CARL Research Reports 2022

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https://hdl.handle.net/10468/13420

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Examining the debilitating experience of form filling by parents of children with additional needs in pursuing disability support services
(Community-Academic Research Links, University College Cork, 2022) Odhiambo, Calvin M.; Dukelow, Fiona; Fernandez, Eluska; We Care Collective; Civil Society Organization
Social service provision for children with additional needs is a very integral part of a community social and welfare support system. While some family care providers obtain a sense of purpose and self fulfilment from caring for loved ones, they equally admit that the process of seeking support from the institutions mandated to provide the support has been challenging and depressing. In a move to support families raising children with additional needs, over time Ireland has established a disability support strategy comprising of financial support and services offered by different state agencies. However, the access to these services involves a bureaucratic form filling process. The forms contain questions intended to capture vital information that the relevant agencies purport to be relevant for planning and budgeting for the persons with additional needs. Family care providers are therefore expected to fill in different evaluation forms which capture different elements of either constant, progressive or episodic needs and personal demographic data. The We Care Collective approached Community Academic Research Links (CARL) at University College Cork (UCC) to seek someone to do research and collect data on the lived experiences of parents of the forms filling process. This was informed by the fact that their members have described the process as enduring and endless, which is a practical description of a debilitating experience characterized by long waiting periods to access services. The bureaucratic process has exposed the family care providers to an administrative burden of care and has been criticized for medicalizing disability assessment while ignoring a social and human rights assessment approach. This has generated an experience of stigma and quiet violence of bureaucracy in handling the forms right from the point of access. It is on this that this study seeks to examine the debilitating experience of form filling by parents to children with additional needs in pursuing disability support service from state agencies in Cork, Ireland.
Cycling in Cork City – informing policies for improvement of transport infrastructure
(Community-Academic Research Links, University College Cork, 2022) Madden, Ross; Duggan, Niall; Cork Cycling Campaign; Civil Society Organization
Around Europe, there has been a conscientious effort on behalf of urban municipalities to expand cycling infrastructure. While these policies in favour of cycling have been established in major cities in the Netherlands since the 1970s, nascent promotional campaigns in Lille, Bordeaux, Coventry and Leuven within the last ten years have yielded successful results in increasing participation among marginalised segments of society. These especially include children and women. Irish cities that roughly share the same population size as these cities, should take inspiration and consider introducing these initiatives to further increase rates of cycling.
What social solutions can be implemented to integrate University College Cork students into community life within Magazine Road and surrounding areas?
(Community-Academic Research Links, University College Cork, 2022-04-25) Mortell, Iesa; Forrest, Eilish; Civil Society Organization
The aim of this research piece explored the positive partnerships and existing initiatives that can enable pro social interaction between Residents of Magazine Road and Surrounding Areas, first year students that attend University College Cork, and University College Cork. The objective of this work analysed literature and policy within a local, national and international context. An online survey was administered to first year students which resulted in fifteen to twenty six student responses. The survey examined students attitudes while living and studying in University College Cork. Whilst the number of respondents is relatively low, it showed that existing initiatives within UCC are robust however they are not well known to the student population. It was found that while student experiences are overall positive with UCC they were not translating out to the community of Magazine road and surrounding areas. Based on this study, it is recommended that further research into this topic would benefit the students and community. The expansion of the Neighbourhood Support Officer role to integrate UCC and the student population into the surrounding communities.
It takes a village to raise a child: an exploration of the experience of parenting in the Fairhill community
(Community-Academic Research Links, University College Cork, 2022-04-20) O'Leary, Kasia; Forrest, Eilish; Sheehy, Mary; The Fairhill/Fairfield Community Association; Civil Society Organization
This Community Academic Research Links Project (CARL) was undertaken to understand the parenting experience in the Fairhill community, a community termed as disadvantaged located on the North side of Cork city. The Fairhill Community Association asked the researcher to map the voices of the cohort parents in the Fairhill Community and what would support them in their parental role with community participation being a key underpinning in this research. Seven participants (parents and grandparents) took part in semi‐structured telephone interviews with the researcher, which were then transcribed and thematically analysed. A place for parents to meet and form parental support groups as well a safe place for their children to congregate emerged from the research findings. The importance of acknowledging parental stress and supporting this in the community is another major theme of this research. A community and youth centre would support in these emerging themes.
An exploration of Wellsprings outreach service – how are the women given continued support after leaving the residential service?
(Community-Academic Research Links, University College Cork, 2022-04-25) Morrissey, Isabel; Doyle, Pearl; McDonnell, Valerie; Civil Society Organization
Wellsprings is a residential care and aftercare service for women aged 16 to 23. Wellsprings offer an outreach service to all of the women who have come through the residential service, it also takes direct referrals. No previous research has been completed on Wellsprings work before. This research aims to document the intensive and diverse range of supports offered by the outreach service. This dissertation was completed in conjunction with Wellsprings as part of the UCC Community-Academic Research Links initiative (CARL). This research explores Wellsprings Outreach Service and how it supports the women through their transition out of the residential service and continues to provide a continuum of life long support after this. It looks at the relationships between the women in the service and Wellsprings staff. The research draws on aftercare in Ireland more generally, looking at the policies and challenges that care leavers face, as a way of shaping the research topic. Primary research was carried out through three individual interviews with women engaged in the outreach service, and a focus group was held with three long-term members of Wellsprings staff. The common themes highlighted in the findings that are discussed are; the transition out of the residential service, emotional support, practical support and the relationships between the women and staff. The research also looks at staff and service provision in Wellsprings and makes some final recommendations for Wellsprings going forward, and the aftercare service in Ireland more generally.

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