Latest News

First-ever book on grandparenting across global contexts co-edited by School academic

Grandparenting in the 21st century is at the heart of profound family and societal changes. It is of increasing social and economic significance yet many dimensions of grandparenting are still poorly understood. Contemporary Grandparenting is the first book to analyse grandparenting across diverse societies. It combines new theorising with up-to-date empirical findings to document the changing nature of grandparenting across global contexts.

In this highly original book, leading contributors analyse how grandparenting differs according to the nature of the welfare state and the cultural context, how family breakdown influences grandparenting, and explore men's changing roles as grandfathers. Commenting on the novelty of the book, Virpi Timonen emphasised that ‘Grandparenting is an active and dynamic family practice. Grandparents today face conflicting norms and expectations about their roles, but act with agency to forge new identities within societal and cultural constraints.’

In his endorsement of the book, Karl Pillemer, Professor of Human Development at Cornell University states that ‘this book provides an extraordinary portrait of grandparenting in the 21st century and significantly advances the scientific study of intergenerational relations. The contributions from outstanding scholars cover a broad range of theoretical perspectives, with an international focus. This book is a must-read for everyone interested in the role of grandparents in contemporary society.’

Virpi Timonen is Associate Professor and founding Director of the Social Policy and Ageing Research Centre at the School of Social Work and Social Policy in Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. Her co-editor Sara Arber is Professor of Sociology at the University of Surrey, Fellow of the British Academy and recipient of the British Society of Gerontology Outstanding Achievement Award in 2011.

http://www.policypress.co.uk/display.asp?ISB=9781847429674&  

14 May 2012

Social Work Relationship Boundaries and Social Work Regulation

The School of Social Work and Social Policy is delighted to host a seminar with Assoc. Professor Jeremy Carney from Minnesota State University Moorhead. Professor Carney is an expert on the topic of dual relationships in social work and he has published on this topic. His professional practice experience has been in the areas of community mental health care and child welfare services.

This seminar will explore the topic of dual relationships and relationship-boundary violations in social work practice. It will be of interest to qualified social workers and student social workers in the context of their social work practice, particularly in light of the recent introduction of social work registration in Ireland.

Date: 10am -12.30, 17 May 2012.

Venue: Lecture Theatre 2.57, School of Nursing, Trinity College Dublin, 24 D'Olier St, Dublin 2.

The invitation and agenda for this event can be downloaded here: (PDF 463KB)

9 May 2012

Mandatory reporting of child abuse not a panacea - Associate Professor Helen Buckley writes an opinion piece for the Irish Times

In an opinion piece concerning mandatory reporting of child abuse published in the Irish Times today (available here), Associate Professor Helen Buckley, Course Director, Postgraduate Diploma in Child Protection and Welfare, and Chair of the National Review Panel examining incidents including the deaths of children in care, suggests that the best way to achieve effective reporting of suspected child abuse is to restore confidence in the system.


9 May 2012

School Academics Facilitate Practice Teacher Workshops in Conjunction with University College Dublin

Ms Erna O'Connor and Mr Patrick O’Dea, Assistant Professors in Social Work and Fieldwork Coordinators, together with their colleague Ms Rosemary Cunniffe, School of Applied Social Science, University College Dublin (UCD), recently facilitated a Practice Teaching Workshop for prospective social work practice teachers. The programme, provided over three days in UCD from 1-3 May 2012, was the result of a collaboration between the two colleges and agencies employing professional social workers, including the HSE, Department of Justice, major hospitals, local authorities and NGOs.

The School of Social Work and Social Policy organises in excess of 220 placements annually for its social work students, and graduates of this innovative initiative commit to taking a social work student from either university on placement during the next academic year.  The next Practice Teaching Workshop will be held in the School of Social Work and Social Policy, Trinity College, in September 2012 and interested parties should contact the School at 01 896 2001 for further information.

9 May 2012

School Staff and Student Contribute to New Book Children’s Rights and Child Protection: Critical Times, Critical Issues in Ireland

Congratulations to Associate Professors Helen Buckley and Eoin O’Sullivan, Assistant Professor Paula Mayock and PhD Student Ms Mary-Louise Corr, who have had chapters published in a new booked entitled Children’s Rights and Child Protection: Critical Times, Critical Issues in Ireland. This topical book comprehensively draws together diverse perspectives from key leaders in the field to address critical issues for children in relation tot heir rights, welfare and protection at a critical time in Ireland.

Chapter Titles:
Putting research evidence to work in child and family social work – Helen Buckley and Sadhbh Whelan
Young people exiting homelessness: The role of family support – Paula Mayock, Eoin O’Sullivan and Mary-Louise Corr
Aftercare not afterthought: Supporting the transition to adulthood for children in care – Anne Doyle, Paula Mayock and Kenneth Burns

Helen Buckley is a senior lecturer in the School of Social Work and Social Policy, Trinity College Dublin. Her research interests are in child protection policy and practice, service user perspectives, interagency cooperation and knowledge transfer. She was recently appointed Chair of the national panel for the Review of Serious Incidents including Deaths of Children in Care. Recent publications include ‘Compliance with guidelines: A case study of child protection in schools’, Irish Journal of Family Law, Spring 2010 (co-authored with Kathryn McGarry), ‘Like walking on eggshells: services users’ views and expectations of the child protection system’, Child and Family Social Work, 2010, and ‘Report of an Audit of Child Protection Research in Ireland 1990–2009’ co-authored with Carmel Corrigan and Liz Kerrins, published by the Children Act Advisory Board, 2010.

Mary Louise Corr is a PhD candidate at the School of Social Work and Social Policy, Trinity College Dublin. Her PhD is a qualitative study investigating the onset and history of offending among young people in contact with criminal justice agencies in Dublin. Previously, Mary Louise was a research intern at the Children’s Research Centre, graduated from Trinity College Dublin in 2003 with LLB and completed an MSc criminology at the University of Edinburgh in 2005. She also works as a teaching assistant in Housing Policy and Introduction to Social Policy courses for undergraduate students at Trinity College Dublin.

Paula Mayock is a lecturer and senior researcher at the School of Social Work and Social Policy and Children’s Research Centre, Trinity College Dublin. Her research focuses primarily on the lives and experiences of marginalised youth, covering areas including homelessness, drug use, sexuality and mental health. She is a NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse, USA) INVEST fellow (2006) and an IRCHSS (Irish Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences) research fellow (2009), and the author of numerous articles, book chapters and research reports.

Eoin O’Sullivan is senior lecturer in Social Policy in the School of Social Work and Social Policy, Trinity College, Dublin and Fellow of Trinity College. He is lead editor of the European Journal of Homelessness. Recent collaborative publications include Young People’s Homeless Pathways (2008), Lives in Crisis: Homeless Young People in Dublin (The Liffey Press, 2007); Crime and Punishment in Ireland 1922 to 2003: A Statistical Sourcebook (Institute of Public Administration (IPA), 2005), Crime, Punishment and the Search for Order in Ireland (IPA, 2004), Crime Control in Ireland: The Politics of Intolerance (CUP, 2001) and Suffer the Little Children: The Inside Story of Ireland’s Industrial Schools (Continuum, 2001).

Sadhbh Whelan is a researcher whose interests are mainly in child protection and welfare, domestic violence, service-user perspectives, refugees and asylum seekers and children in hospital. She was employed in the Children’s Research Centre at TCD from 2002 to 2009. She was co-author of the Framework for the Assessment of Vulnerable Children and Their Families (with Buckley and Howarth, 2008) and Listen to Me! Children’s Experiences of Domestic Violence (with Buckley and Holt, 2006) and Service Users’ Perceptions of the Irish Child Protection System (with Buckley, Carr and Murphy, 2008).

8 May 2012

Certificate in Contemporary Living (CCL) Students Attend Annual CCL Student Ball

The Annual National Institute for Intellectual Disability (NIID) Certificate in Contemporary Living Student Ball took place at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Dublin, on Friday, 27 April 2012. The ball, was organised by the and funded by the students and was a huge success where students, NIID staff, their guests along with fellow Trinity students danced the night away.

2 May 2012

MSc in Disability Studies Open Evening 2012

The School of Social Work and Social Policy and the National Institute for Intellectual Disability will host an Open Evening for students and individuals interested in the MSc in Disability Studies on Thursday, 24 May 2012 from 4.15 to 5.45pm in the National Institute for Intellectual Disability, 4th Floor, 3 College Green, where the MSc in Disability Studies team, along with current students, will be available to provide information about the course.This innovative course provides a common ground for the inter-disciplinary study of disability and is available as either a 1 year full-time or 2 years part-time option.

Download the MSc in Disability Studies Brochure here. View course video here.

For further information please contact Ms Ailish Kennedy.

2 May 2012

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