Learning Outcomes:

Students will have a critical understanding of child welfare and protection systems, theories, policies and specialised practice and will develop sufficient competence to assume practice placements and future employment in the fields of family support, duty/intake, child protection and welfare, children in care and related functions and services.

• Students will develop knowledge and understanding of specific specialised practice areas within the field of child welfare and protection.

• Students will enhance their critical understanding of child protection and welfare assessments and will be able to incorporate trauma-informed, person-centred and rights-based approaches to their practice.

• Students will develop their socio-legal practice and develop critical skills in relation to incorporating relevant laws in their practice and practicing from a socio-legal perspective.

• Students will be introduced to contemporary issues affecting professional social work practice in the field of child welfare and protection.

• Students will develop skills in relation to professional collaboration and interagency working through joint teaching with the School of Nursing, UCD.

• Students will be helped to integrate knowledge and skills acquired and developed in other year two modules and previous practice placement.

CORU Standards of Proficiency

Students should be able to meet the following Social Workers Registration Board (CORU) standards of proficiency appropriate to year one development:

Domain 1: Professional autonomy and accountability

1. Be able to practise safely and effectively within the legal, ethical and practice boundaries of the profession
2. Be able to identify the limits of their practice and know when to seek advice and additional expertise or refer to another professional
3. Be able to act in the best interest of service users at all times with due regard to their will and preference
5. Respect and uphold the rights, dignity and autonomy of every service user including their role in the diagnostic, therapeutic and social care process
6. Be able to exercise a professional duty of care
7. Understand the importance of maintaining accurate up to date documentation
9. Recognise the importance of practising in a non-discriminatory, culturally sensitive way and acknowledge and respect the differences in beliefs and cultural practices of individuals or groups
10. Understand the role of policies and systems to protect the health, safety, welfare, equality and dignity of service users, staff and volunteers
11. Understand and respect the confidentiality of service users and use information only for the purpose for which it was given
12. Understand the limits of confidentiality in the context of a variety of team settings
13. Understand and be able to apply the limits of the concept of confidentiality particularly in relation to child protection, vulnerable adults and elder abuse
16. Be able to gain informed consent to carry out assessments or provide treatment/interventions and document evidence that consent has been obtained
18. Recognise personal responsibility and professional accountability for one’s actions and be able to justify professional decisions made
20. Understand the principles of professional decision-making and be able to make informed decisions within the context of competing demands including those relating to ethical conflicts and available resources

Domain 2: Communication, Collaborative Practice and Team-working

1. Be able to communicate diagnosis/assessment and/or treatment/management options in a way that can be understood by the service user including non-voluntary service users
2. Be able to modify and adapt communication methods and styles, including verbal and nonverbal methods to suit the individual service users considering issues of language, culture, beliefs and health and/or social care needs
3. Recognise service users as active participants in their health and social care and be able to support service users in communicating their health and/or social care needs, choices and concerns
4. Understand the need to empower service users to manage their well-being where possible and recognise the need to provide advice to the service user on self-treatment, where appropriate
5. Be able to recognise when the services of a professional translator are required
6. Be able to produce clear, concise, accurate and objective documentation
7. Be able to apply digital literacy skills and communication technologies appropriate to the profession
9. Be able to express professional, informed and considered opinions to service users, health professionals and others e.g. carers, relatives in varied practice settings and contexts and within the boundaries of confidentiality
12. Understand the need to work in partnership with service users, their relatives/carers, guardians and other professionals in planning and evaluating goals, treatments and interventions and be aware of the concepts of power and authority in relationships with service users
13. Understand the need to build and sustain professional relationships as both an independent practitioner and collaboratively as a member of a team
14. Understand the role and impact of effective interdisciplinary team working in meeting service user needs and be able to effectively contribute to decision-making within a team setting
15. Understand the role of relationships with professional colleagues and other workers in service delivery and the need to create professional relationships based on mutual respect and trust

Domain 3: Safety and Quality

1. Be able to gather all appropriate background information relevant to the service user’s health and social care needs
2. Be able to justify the selection of and implement appropriate assessment techniques and be able to undertake and record a thorough, sensitive and detailed assessment
4. Be able to analyse and critically evaluate the information collected in the assessment process
5. Be able to demonstrate sound logical reasoning and problem solving skills to determine appropriate problem lists, action plans and goals
6. Be able to demonstrate an evidence-informed approach to professional decision-making, adapting practice to the needs of the service user and draw on appropriate knowledge and skills in order to make professional judgments
7. Be able to prioritise and maintain the safety of both service users and those involved in their care
8. Be able to evaluate intervention plans using appropriate tools and recognised performance/ outcome measures along with service user responses to the interventions. Revise the plans as necessary and where appropriate, in conjunction with the service user
9. Understand the need to monitor, evaluate and/or audit the quality of practice and be able to critically evaluate one’s own practice against evidence-based standards and implement improvements based on the findings of these audits and reviews
10. Be able to recognise important risk factors and implement risk management strategies; be able to make reasoned decisions and/or provide guidance to others to initiate, continue, modify or cease interventions, techniques or courses of action and record decisions and concerns
12. Be able to carry out and document a risk analysis and implement effective risk management controls and strategies; be able to clearly communicate any identified risk, adverse events or near misses in line with current legislation/guidelines
14. Be able to establish safe environments for practice which minimises risks to service users, those treating them and others

Domain 4: Professional Development

3. Be able to evaluate and reflect critically on own professional practice to identify learning and development needs; be able to select appropriate learning activities to achieve professional development goals and be able to integrate new knowledge and skills into professional practice
4. Understand and recognise the impact of personal values and life experience on professional practice and be able to take responsibility and manage this impact appropriately

Domain 5: Professional Knowledge and Skills

1. Know, understand and apply the key concepts of the domains of knowledge which are relevant to the profession for individuals, groups and communities
2. Demonstrate a critical understanding of social work theory, methods and skills, social policy and social research, including consideration in a global context
3. Have a critical understanding of sociology, psychology, human growth and development, health, law, economics and political science
5. Critically understand and be able to apply principles of social justice in one’s work including being able to appropriately challenge negative discrimination and unjust policies and practices.
7. Critically understand and apply a human rights based approach
8. Critically understand the legislative basis of actions within a service
9. Demonstrate an awareness and critical understanding of how social work practice is influenced by regulations, national guidelines and standards, findings of inquiries, investigations, associated reports; issues and trends in public and policy development; and be able to access new and emerging information which affects social work practice
10. Critically understand the role and purpose of relationship based practice, including the importance of planning the withdrawal of services
11. Be able to maintain professional boundaries with service users within a variety of social work settings and be able to identify and manage any associated challenges
12. Critically understand and apply the principles of partnership, participation and power sharing within the social work context.
13. Be able to evaluate the effect of their own characteristics, values and practice on interactions with service users and be able to critically reflect on this to improve practice
14. Critically understand the concepts and frameworks that underpin a range of individual counselling theory and skills; theory and practice of working with children and families; community work theory and practice and group work theory and practice
15. Recognise the role of advocacy in promoting the needs and interests of service users; be able to advocate on the behalf of service users
16. Critically understand the capacity of system-level change to improve outcomes, access to care, and delivery of services, particularly for marginalised groups
17. Recognise that service users have the right to self-determination including to take risks
19. Critically understand the role of ethics in the use of digital and social media including maintaining confidentiality and professionalism
20. Be able to write concise, accurate reports which articulate and justify professional decisions made
22. Demonstrate skills in evidence-informed practice, including translation of theory, concepts and methods to professional practice
23. Demonstrate safe and effective implementation of practical, technical and clinical skills
24. Be able to identify and critically understand the impact of organisational, governmental, community and societal structures, systems and culture on health and social care

Indicative Module Content:

Introduction to Sexually Harmful Behaviour
Trauma and Harm: ACEs, MACEs and Polyvictimisation
Sexual Abuse: Disclosure & Dynamics
Shame in Child protection Social Work
Non-Violent Resistance/Child to Parent Violence
Domestic Violence Theory and Interventions
Interagency/inter-disciplinary working

Student Effort Type	Hours
Lectures	22
Autonomous Student Learning	103
Total	125

Not applicable to this module.

Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy  

Description	Timing		Component Scale		% of Final Grade
Group Project: Mid-module group presentation submitted online. This group presentation will be jointly conducted with students from Public Health Nursing and will explore inter-agency and inter-disciplinary learning	Week 5	n/a	Alternative non-linear conversion grade scale 50%	No	20
Group Project: 500 word personal reflection on Group Project process.	Week 5	n/a	Alternative non-linear conversion grade scale 50%	No	10
Assignment: 2000 word assignment	Coursework (End of Trimester)	n/a	Alternative non-linear conversion grade scale 50%	No	70

 

Remediation Type	Remediation Timing
In-Module Resit	Prior to relevant Programme Exam Board

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment
• Online automated feedback

Individual and general group feedback will occur post-assessment. Individual feedback will also be accessible during the module where students have queries in respect of their own performance. In addition to this, the Brightspace platform will provide online automated feedback post-assessment.

This List is indicative, core readings will be identified on a weekly basis.

Department of Children and Youth Affairs (2017) Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children. Dublin, Government Publications. Available at www.tusla.ie.

Health Service Executive (2011) Child Protection and Welfare Practice Handbook. Oak House, Kildare: Health Service Executive. Available at www.tusla.ie.

Tusla (2018) Child Protection and Welfare Practice Handbook 2, Dublin, Tusla. Available at www.tusla.ie.

Featherstone, B., White, S., and Morris, K. (2014) Re-Imagining Child Protection: Towards humane social work with families.

Skehill, C. (2004) History of the Present of Child Protection and Welfare Social Work in Ireland. Lewiston, New York, Edwin Mellen Press.

Buckley, S.A. (2013) The Cruelty Man: Child welfare, the NSPCC and the State in Ireland, 1889-1956. Manchester University Press, Manchester.

Lynch, D., and Burns, K. (Eds) Children’s Rights and Child Protection: Critical Times, Critical Issues in Ireland, Manchester, Manchester University Press.

Fetherstone, B., Gupta, A., Morris, K., and White, S. (2018) Protecting Children: A Social Model. Bristol University Press, UK.

Parton, N. (2003) Rethinking professional practice: The contributions of social constructionism and the feminist ‘Ethics of Care’. British Journal of Social Work, Vol. 33, 1-16.

Felitti, V.J., Anda, R.F., Nordenberg, D., Williamson, D.F., Spitz, A.M., and Marks, J.S. (1998). Relationship of childhood abuse and household dysfunction to many leading causes of death in adults. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Vol. 14, 245–258.

Spratt, T., Devaney, J. and Fredrick, J. (2019) Adverse Childhood Experiences: Beyond Signs of Safety; Reimagining the Organisation and Practice of Social Work with Children and Families. British Journal of Social Work, 1-17 https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcz023

Finkelhor, D., Ormrod, R.K., and Turner, H.A. (2007) Polyvictimization: A neglected component in child victimization. Child Abuse and Neglect, Vol. 31, 7–26.

Finkelhor, D., Ormrod, R.K., Turner, H.A., and Holt, M. (2009). Pathways to polyvictimization. Child Maltreatment, Vol. 14, 316–329.

Finkelhor, D., Shattuck, A., Turner, H., and Hamby, S.(2015) A revised inventory of Adverse Childhood Experiences. Child Abuse and Neglect, Vol. 48, 13-21.

Finkelhor, D. (2018) Screening for adverse childhood experiences (ACEs): Cautions and suggestions. Child Abuse and Neglect, Vol. 85, 174-179.

McGavock, L., and Spratt, T. (2014) Prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences in a University Population: Associations with Use of Social Services. British Journal of Social Work, Vol. 44, 657–674.
Levenson, J. (2017) ‘Trauma-Informed Social Work Practice’, Social Work, 62(2), pp. 105–113. doi: 10.1093/sw/swx001

Knight, C. (2015) Trauma-Informed Social Work Practice: Practice Considerations and Challenges. Clinical Social Work, Vol. 43, pp25-37.

McNeish, D., Scott, S. and DMSS Research (2018) Key messages from research on children and young people who display harmful sexual behaviour. Available on Brightspace.

State Government Victoria, (2012) Children with Problem Sexual Behaviours and their Families. Available on Brightspace and at:
https://www.cpmanual.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/Children%20problem%20sexual%20behaviours%20specialist%20practice%20resource%202012%203013%20.pdf

McGrath, K. (2010) Understanding and Managing Sexualised Behaviour in Children and Adolescents. Available online and on Brightspace.

Turnell, A., and Edwards, S. (1999) Signs of Safety: A Solution and Safety Oriented Approach to Child Protection Casework, W.W. Norton and Company, New York.

Baginsky, M., Hickman, B., Moriarty, J., & Manthorpe, J. (2019) Working with Signs of Safety: Parents' perception of change, Child and Family Social Work, pp 1-11, DOI: 10.1111/cfs.12673

Alaggia, R. (2004). Many ways of telling: expanding conceptualizations of child sexual abuse disclosure. Child Abuse and Neglect, Vol. 28, 1213-1227.

Alaggia, R., Collin-Vézina, D., and Lateef, R. (2017) Facilitators and Barriers to Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) Disclosure: A Research Update (2000-2016). Trauma, Violence and Abuse, 1-24.

McGee, H., Garavan, R., de Barra, M., Byrne, J., and Conroy, R. (2002). The SAVI Report: Sexual Abuse and Violence in Ireland. Dublin: The Liffey Press.

McElvaney, R. (2015) Disclosure of Child Sexual Abuse: Delays, Non-Disclosure and Partial Disclosure. What the research tells us and implications for practice. Child Abuse Review, Vol. 24, 159–169.

Finkelhor, D. (1990) Early and long-term effects of child sexual abuse: An update. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 21(5), 325-330.

Mian, M., and Collin-Vézina, D. (2017) Adopting a public health approach to addressing child sexual abuse and exploitation. Child Abuse and Neglect, Vol. 66, 152-154.

Beitchman, J., Zucker, K., Hood, J., DaCosta, G., and Akman, D. (1991) A review of the short-term effects of child sexual abuse. Child Abuse and Neglect, Vol. 15, 537-556.

Beitchman, J., Zucker, K., Hood, J., DaCosta, G., and Akman, D., and Cassavia, E. (1992) A review of the long-term effects of child sexual abuse. Child Abuse and Neglect, Vol. 16, 101-118.

Mooney, J. (2014) Adult Disclosures of Childhood Sexual Abuse to Child Protection Services: Current Issues in Social Work Practice. The Irish Social Worker, Spring/Summer 2014, 9-13.

Mooney, J. (2018) Adult disclosures of childhood sexual abuse and section 3 of the child care act 1991: past offences, current risk, Child Care in Practice, DOI: 10.1080/13575279.2017.1347145

Gagnier, C., and Collin-Vézina, D. (2016) The disclosure experiences of male child sexual abuse survivors. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, Vol. 25, No. 2, 221-241.

Brady, E. and Gilligan, R. (2018) The life course perspective: An integrative research paradigm for examining the educational experiences of adult care leavers? Children and Youth Services Review, Vol. 87, pp 69-77.

Devaney, C., McGregor, C. and Moran, L. (2019) Outcomes for Permanence and Stability for Children in Care in Ireland: Implications for Practice, The British Journal of Social Work, Volume 49, Issue 3, April 2019, Pages 633–652, https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcy078

Parkes, A., Shore, C., O’Mahony, C. and Burns, K. (2015) The right of the child to be heard? Professional experiences of child care proceedings in the Irish district court. Child and Family Law Quarterly, 27 (4):423-444.

Henshaw, M., Ogloff, J. and Clough, J. (2017) Demographic, mental health, and offending characteristics of online child exploitation material offenders: A comparison with contact‐only and dual sexual offenders. Behavioural Sciences and the Law, April 2018.

Karaian, L. (2014). Policing ‘sexting’: Responsibilization, respectability and sexual subjectivity in child protection/crime prevention responses to teenagers’ digital sexual expression. Theoretical Criminology, 18(3), 282–299. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362480613504331

Quayle, E. and Cariola, L. (2019) Management of non-consensually shared youth-produced sexual images: A Delphi study with adolescents as experts. Child Abuse and Neglect, Vol. 95, Online at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.104064

Walker, K. and Sleath, E. (2017) A systematic review of the current knowledge regarding revenge pornography and non-consensual sharing of sexually explicit media. Aggression and Violent Behaviour, Vol. 36, pp 9-24.

Autumn
Lecture	Offering 1	Week(s) - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12	Mon 14:00 - 15:50