http://hdl.handle.net/10468/524 2017-10-29T21:56:35Z 2017-10-29T21:56:35Z http://hdl.handle.net/10468/4869 2017-10-17T18:00:42Z 2017-10-01T00:00:00Z

Practice links [Issue 74, October 2017] Burns, Kenneth; McCormick, Louise Practice Links is a free publication of the Social Work Development Unit, University College Cork, Ireland. The aim of PL is help practitioners to keep up-to-date with new publications, conferences and continuing professional development opportunities.

2017-10-01T00:00:00Z Burns, Kenneth O'Mahony, Conor Parkes, Aisling http://hdl.handle.net/10468/4247 2017-07-25T18:00:45Z 2017-07-17T00:00:00Z

What social workers talk about when they talk about child care proceedings in the District Court in Ireland Burns, Kenneth; O'Mahony, Conor; Parkes, Aisling Court proceedings are a fundamental and increasingly time-consuming aspect of social work practice. However, to date, there is a relatively modest body of literature considering the experiences of social workers in instituting child care proceedings and giving evidence in court. This paper draws on data gathered as part of an in-depth qualitative study of professional experiences of District Court child care proceedings in Ireland and presents findings regarding the experiences of social workers in bringing court applications for child protection orders. It seeks to answer 2 key questions: First, how do child protection and welfare social workers experience the adversarial nature of child care proceedings in the District Court? Second, what are the views of child protection and welfare social workers on the strengths and weaknesses of child care proceedings as a decision-making model for children and young people? The main findings are that social workers expressed significant reservations about the predominantly adversarial model that currently operates in Irish child care proceedings and about the level of respect that social workers are afforded within the operation of the system.

2017-07-17T00:00:00Z Ó hAdhmaill, Féilim http://hdl.handle.net/10468/4707 2017-09-18T18:00:48Z 2017-06-20T00:00:00Z

Demexit: Brexit, like the bank bailout, shows how little democratic control we really have over the global economy Ó hAdhmaill, Féilim While the consequences of the UK’s decision to leave the EU remain unclear, one thing is certain – the power and influence Ireland, North and South, will exercise over the final decision-making is limited. The hype in May of this year over apparent ‘concessions’ gained by Ireland from the EU, about an early resolution to how the Irish border will be affected, was quickly rubbished by UK Brexit Secretary, David Davis. He and other English Tory politicians have made it clear that the UK’s self-interest goes beyond, and is much more important than, the concerns of those living either side of the Irish border, or indeed the Irish peace process. It is not even clear how the 27 remaining member states of the EU (of which the Irish State is only one) will actually approach negotiations with the UK, and whether they will indeed take the concerns of the Irish seriously. The Irish State has not been awarded a veto similar to the one apparently granted to Spain by the EU over any decisions on Gibraltar, in relation to the North or the Border. Indeed it is not clear that EU interests (if they exist collectively) are likely to coincide with Ireland’s when it comes to what will be a new EU land border with what will be a non-EU state.

2017-06-20T00:00:00Z Fox, Siobhan Kenny, Lorna Day, Mary Rose O'Connell, Cathal Finnerty, Joe Timmons, Suzanne http://hdl.handle.net/10468/3929 2017-05-29T09:20:57Z 2017-04-10T00:00:00Z

Exploring the housing needs of older people in standard and sheltered social housing Fox, Siobhan; Kenny, Lorna; Day, Mary Rose; O'Connell, Cathal; Finnerty, Joe; Timmons, Suzanne Objective: Our home can have a major impact on our physical and mental health; this is particularly true for older people who may spend more time at home. Older people in social (i.e., public) housing are particularly vulnerable. Housing options for older people in social housing include standard design dwellings or specially designed “sheltered housing.” The most suitable housing model should be identified, with older people consulted in this process. Method: Survey of older people (aged ≥60) living in standard or sheltered social housing. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics in SPSS Version 22. Results: Overall, 380 surveys were returned (response rate = 47.2%). All older people had similar housing needs. Those in sheltered housing were more satisfied with the physical home design and reported more positive outcomes. Older people in standard housing were less likely to have necessary adaptations to facilitate aging-in-place. Discussion: Older people in standard housing reported more disability/illnesses, are worried about the future, and felt less safe at home. However, few wanted to move, and very few viewed sheltered housing as an alternative, suggesting limited knowledge about their housing options. Future social housing designs should be flexible, that is, adaptable to the needs of the tenants over time.

2017-04-10T00:00:00Z