involved in ‘Value for Money’ Group. Brendan is the C.E.O Sisters of Charity of Jesus and Mary and also a Member of the ‘Value for Money’ Working Group. Frieda Finlay, Chairperson of Inclusion Ireland gave a presentation titled Views of Inclusion: Ireland on the current provision Of Services for Service User Users’. 

Sarah Donnelly gave us food for thought in her presentation titled ‘An Exploration of Care Planning meetings with Vulnerable patients…. Observations and Practical Implications’. The conference ended with Philie Sheehan’s presentation ‘Do parents of children with an Intellectual Disability identify with a grief process as a valid way of describing their experience of having a child with a disability’. This presentation reflected on the importance of the role of Social Worker in the area of Disability. 

On April 1st 2011 SWID held its annual seminar titled ‘Rights and Wrongs - Safeguarding Vulnerable Clients And The Issue of Capacity’. There was a very large attendance at this seminar and the feedback from participants was excellent. Dr. Mary Keys, a Law Lecturer in UCG and a background in Social Work gave an engaging presentation on the issues regarding capacity.

This presentation raised a lot of issues and discussion points for Social Workers. Theresa McDonagh, Social Work Team Leader in Disabilities gave an outline of the policy in operation in the HSE Wexford LHO area regarding ‘Managing Allegations of Abuse of Vulnerable Clients including persons with Disability, Mental Health and Older Persons’. The other contributors to the conference were Dr. Mary Allen, Lecturer in UCD who presented a paper on Domestic Violence and Bernie Gibbons the Project Leader of ‘ The CASPIR Project’ set up by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety in the North. The project is set to develop an e-resource relating to the Safeguarding and protection of adults and it is hoped that this resource will be of use to Social Work practitioners on the whole island.

The feedback of participants at the Seminar was that the topics were highly important and of great value to Social Workers working in this area. 

SWID is now calling on members for topics for our Conference in October.