newsletter
SCHOOL OF
Social Work & Social Policy
2018/19
WELCOME A warm welcome to this edition of our School of Social Work and Social Policy’s newsletter, as the academic year ends with unprecedented heat waves across Europe and the Arts Block is reinvented with exciting refurbishment! This edition celebrates the many achievements over the 2018-2019 academic year in research, teaching and innovation and warmly welcomes two new members of our teaching staff, Ruth Elliffe and Ayesha Emon. Marking the moving on of three colleagues, may I take this opportunity to thank Gloria Kirwan, Trish Walsh and Patrick O’Dea for their contribution and commitment to the development and growth of social work education in Trinity and in Ireland, wishing them well in the new chapters of their respective careers. The articles reported on in this edition reflect our School’s continued successful efforts to foster and attract academic and research talent across both disciplines of social work and social policy. Increasing the numbers of undergraduate students transferring to our suite of postgraduate programmes, we continue to provide the foundations of knowledge and skill that our graduates need to successfully pursue their professional careers in Ireland and internationally. We thank you all for your continued involvement in the school and encourage your contributions and input as we enter a new academic year.
Professor Stephanie Holt Head of School
Newsletter 2018-19
Alumni Interview One to One with Susan Connolly, B.S.S graduate and CEO of Barnardos the campus and the kindness of everyone – library staff, administrators and lecturers. Who made an impression on you when you were in Trinity?
Susan Connolly
Susan Connolly is the current CEO of Barnardos and a Bachelor of Social Studies graduate. Why did you choose to study social work? When I left school my priority was to get a secure job - this was the 1980’s, a time of recession, so I went to work in a bank. I soon realised that banking really wasn’t for me. I left and joined Trinity where I studied history and sociology in my first year. I met Sheila Gallagher and Wendy Moynahan, both of whom had decided to study social work. Conversations with them and my experience of volunteering with SVP in Trinity led me to social work. Years later, I noticed that a reference from a school guidance teacher noted that I would be suited to a profession working with people, such as social work. I graduated from Trinity in 1985 with a B.S.S, C.Q.S.W.
Robbie Gilligan, who was my college tutor and lecturer. I loved the pragmatism of his approach, how much he emphasised the importance of social work delivering tangible benefits to children and families. He always talked about the importance of building resilience in children and a network of support for them and their families – all of which remains relevant to our work with children and families in Barnardos today. What’s your best memory of Trinity as a student? One particular memory comes to mind – just before finishing up for the summer and sitting with friends on the green in from of the Lecky Library. I remember the sun shining and the sense of joy in the moment and positive expectations for the future. What opportunities did you get during your time in Trinity? I had the opportunity to meet a range of people and made life-long friends. I got the opportunity to learn and develop both personally and professionally.
What did you like most about being a Trinity student? I loved the history of trinity and the sense I got when I walked on the cobblestones of all those who had walked there before and would in the future. I loved the buildings, the old trees and being in the heart of Dublin.
Where did you go after Trinity? I went to the UK when I left Trinity and straight into front-line child protection social work in London with a diverse population group. One of the things that fascinated me was learning about different culture livings in London, which I hadn’t experienced in Dublin.
What are your strongest memories of Trinity? Different years have different memories. I remember the excitement of the first year – hanging out in the library, having coffee in all of the local coffee shops, the buzz of
Can you tell us about your career path? My career path has been driven by what interests me, what I feel I need to learn and how best I think I can contribute. I spent 7 years in direct child protection practice in London and Liverpool. Moving to work in the voluntary
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sector seemed like a logical choice if I wanted to be involved in delivering intensive family support services to children and families, moving away from child protection and crisis intervention to working in a field that enabled me to focus on the delivery of longer term outcomes for children and their families. Tell us about your role as CEO of Barnardos? I am now 6 months into the CEO role in Barnardos. I am responsible for the development and implementation of the organisations strategic plan from inception to delivery. I am also responsible for leading the organisation, ensuring the issues effecting children and families in Ireland remain on the agendas of policy makers and parents and are communicated to our supporters and the public. And to ensure that Barnardos remains innovative and leads out of the delivery of services that have real impact and provides good models of value of early intervention. What role did Trinity play in getting you to where you are today? Trinity has been crucial. If I hadn’t gone to Trinity I wouldn’t have become a social worker. I feel privileged to have a career that had been both rewarding and stimulating. What is your proudest achievement to date? I am proud of the services that Barnardos delivers to children and families and proud that our work really does make a positive difference. What are your ambitions for the year ahead? My ambitions are that Barnardos can continue to deliver quality services to children and families and advocate on their behalf, with a particular focus on children and parents whose lives are impacted by adverse circumstances.
SCHOOL OF
Social Work & Social Policy
News Launch of '19 Stories of Social Inclusion - Ireland: Stories of Belonging, Contributing and Connecting'
L-R: Kevin Kilbane, ex-footballer, Edurne Garcia Iriarte, Trinity researcher, Margaret Turley, researcher, Tomas Murphy, researcher, and Michael Feely, Trinity researcher
Assistant Professors Dr. Edurne Garcia Iriarte and Dr. Michael Feely in conjunction with M.Sc. in Disability Studies graduate, Christine Magee, launched 19 Stories of Social Inclusion in Ireland. The project, previously carried out in Australia, gives an opportunity to voice the stories of people with intellectual disabilities and to show that it is possible for people with disabilities to live ordinary lives in the community. Its approach is to start with the ‘success stories’ and work backwards to find out how people have created socially included lives for themselves.
19 stories aims to explore the implementation of Article 19 of the United National Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities which focuses on the right to live independently and the right to be included in the community. Ireland ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2018. 19 people took part in the research - 9 men and 10 women - from cities, towns and villages all over Ireland. All identify as having an intellectual disability. The project was funded by the National Disability Authority and involved the School of Social Work and Social Policy and Inclusion Ireland.
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Newsletter 2018-19
ASR Graduate earns Highest Scoring Abstract Presentation Congratulations to Daniela Rohde (ASR graduate 2013) on achieving the highest scoring abstract presentation at the 2018 UK Stroke Forum, Northern Ireland Stroke Conference in 2018. Her abstract was titled ‘Outcomes of cognitive impairment post-stroke: A five-year follow-up of the ASPIRE-S cohort’. Daniela’s recent publications also include ‘Stroke survivor cognitive decline and psychological wellbeing of family caregivers five years poststroke: a cross-sectional analysis’ in Topics in Stroke Rehabilitation. Congratulations Daniela!
Abstract Award
TRiSS hosts The Lived Experiences of Youth Migration Global Perspectives Seminar On 23 May Trinity Research in Social Sciences (TRiSS) hosted The Lived Experiences of Youth Migration seminar, focusing on how young people are major actors in the reality of migration, whether moving alone or with family. This event explored many aspects of the complexity of youth migration by bringing together scholars whose work relates to vastly differing contexts and circumstances but who share a common focus on youth experiences in the realities of migration globally. Presenters highlighted the impact of many influences on young migrants’ process including poverty, rurality, gender, legal status and wider community attitudes. Speakers included Ph.D. alumni from the school and others from across Europe, including Dr Derina Johnson (Trinity College Dublin),Dr. Riikka Korkiamaki (Tampere University), Dr Muireann Ní Raghallaigh (University College Dublin), Dr Daniela Sime (University of Strathclyde) and Dr Louise Yorke (Cambridge University).
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The seminar was organised by Professor Robbie Gilligan and run by the School of Social Work and Social Policy, Trinity College Dublin, in association with Trinity Research in
Childhood Centre (TRiCC), Trinity International Development Initiative (TIDI), and Trinity Research in Social Sciences (TRiSS).
SCHOOL OF
Social Work & Social Policy
Social Policy has made the top 100 in the newly-published QS World University Subject Rankings 2019 In Trinity’s School of Social Work and Social Policy, the discipline of Social Policy comprises a community of scholars from related social science fields sharing a common interest in studying social relations to optimise human well-being and critically analysing processes of social policy formation and delivery. The School is committed to delivering a high quality and relevant curriculum that responds to new social and economic developments, reflects robust evidence, and is infused with scholarly vigour, in order to equip graduates for challenges they will face both as professionals and as citizens. The School is delighted to have been recognised in this work by the inclusion of our discipline ‘Social Policy & Administration’ in Top 100 worldwide ranking of QS World University Subject Rankings for 2019.
New Staff
Ayeshah Émon
Ayeshah Émon is a Teaching Fellow with the School of Social Work and Social Policy. A Fulbright scholar, she received her doctorate in medical anthropology, gender studies and science and technology studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her dissertation focused on infertility and assisted reproductive technologies, particularly the phenomenon of anonymity in gamete donation. Ayeshah has worked both within and outside academia in the development and health sector with international non-government organisations such as the United Nations Development Programme and ActionAid. She has designed and delivered undergraduate and graduate level courses in anthropology, social policy, gender studies, global health and theatre for
cultural and social awareness, and has advised both undergraduate and graduate level students. Currently, her research interests focus on housing and education policy within the context of Ireland. Alongside her academic pursuits, Ayeshah is also involved in the performance arts with training in film making as well as street theatre, Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed, and the use of psychodrama techniques in healing from trauma and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). She is a Board member of Theatre for Change-Galway and Fermat's Last Theatre (Wisconsin), and co-founder of a non profit, South Asian Sisters-Madison.
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Newsletter 2018-19
New Staff
Launch of new Focus Ireland Report ‘Family Homelessness in Dublin: Causes, Housing Histories, and Finding a Home’, June 2019 Focus Ireland launched their new report ‘Family Homelessness in Dublin: Causes, Housing Histories, and Finding a Home’ on the morning of Thursday the 13th of June at the Irish Architectural Archive, Merrion Square.
Ruth Elliffe
Ruth Elliffe joined the School of Social Work and Social Policy as Teaching Fellow in 2018. She holds a Bachelor Degree in Social Studies (social work) and is a registered social worker. Ruth is a recent Ph.D. graduate of the School of Social Work and Social Policy, where she studied under the supervision of Dr Stephanie Holt. Her Ph.D. research explored the police response to children experiencing domestic violence drawing on multiple perspectives including children and adults. The research was co-funded by the School of Social Work and Social Policy and COSC The National Office for the Prevention of Domestic, Sexual and Gender- based Violence. Prior to taking up her current role Ruth worked in the homeless sector and various voluntary organisations including Women’s Aid. Ruth teaches introduction to social work, domestic violence and research modules to students at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. In addition to her teaching role, Ruth is a social work tutor to students on the Master in Social Work programme.
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The research follows on from previous studies in the Focus Ireland Insights into Family Homelessness Series. Surveys were conducted with 237 families who were on the Focus Ireland Family Homeless Action Team caseload in 2018. The study examined families’ housing histories, the main reason families had to leave their last stable home, attempts to exit homelessness via the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme, moves to tenancies, respondents’ help seeking
Alice Long and Sarah Sheridan
patterns prior to homelessness, and the demographic details of the respondents. Two key findings of the report include that the majority of families (60%) had stable housing histories and that more than half of the families (58%) had to leave their last stable home due to factors related to their private rented sector home. The report was authored by current and former students of the MSc in Applied Social Research, Alice Emily Long, Letizia Gambi, and Daniel Hoey, and Focus Ireland Research Coordinator Dr Sarah Sheridan, Ph.D. graduate and a Visiting Research Fellow of the School.
SCHOOL OF
Social Work & Social Policy
Ph.D. Students receive the Irish Research Council’s Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship The School of Social Work and Social Policy congratulates two Ph.D. students, Amy Stapleton and Danielle O’Sullivan, who have been awarded funding for their Ph.D. research by the Irish Research Council’s Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship programme. Both Amy and Danielle are supervised by Assistant Professor Paula Mayock. Amy’s Ph.D. research will examine the experiences of separated children as they transition to adulthood in two European contexts (France and Ireland) using a comparative, participatory action research approach. Amy has a background in international development and policy, with a strong focus on migration and youth issues. Amy has been working to promote the increased participation of young researchers, particularly from developing countries and marginalised communities, within academia. Danielle’s Ph.D. research focuses on the lived experience of lesbian, gay and bisexual prisoners (LGB) in Ireland. Her research is qualitative and seeks to bridge a clear gap in knowledge and understanding of LGB prisoners, a population that is frequently side-lined or ignored. Danielle has a long-standing interest in lesbian, gay and bisexual issues, and criminal justice and has volunteered in a number of roles relating to LGB and mental health advocacy. Amy Stapleton and Danielle O’Sullivan
Congratulations to Amy and Danielle!
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Remember. The power of a legacy to Trinity When you remember Trinity in your will, you join a tradition of giving that stretches back over 400 years – and reaches far into the future. You’re empowering ground-breaking research which will benefit people in Ireland and all over the world. You’re supporting students from all backgrounds to access a Trinity education. You’re helping preserve our unique campus and heritage for new generations.
For more information about leaving a Legacy to Trinity, please contact Gareth Crowe. T. +353 1 896 8994 E. gareth.crowe@tcd.ie www.tcd.ie/alumni
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we would like to invite you to join our new platform, Trinity Alumni Online. This platform will help you to connect with fellow alumni as well as current Trinity students, allowing you to give and receive career advice. It’s easy to use and a great way to stay connected to Trinity. To register go to www.trinity.aluminate.net
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School of Social Work & Social Policy Room 3063, Arts Building Trinity College Dublin 2, Ireland T. +353 (0)1 896 2001 E. socialwork.socialpolicy@tcd.ie