Provisional Programme
IFCO 2014 European Conference
Ensuring the Rights of the Child & Family-Centered Services 26th - 29th August 2014 Waterford Institute of Technology, Ireland
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Schedule at a Glance TUESDAY, 26 AUGUST Day 1
WEDNESDAY, 27 AUGUST THURSDAY, 28 AUGUST Day 2
Day 3
FRIDAY, 29 AUGUST Day 4
09:00
10:00
09:00 - 10:30
09:00 - 10:30
09:00 - 10:30
PLENARY PLENARY SESSION SESSION II
PLENARY SESSION III
WORKSHOP SESSION V
Break
Break
Break
11:00 - 12:30
11:00 - 12:30
WORKSHOP SESSION I
WORKSHOP SESSION III
NETWORKING EVENT / WORKSHOP SESSION VI
Lunch
Lunch
Lunch
11:00
12:00
13:00
11:00 - 12:30
12:00 - 18:00 14:00
Arrival, accommodation and registration
Commute
13:45 - 15:30
13:45 - 15:30
PLENARY SESSION II
PLENARY SESSION IV
15:00
14:00 - 16:00 Closing ceremony
Break
Break
16:00
Break
17:00
16:00 - 17:30
16:00 - 17:30
WORKSHOP SESSION II
WORKSHOP SESSION IV
18:00 17:45 - 19:00 IFCO Annual General Meeting
19:00 19:00 - 21:00 20:00
Opening ceremony, welcome reception
17:45 - 21:00 Social programme and dinner
20:00 - late Gala Dinner
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Adult Programme TUESDAY, 26 AUGUST 2014 Day 1 12:00 – 18:00
Arrival, accommodation and registration Registration / Information Desk, Main Atrium, WIT Main Campus
19:00 – 21:00
Opening ceremony with welcome reception Main Auditorium followed by The Dome Bar, WIT Main Campus
WEDNESDAY, 27 AUGUST 2014 Day 2 09:00 - 10:30
PLENARY SESSION I Main Auditorium, WIT Main Campus
Conference opening address: Volodymyr Kuzminskyi, IFCO President Jean Anne Kennedy, Danielle Douglas, IFCO board members and conference co-hosts Fred McBride, CEO, Tusla, Child and Family Agency (Ireland) Teresa Connolly, Chairperson, Irish Foster Care Association (Ireland) Wayne Dignam, Founder, National Care Leavers Association Keynote: P1-1
10:30 – 11:00
Considering the Future Potential of Foster Care as a Child Care Option Dr Geoffrey Shannon, Special Rapporteur on Child Protection, Law Society (Ireland) Break Main Atrium, WIT Main Campus
11:00 – 12:30
WORKSHOP SESSION I Tourism and Leisure Building, WIT Main Campus
W1-1
Professional Development - Ensuring Best Practice and the Rights of Young People Bernie Breen, Daffodil Care Services (Ireland)
W1-2
Emergency Placement Service out of Hours Providing Placements with Foster Carers and Supporting Lodging Carers in Dublin Carol Lander, Tusla and Orchard Children’s Services (Ireland)
W1-3
Foster Care – a Business, a Profession or Pure Emotion? Where Does the Truth Lie? Bulgaria’s Foster Care Experience Alexandar Milanov, Anna Galabova, National Association of Foster Care (Bulgaria)
W1-4
Foster Parent Recruitment Myrna McNitt, IFCO (USA)
W1-5
Making Foster Care a Community Culture Colin Chatten, Core Assets; Marie Barlow and Rohana Reading, FFI (UK)
W1-6
From Care to Care Leaver Network: Advocacy in Ireland Wayne Dignam, Irish Care Leavers Network (Ireland) www.ifco.info
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W1-7
Him or Them: Relationship Rupture in Kinship Care Jill Worrall, Shirley-Ann Chinnery, Auckland University of Technology (New Zeland)
W1-8
Rebuilding Family Life: Exploring the Experiences of Refugees Following Family Reunification in Ireland Susan Mackey, Nasc, Irish Immigrant Support Centre (Ireland)
W1-9
Children in Care and the Irish Immigration and Protection Systems Fiona Hurley, Nasc, Irish Immigrant Support Centre (Ireland)
12:30 – 13:45
Lunch The Gallery Restaurant, WIT Main Campus
13:45 – 15:30
PLENARY SESSION II Main Auditorium, WIT Main Campus
Keynote: P2-1
Young Adult Care Leavers in the World of Work - How Foster Carers Can Support Entry to Work Prof. Robbie Gilligan, School of Social Work and Social Policy, Trinity College Dublin (Ireland)
P2-2
Preventing the Separation of Children from Their Families in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Review of the Hope and Homes for Children ACTIVE Family Support Programme in Bosnia and Herzegovina 2003 - 2010 Dr Delia Pop, Hope and Homes for Children (UK)
P2-3
What Does This Child Feel, Need Want? Seeking Answers from Perspectives of Complex Trauma and Attachment Johnnie Gibson, Cornell University NY (USA)
15:30 – 16:00
Break Main Atrium, WIT Main Campus
16:00 – 17:30
WORKSHOP SESSION II Tourism and Leisure Building, WIT Main Campus
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W2-1
Adoption of Children from Foster Care in Ireland - Which Way Forward? Pearl Doyle, Mairie Cregan, Tusla, Child and Family Agency (Ireland)
W2-2
Grown-up Children – How Children Become Foster Parents Hristo Naydenov, Yanko Dimitrov, National Association of Foster Care (Bulgaria)
W2-3
Team Fostering: Multidisciplinary Approach to Fostering Fred McBride, Tusla, Child and Family Agency (Ireland)
W2-4
Cultural Diversity in Alternative Care Hazel Finlay, Waterford Institute Of Technology (Ireland)
W2-5
Intervention and Family Support Dolores Martin, Daffodil Care Services (Ireland)
W2-6
Towards a Secure Transition to Independent Adulthood for Young People Growing Up in Care Mike Allen, Catherine Maher, Focus Ireland (Ireland)
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W2-7
Revolution of Dignity in Ukraine: Current Social Challenges Vasylyna Dybaylo, Partnership for Every Child; Andriy Chuprikov, SOS Children’s Village International (Ukraine)
W2-8-1
Exploring How to Achieve Affective Equality for Women and Children Out of Home Méabh Savage, Waterford Institute Of Technology (Ireland)
W2-8-2
Understanding Diversity in Gender and Sexuality in Children and Young People: “Born This Way” Suzanne Walsh, Waterford Institute Of Technology (Ireland)
17:45 – 19:00
IFCO Annual General Meeting Main Auditorium, WIT Main Campus
20:00 – late
Gala Dinner Tower Hotel
THURSDAY, 28 AUGUST 2014 Day 3 9:00 – 10:30
PLENARY SESSION III Main Auditorium, WIT Main Campus
Keynote: P3-1
P3-2
P3-3 10:30 – 11:00
Model for Reform of Residential Child Care Institutions: Practical Experience of the EU Project Implementations in Kyrgyzstan Volodymyr Kuzminskyi, IFCO President; Chris Rayment, Oxford Policy Management (UK) De-institutionalisation and Transition from Institutional to Community-based Care Stela Grigoras, Partnership for Every Child (Moldova) Sure Start: Care Leavers’ Integration Programme in Ukraine Vasylyna Dybaylo, Partnership for Every Child (Ukraine) Break Main Atrium, WIT Main Campus
11:00 – 12:30
WORKSHOP SESSION III Tourism and Leisure Building, WIT Main Campus
W3-1
Assessing Your Suitability to Work with Children – Legal Dilemmas Neil van Dokkum, Waterford Institute of Technology (Ireland)
W3-2
Putting Children, Young People and Families First: Through Application of an Area Based Approach to Prevention, Partnership and Family Support and Meitheal, a National Practice Model Dr Aisling Gillen, Anne Goodwin and Joan Dunne, Tusla, Child and Family Agency (Ireland)
W3-3
Promoting Participation by Children: Listening to the Voice of the Child Clare Deane, Aine Costello, Tim Stewart, Barnardos (UK)
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W3-4
Issues, Approaches and Practices for a Generation of Virtually Connected Youth in Out-of-Home Care Robert Edwards, Michael Place, Anu Family Services (USA)
W3-5
‘Keeping Siblings Connected’ – The Importance of Maintaining Birth Family Links Fiona Murphy, Brian Dignam, Five Rivers Ireland (Ireland)
W3-6
The Limits of Foster Care – How Much Can We Expect from Foster Carers? Carmen Secareanu, Mairie Cregan, Aurelia Trust (Ireland)
W3-7
Therapeutic Crisis Intervention for Families Christine Riggs, Fresh Start Fostering (Ireland)
W3-8-1
Ensuring the Rights of the Child, and Family-based Services Catherine O’Donohoe, Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (Ireland)
W3-8-2
Attitudes to Continuing Professional Development and Training for Social Sphere Practitioners - Areas for Future Action Aoife Prendergast, Institute of Technology, Blanchardstown, Dublin (Ireland)
W3-9 12:30 – 13:45
The Value of Learning Maeve Healy, Irish Foster Care Association (Ireland) Lunch The Gallery Restaurant, WIT Main Campus
13:45 – 15:30
PLENARY SESSION IV Main Auditorium, WIT Main Campus
Keynote: P4-1
Formal and Informal Kinship Care: Its Location within the Alternative Care and Family Support Systems? Dr Valerie O’Brien, Unvieristy College Dublin (Ireland)
P4-2
Three Is a Crowd: The Fostering of a Relational Place from the Shadows Jim Cantwell, Waterford Institute of Technology (Ireland)
P4-3
Young People Leaving Care in Ireland – Outcomes, Experiences, Services and Policy Philip Mullan, Daffodil Care Services (Ireland)
15:30 – 16:00
Break Main Atrium, WIT Main Campus
16:00 – 17:30
WORKSHOP SESSION IV Tourism and Leisure Building, WIT Main Campus
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W4-1
My Name Is Ellada: A Case Study Myrna McNitt, IFCO (USA)
W4-2
A Kinship Care Assessment Model: Widening Family and Professional Participation and Decision Making Dr Valerie O’Brien, Unvieristy College Dublin (Ireland)
W4-3
More Foster Care: Is That Really Our Goal? Rene de Bot, Foster Care Netherlands (Netherlands)
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W4-4
Building the Qualities of a Holding Relationship in Foster Care Settings Jim Cantwell, Waterford Institute of Technology (Ireland)
W4-5
The Impact of Alienation on Children Frank Keating, Waterford Institute of Technology (Ireland)
W4-6
Improving Training Through a Competency-based Training Model Dr Judith Rycus, Institute for Human Services, Columbus, Ohio (USA)
W4-7-1
Sibling Rights: From Lip Service to Legislation. An Australian Perspective Trish McCluskey, Berry Street Victoria (Australia)
W4-7-2
Nearest and Dearest in Children’s Lives in Child Protection. Insights and Experience of Family Relationships in Child Protection in Finland Pia Lahtinen, Pesäpuu ry, Nationwide Child Welfare Association (Finland)
W4-8 17:45 – 22:00
Practising the Pause Program Derek McDonnell, Tusla, Child and Family Agency (Ireland) Social programme and dinner Trip to Tramore
FRIDAY, 29 AUGUST 2014 Day 4 9:00 – 10:30
WORKSHOP SESSION V Tourism and Leisure Building, WIT Main Campus
W5-1 W5-2
W5-3
W5-4-1
W5-4-2
W5-4-3
Going Back... The Experiences of Search and Reunion for Romanian Children Adopted Intercountry Mairie Cregan, Carmen Secareanu, University College Cork (Ireland) IFCO Networks: Creating the Global Village Myrna McNitt, IFCO (USA) From Policy to Ground: Starting Foster Care in India - A Strategic and Sustainable Approach Vasundhra Sachdeva, ITM University (India) Foster Care Services Developed with the Participation of SOS Children’s Village International CEE/CIS - Overview of Existing Practices Ibolya Juhaszne Czegledy, SOS Children’s Village International CEE/CIS (Hungary) Children’s Houses Ricard Calvo, Fundacio Accio Social Infancia (Spain) Innovative Approach of SOS Ukraine for the Best Interests of Ukrainian Children in Need Andriy Chuprikov, SOS Children’s Village International Ukraine (Ukraine)
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10:30 – 11:00 11:00 – 12:30
Break Main Atrium, WIT Main Campus
NETWORKING EVENT / WORKSHOP SESSION VI Tourism and Leisure Building, WIT Main Campus
Networking Event
W6-1
Recognising and Responding to Child Abuse Dr Jennifer Yeager, Waterford Institute of Technology (Ireland)
W6-2
The Foster Family and Mediation Dr Sinead Conneely, Dr Roisin O’Shea, Waterford Institute of Technology (Ireland)
12:30 – 13:45
Lunch The Gallery Restaurant, WIT Main Campus
13:45 – 14:00
Commute to College Street
14:00 – 16:00
Closing Ceremony The Chapel, WIT College Street Campus
16:00 – 16:30
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Plenary Abstracts P1-1
PLENARY I Considering the Future Potential of Foster Care as a Child Care Option
Presenter
Dr Geoffrey Shannon
Organisation Country
Special Rapporteur on Child Protection, Law Society Ireland; Chairman of the Adoption Authority of Ireland Ireland
When
Wednesday, 27 August 2014
Session
90 minute plenary
Time
09:45-10:30
The adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child by the General Assembly of the United Nations on November 20, 1989 signposted a new era for foster care internationally. Moreover, the last decade has seen an upsurge of interest in foster care at a domestic level. This paper considers the future potential of foster care as a child care option, having regard to international and domestic developments.
P2-1
PLENARY II Young Adult Care Leavers in the World of Work - How Foster Carers Can Support Entry to Work
Presenter
Mr Robbie Gilligan
Organisation Country
Professor of Social Work and Social Policy, School of Social Work and Social Policy, Trinity College Dublin Ireland
Co-presenter
Dr Laura Arnau Sabates
Organisation
UAB - Autonomous University of Barcelona
Country
Spain
When
Wednesday, 27 August 2014
Session
90 minute plenary
Time
13:45-14:30
Work is crucial to social inclusion - it offers income, but also structure, meaning, identity and social connections. What can we learn from young adult care leavers who have entered the world of work? what and who helped them? What did foster carers (or residential carers) do? What may be lessons for supporting other young people in care and young adult care leavers? This paper presents findings from an international study of a sample of care leavers in both Ireland and Catalonia (Spain).
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P2-2
PLENARY II Preventing the Separation of Children from Their Families in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Review of the Hope and Homes for Children ACTIVE Family Support Programme in Bosnia and Herzegovina 2003 - 2010
Presenter
Dr Delia Pop
Organisation
Director of Programmes, Hope and Homes for Children
Country
UK
When
Wednesday, 27 August 2014
Session
30 minute plenary
Time
14:30-15:00
Hope and Homes for Children has been implementing ACTIVE Family Support in Sarajevo Canton in BiH since 2003. The program consists of two elements: the prevention of separation of children from their parents as the primary focus, and the reintegration of separated children from institutions back into their biological families. This unique and holistic program is tailored to the individual needs of each child and family and it is built on the following core values: partnership, respect, inclusion, sustainability and the best interest of the child. Today there is consensus that institutional care is simply not compatible with a human rights-based approach, it does not serve the best interest of the child and does not recognise the unique needs of individuals. Moreover, it does not include parents and communities; on the contrary it builds barriers and leads to isolation and stigma. Without a loving family environment and strong, healthy attachments, children’s intellectual, emotional, physical and neurological development is delayed. Families who are referred to Hope and Homes for Children are helped to assess their strengths and needs across six wellbeing domains: living conditions, family and social relationships, behaviour, physical and mental health, education, employment and household economy. Based on the outcomes of the assessment, families are engaged in developing a support plan and are assigned a support team who work intensively with them for a set period of time.
P2-3
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PLENARY II What Does This Child Feel, Need Want? Seeking Answers from Perspectives of Complex Trauma and Attachment
Presenter
Mr Johnnie Gibson
Organisation
Consultant / Instructor, Cornell University NY
Country
USA
When
Wednesday, 27 August 2014
Session
30 minute plenary
Time
15:00-15:30
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Therapeutic Crisis Intervention for Families (TCIF) is designed to equip organisations and all their staff and carers to prevent children’s challenging behaviour and to respond therapeutically when challenging behaviour or crisis behaviour does occur. TCIF originates from the Residential Child Care Project at Cornell University, NY. TCIF is an integrated system made up of five equally important components; a modular, skills based, training curriculum; leadership and organisational support; clinical participation; documentation and critical incident review; supervision and post crisis support. One part of the training curriculum is a framework for assessing ‘in the moment’ interactions with children when they are distressed; when they need adults the most but when they push good intentions away. This ‘in the moment’ assessment framework trains carers, and all involved directly and indirectly with children to develop an attitude of thoughtful intention based on the following questions. What am I feeling? What does this child feel, need and want? How is the environment impacting the current situation? What is my best response? This presentation will draw from the fields of complex trauma and attachment theory and will present the concept of developmental relationships as the key ‘active ingredient’ in helping children and in helping each other as adults, to better care for vulnerable children.ransition and the adults who provide professional development support.
P3-1
PLENARY III Model for Reform of Residential Child Care Institutions: Practical Experience of the EU Project Implementations in Kyrgyzstan
Presenter
Dr Volodymyr Kuzminskyi
Organisation
President, International Foster Care Organisation
Country
Ukraine
Co-presenter
Mr Chris Rayment
Organisation
Oxford Policy Management
Country
UK
When
Thursday, 28 August 2014
Session
30 minute plenary
Time
09:00-09:30
This session presents a model that has been developed for planning the transformation of child care institutions in the Kyrgyz Republic. The model proposes the development of community-based services with a particular emphasis on preventive services and gatekeeping as a major driving force for the reform of child care institutions. The model illustrates that any shift towards an approach that focuses on the introduction of community-based services cannot be considered without the development of an enabling environment which is necessary to underpin, sustain and continually improve service delivery. This includes enabling environment would address key issues including public attitudes towards residential child care institutions, national monitoring systems, legislation/ regulation, governance and management, workforce profile/development (including the role of social work) and the management and planning of physical and financial resources.
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The ongoing EU funded project ‘Technical Assistance to the Sector Policy Support Programme – Social Protection and PFM – Kyrgyzstan’, implemented by Oxford Policy Management (OPM), has been working with the Ministry of Social Development to develop optimisation plans for selected residential child care institutions. The purpose of the optimisation planning can be best understood as responding to a number of key questions: What to do with the children? What to do with the institution staff? What to do with buildings (land) and other infrastructure? What services should be in the community in order to prevent child separation and ensure family-based care? The experience of the project is clearly showing that the deinstitutionalisation process, even at the level of just one of the institutions, is very challenging. A key challenge facing decision-makers and social sector professionals involved in the transformation of residential child care institutions in the Kyrgyz Republic at this point in time is to understand the importance of interagency cooperation in order for the implementation of optimisation plans for the selected institutions to be successful.
P3-2
PLENARY III De-institutionalisation and Transition from Institutional to Community-based Care
Presenter
Dr Stela Grigoras
Organisation
President, Partnership for Every Child
Country
Moldova
Co-presenter
Mrs Irina Spivacenco
Organisation
Partnership for Every Child
Country
Moldova
When
Thursday, 28 August 2014
Session
30 minute plenary
Time
09:30-10:00
Conference participants will have the opportunity to learn from Moldovan experts about their experiences with the deinstitutionalisation of the care systems for children, or the shift from institutional care to family-based care. Deinstitutionalisation is a complex process involving much more than closing down large-scale institutions and moving children to family settings. It involves the development of a range of systems and services aimed at preventing child-family separation, caring for children in family-based alternative care setting, transforming the residential care for children, strengthening mainstream educational system to provide individualized support to deinstitutionalised children and children with special educational needs in order to prevent childfamily separation due to educational reasons. This reform occurs within a framework of new policies, laws and regulations, shifts in social norms, reorganization of financial and human resources and the establishment of new regulatory systems. Presenters will provide information on the deinstitutionalization process in Moldova, identify challenges and highlight specific approaches taken to support national and local authorities to ensure quality support for children and their families in this process.
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P3-3
PLENARY III Sure Start: Care Leavers’ Integration Programme in Ukraine
Presenter
Ms Vasylyna Dybaylo
Organisation
Director, Partnership for Every Child
Country
Ukraine
When
Thursday, 28 August 2014
Session
30 minute plenary
Time
10:00-10:30
Around 5000 young people are leaving care in Ukraine every year, but none of the governmental programmes or agencies hold responsibility for them. The government provides additional cash benefits until the young person reach the age of 23 and only if the young person goes to study at the university. Otherwise the benefits end at the age of 18. There is so called paradox of care – until the age of 18 too many people and too many agencies take care of young people in care. An extensive care is provided especially for those young people living in residential institutions – their beds are done, their food is prepared, their clothes are washed, their rooms are cleaned. And when the day of leaving the institution comes nobody thinks that all those prepared and settled things will not exist anymore. And nobody teach and prepare young people for their independent life after the institutions. To change the situation and to make young people be prepared for their life after care In 2010 International Charity Partnership for Every Child in cooperation with Swiss Foundation of International Social Services with the funding and support from Swiss Development Cooperation and Canton Geneva. The main purpose of the project was to develop a model of social and professional integration for independent life for children out-of -home care in Ukraine. Around 300 young people from Kyiv oblast has benefited from well-planned social support programme and around 500 young people from Ukraine participated in the youth training programme on developing life skills and preparing for independent life. The purpose of this paper is to present the achievements of Sure Start programme in Ukraine as well as to discuss existing challenges and future developments in creating a comprehensive system of support for young people leaving care in Ukraine.
P4-1
PLENARY IV Formal and Informal Kinship Care: Its Location within the Alternative Care and Family Support Systems?
Presenter
Dr Valerie O’Brien
Organisation
College Lecturer, School of Applied Social Science, University College Dublin
Country
Ireland
When
Thursday, 28 August 2014
Session
45 minute plenary
Time
13:45-14:30
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Formal kinship care is now used by statutory agencies to meet the needs of children. Informal kinship care, on the other hand, is an age-old tradition and used by families in times of need and crisis. However, informal care and the pathways between it and formal care has remained underanalysed largely in family & child policy. There is, however, evidence to suggest that both sets of kin carers are under-resourced and under-supported, albeit in different ways. Yet, it is known that extended family members are often willing to extend themselves to an enormous degree to protect and to provide for vulnerable children in their network. The research surrounding family group conferencing helps to throw light on how this practice is occurring. It is contended that the trends, practices, gaps and paradoxes surrounding the intersection between formal and informal kinship care need to be understood more if kinship care is to continue to meet the needs of children. This paper based on research explores the interplay between formal and informal kinship care against a backdrop of what is occurring in the foster care system.
P4-2
PLENARY IV Three Is a Crowd: The Fostering of a Relational Place from the Shadows
Presenter
Mr Jim Cantwell
Organisation
Lecturer, Waterford Institute of Technology
Country
Ireland
When
Thursday, 28 August 2014
Session
30 minute plenary
Time
14:30-15:00
Use a perspective and reflect upon foster care. It is a service, an intervention, a policy-based response to children’s needs and child protection issues. However, collectively when all these are delivered it is through a relationship system that clients experience service. Foster care has a particular challenge with this delivery mechanism of relationship system. The challenge is that a previous relational model has already delivered a service for clients. But there are understandings to help the foster carer, and these understandings can be translated into tools. Relationships have been extensively considered from a research perspective. Attachment theory contributes a wonderful sense of the bond forged between adult and child (Bowlby, 1979). And Winnicott (1990) has explored the process of a holding quality that can be generated within relationships. In summary holding is established in a relationship or environment where someone speaks and understands your language, in an environment that adapts to your needs and meets you where you exist at any given time. In a study on the exploration of the holding qualities within relationships between adults and children, 13 parents from a variety of backgrounds explored their own parenting styles for qualities they can link to Winnicott’s holding concept. Can the ability to create a holding quality in relationships offer a pathway to foster carers to support the children in their care?
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P4-3
PLENARY IV Young People Leaving Care in Ireland – Outcomes, Experiences, Services and Policy
Presenter
Mr Philip Mullan
Organisation
Operations Manager, Daffodil Care Services
Country
Ireland
When
Thursday, 28 August 2014
Session
30 minute plenary
Time
15:00-15:30
Kelleher, Kelleher & Corbett (2000) completed the first and to date only large-scale national research project on care leavers in Ireland. They found that: “many of the young people in the study were characterised by despair, hopelessness and chronic social instability”. Numbers of young people in care have been increasing since 1989, 2756 until now with more than 6000.The study has 3 central questions:1.What are the outcomes for young people leaving care in Ireland today and how do these compare with those described in the original study? 2. What major changes have taken place in the Irish care and aftercare systems since the full implementation of the 1991 Child Care Act in terms of social policy analysis? 3. What challenges face the Irish aftercare system today and how might these be responded to? International research has shown that care leavers suffer high levels of social exclusion due to social & personal disadvantages encountered both within the care system and having left the care system. To aid this project’s understanding of the outcomes experienced by care leavers the concepts of social capital and social network theory are applied at the micro level. By examining the care leavers transition from care to independence through the theoretical lens of social capital and social network theory, this study will step back from the notion of the care leaver as a product of the care system and instead view the care leaver as an agency laden social actor.
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