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The objective of this paper is to inform a critical analysis of how the media portray family support in Ireland. Findings of a content analysis carried out on national and regional Irish newspapers between 2014 and 2017 are presented which describe communication about family support services provided by Tusla-Child and Family Agency. Results show that even though child protection was not used as a specific search term, news items on the Child and Family Agency and family support were usually focused on child protection and children in care. Results also show that family support activities are reported more positively in local papers compared to national papers. In the discussion, we argue that these findings are important as the media plays an important role in how the public understand, view, and engage with integrated child protection and welfare systems. We consider the implications of the research and advocate working with the media to inform their interpretation and understanding of family support. We suggest this is important as the manner in which the media communicate and frame family support as part of the overall child protection and welfare system is one of the main influences on public understandings and awareness of preventative family support and child welfare services.

It has been argued that social work is the only profession that is based on a sociolegal expertise. In this article we suggest that this expertise differentiates social work from related social professions; requiring advanced sociolegal practice skills and a particular approach to sociolegal education. In a sociolegal environment, social workers and legal professionals practice in a space between service user and their wider environment. We demonstrate the importance of social work students developing competence in the use of the law and how a socioecological model can help students develop their sociolegal practice. We draw from our experience of the Irish child welfare and protection context and argue that specialist sociolegal skills education is required to inform practice across domains.

This paper is based on findings from an Irish study of permanence and stability outcomes for children in long-term care which involved biographical narrative interviews with 27 children, young people, parents and foster carers. The study concluded that power and power relations featured significantly in the narratives of our interviewees. To advance guidance for practice, this paper aims to build on the findings of the study reported with an emphasis on the theorisation of power and power relations to inform practice. To do this, we use illustrative quotes from children, young people and their families to demonstrate how power markedly affected their experiences. The findings are considered in the context of an adapted version of Bronfenbrenner's ecological model with a focus on the interaction between the social work system and individual social workers (exo system) the young person and their wider family (micro-meso system) as perceived by the latter. The wider impact of policy (macro system) and transitions and experiences over time (chrono system) are considered in the context of this interaction. In the discussion, the need for more explicit studies of power and power relations within the context of an ecological model to capture the complexity of layers and interactions of each child's social system is highlighted. The contribution and limitation of the research is discussed. We end with a commentary about the importance of promoting an increased voice for children and young people in the development and improvement of public child welfare services.

This article explores the factors that influenced team leader decision-making processes about pathways for duty/intake referrals in one TUSLA region in the Republic of Ireland. It provides an overview of theories relating to decision making focused on systems, risk, relationships and processes. An ecological framework is presented as the conceptual frame. The study was carried out in one region of the Republic of Ireland through a partnership research arrangement between Tusla and the local university social work programme. It involved a quantitative and qualitative research approach. The quantitative phase of the study comprised 15 participants. The qualitative phase of the study consisted of seven respondents. All respondents were duty/intake team leaders. The findings make an important contribution to existing understandings and theories relating to decision making in the Republic of Ireland and internationally. They illustrate that decision-making processes were influenced more by organisational factors than individual factors or macro factors. The discussion considers how this study can critically add to existing international literature relating to decision making at the point of first contact in child protection and welfare. In particular, it shows the value of taking an ecological approach to understanding decision making that can provide for a critical understanding of the complex factors, especially organisational (exo level), that impact on decision making at the front line. It also highlights why a diversity of aspects of decision-making influences are important to consider with a constant focus on the child and family at the centre, in line with current policy and practice perspectives.

This article is based on a study of two early years services in the West of Ireland which was attended mostly by asylum seekers. Using a sample of the findings for illustration, we discuss how the study captured an example of culturally sensitive practice that demonstrated an ability to counteract some of the negative effects of being an asylum seeker through the particular philosophy and practice model. Eight specific guidance points for practice are drawn out and considered within the context of the ecological model [Bronfenbrenner, U., & Morris, P. (2006). The bioecological model of human development. In R. M. Lerner, W. Damon, & R. M. S. Lerner (Eds.), "Handbook of child Psychology, Vol. 1: Theoretical models of human development." Hoboken, NJ: Wiley]. We argue that a duality of attention to the agency--recognising the importance of the actions of each individual and to structure--recognising the inherent power differences, structural inequality, social injustice and prejudice--is essential. We show the importance of agency and of an ecological framework. We make the case for an approach to "cultural competence" that emphasises the importance of interactions at the micro level. While we are focused in this paper on the early years sector, there is also wider applicability from this specific study to general practice in the field of social care and social work with diverse populations.

This article considers how adoption may develop as viable option for permanency planning for children in care in Ireland following the Constitutional Referendum in 2012 on Children's Rights. In order to be prepared to consider how adoption can be developed as a viable alternative to long term care, we need to focus on the specific context of Ireland and the learning from elsewhere. The themes that are central to understanding the Irish context are: history of adoption in Ireland; impact of a dominance of a familist ideology underpinned by the Irish Constitution's Article 41 and 42 and the nature of Irish child and family law. With reference to learning from other jurisdictions, we have selected three inter-related themes: learning from the development of adoption as a permanency option; critical overview of concurrency planning and a consideration of open adoption. This article is intended to be informative and exploratory in recognition that this theme is likely to evolve over a number of years within the system in Ireland. The article highlights the extent to which the local socio-cultural and historical context influences policy development and should have resonance for both for readers in Ireland and other jurisdictions experiencing similar reforms.

This article draws on qualitative evidence from an evaluation of the "Greater Tomorrow" Crèche and Ballyhaunis Community Preschool in Ballyhaunis, Co Mayo, Ireland in 2016. The article focuses on the approach to practice and the underlying ethos of these two services, reflecting a clearly articulated respect for diversity and the privileging of relationships with families by the practitioners and management team. We argue for the significance of early years services in offsetting risk factors associated with adverse childhood experiences and environments, reflecting international research evidence for the potential benefits of high-quality early childhood education and care. The practice orientation within the settings operationalises the national quality and curriculum frameworks of Aistear and Síolta in foregrounding the concepts of identity and belonging, well-being, and partnership with families in daily practice. The services under study were established during a period of rapid social and cultural change in Ireland; heightened economic activity beginning in the mid-1990s was a catalyst for increasing female employment and inward migration. This article argues that in such a context, these services responded to the needs of the uniquely diverse community they serve, contributed to children's early learning and development, and provided material and emotional supports to children and parents.

Disabled children experience unique vulnerabilities in the context of child protection and welfare services. Current research alludes to strong concerns about social inequality, professional responses, judgement, knowledge and awareness limitations, and practical constraints. This article presents a focused commentary on the literature pertaining to child protection and disabled children. It does so through the lens of a broad affirmative non-tragedy approach. Within this, consideration is given to the distinct experience of disabled children within the broader child protection and welfare system, including experiences of being in care and of leaving care. The matter of children's rights is explicitly addressed with a particular focus on the right for children to have their voices heard. Core themes are drawn from the body of material, which are then used to inform a discussion on the key points of learning for practitioners and policy makers moving forward. The article concludes with the recognition that, to date the matter of supporting disabled children and their families within the child protection and welfare context remains both critical and broadly neglected. It proposes that the affirmative non-tragedy model offers an effective theoretical lens to progress an assertive children's rights approach within the child protection and welfare context.

The aim of this paper is to report on the evaluation of two standardised training programmes provided by the statutory children and family service in the Republic of Ireland in 2012. This involved an evaluation of Children First Basic Level Training, which was delivered to all staff employed in the statutory services, and Keeping Safe, Basic Level Training, which was delivered externally to those working with children and families in voluntary and community services. The objectives of this review were: to determine the perceived need of all participants on both training programmes; to establish the relevance of the training programmes "vis-à-vis" the participants work practice; to evaluate whether both training programmes have met their stated aims; and to establish the necessary components of a training programme to inform future development. This retrospective review was conducted using mixed methods. The findings show that, in the main, the needs of the respondents were met by the training. Most respondents agreed that the training met its aims and was relevant. Valuable suggestions were made regarding development for the future. However, due to an unexpectedly low response rate to the research, the low sample size has meant that we cannot deduce that the mostly positive results are representative of participants in the training programmes as a whole. However, while not a reliable representation of the whole trainee population, the findings are nonetheless illustrative and instructive as a guide within this complex and important field for the development of future training. It is concluded that given the ongoing challenge of protecting children from abuse and neglect, the findings will inform a renewed commitment to ongoing development of generic training as well as the development of more advanced methods of evaluation, and increased engagement of training participants in the research process.