Assistant Professor of Social Work, Maynooth University, Ireland. Research interests include mental health social work, groupwork, career pathways in social work
Since 2009, the Tallaght Roma Integration Project (TRIP), formerly the Roma Families Working Grou... more Since 2009, the Tallaght Roma Integration Project (TRIP), formerly the Roma Families Working Group, has been working to address the needs of the Roma community in the greater Tallaght area. TRIP was formed in response to a number of issues which were highlighted during a community consultation process with the Roma population living in the locality of Tallaght, a large suburb positioned on the outskirts of Dublin, the capital city of Ireland. Problems with access to healthcare emerged from that consultation process as a major concern for the Roma community. Arising from that process of consultation, a key focus of TRIP, since its foundation, has been to work to improve healthcare access for the Roma community. The aim of this report is to record the establishment of TRIP and its subsequent focus on improving access to healthcare for the Roma community in Tallaght.
ABSTRACT This paper reports on the benefits gained from the creation of a high-challenge learning... more ABSTRACT This paper reports on the benefits gained from the creation of a high-challenge learning environment within one module of a professional social work degree programme. In a module entitled Mental Health and Social Work for final year social work students, the traditional classroom landscape was transformed (and the safety perch of the lecturer-as-expert unseated) when two representatives of a mental health service-user organisation accepted an invitation to audit the module's content and delivery. As part of conducting the audit, the service-users reviewed the module handouts, assignment guidelines and lecture content. They also sat in on all the lectures. Appreciating the value of the service-user perspective and service-user feedback on service delivery is a threshold concept in social work. It is mandated by law in certain jurisdictions, such as Northern Ireland, that social work degree programmes promote service-user perspectives in the curriculum. Yet, for students it is an elusive and hard-to-grasp concept which can be perceived as ill-defined and ambiguous. Finding ways to represent the views or the ‘voice’ of service-users in education of professional disciplines (not just social work but many other professions also) has consequently confronted lecturers and students alike with challenges of definition, conceptual understanding and application. This experimental audit of a module by two mental health service users threw out the traditional rule-book on boundaries between expert and learner. students, lecturer and service-users bravely embarked on a journey together into the uncharted territory of service-user involvement in the classroom. This paper reports on the transformative, irreversible, integrative and profoundly knowledge-changing elements of that journey for all concerned….so far. “When people not used to speaking out are heard by people not used to listening, then real changes can be made” (Western Health Board, 2002, p. 10).
This article highlights key messages from the literature on groupwork, political oppression and c... more This article highlights key messages from the literature on groupwork, political oppression and cultural competence in human services delivery, which are relevant to group workers involved with participants who have experienced political oppression and migration, related to that experience of oppression. Research findings regarding the effects on individuals of political oppression and related migration are summarised and the relevance of this information for groupwork planning and delivery are considered.
This paper draws selectively on the findings of a study exploring the impact of a concurrent grou... more This paper draws selectively on the findings of a study exploring the impact of a concurrent groupwork programme for mothers and children (6-7 years of age) who have experienced domestic abuse. This group was delivered by statutory child and welfare services in Ireland in conjunction with a voluntary sector child support service. This paper illustrates how participation in the groupwork programme impacted positively on the relationship between the participating mothers and their children and also explores what benefits were sustained over time. Employing a mixed methods approach, both quantitative and qualitative data were collected from three distinct populations and at three points in time. The findings of this study confirm the usefulness of the group environment in helping participants share the full extent of their personal experiences in a therapeutic and supportive setting. Participant outcomes included pro-social modelling of positive parenting, awareness raising and informa...
The interface between new entrants to professional disciplines, professional reputation managemen... more The interface between new entrants to professional disciplines, professional reputation management and social media usage is an under-researched and little understood phenomenon. A small-scale study on social media usage conducted with new social workers and teachers, working in the Irish context, revealed interesting insights into the complexities of reputation management for new professionals and the particular issues related to development of their professional reputations raised by online interactions, relationships and behaviour. Key messages for professionals and professional educators emerge from the findings outlined in this article.
In a qualitative study, long-term mental health service users shared their views on the concept o... more In a qualitative study, long-term mental health service users shared their views on the concept of ‘participation’ as shaped by their personal histories of contact with mental health services in Ireland. Adopting a narrative methodology, the study participants were asked to draw on their experiences with mental health services to illustrate their general views on participation by service users in mental health care contexts.In this study, the research participants recounted positive experiences of participation in which their expressed views regarding their symptoms and treatment needs were incorporated into the service responses they received. The data revealed that service users perceived open and inclusive communication by service providers as an important factor in optimising their ability to participate in help-seeking, diagnosis and treatment plans. However, the study also illuminated the chilling effect on participation when service users’ views were not heeded or acknowledge...
Superdiversity, as a concept, has assisted researchers to reveal heretofore hidden phenomena in s... more Superdiversity, as a concept, has assisted researchers to reveal heretofore hidden phenomena in society and to illuminate the nuanced subjectivity of migrant flows and the multidimensionality of migratory experiences. This article argues that the core tenets of superdiversity theory can help address epistemological questions in relation to issues beyond the parameters of migration studies. The topic of mental illness is used as an example through which to contemplate or ‘imagine’ the potential of superdiversity theory to assist researchers to break through limiting perspectives and to engage in innovative enquiry. Drawing on Mills’ call for sociological curiosity, this article proposes that a superdiversity lens can be used to think imaginatively in research on mental illness and potentially many other topics. Superdiversity theory has been influential in shaping new ways of understanding migration and population diversity but the question addressed here is whether this lens carries...
Comunitania. Revista Internacional de Trabajo Social y Ciencias Sociales
Se analizó la influencia del sentido de comunidad en la adaptación biopsicosocial de latinoameric... more Se analizó la influencia del sentido de comunidad en la adaptación biopsicosocial de latinoamericanos residentes en la ciudad de Málaga, España. La muestra la formaron 34 personas de origen latinoamericano a las que se le hicieron dos mediciones en un intervalo de 18 meses. Se desarrolló un estudio comparativo prospectivo longitudinal de carácter aproximativo, en el que se compararon las relaciones entre las variables en función del tiempo de residencia previo en Málaga (menos/más de un año) y el efecto del paso del tiempo. Las dimensiones del sentido de comunidad se relacionaron consistentemente con las variables de adaptación biopsicosocial contempladas y se observó un cambio positivo en las variables de adaptación para ambos grupos. Se presentan implicaciones para la práctica y la capacitación de los/as trabajadores/as sociales y para la mejora de las políticas públicas, evidenciándose las potencialidades del Trabajo Social Comunitario en este ámbito.The influence of the sense of...
Since 2009, the Tallaght Roma Integration Project (TRIP), formerly the Roma Families Working Grou... more Since 2009, the Tallaght Roma Integration Project (TRIP), formerly the Roma Families Working Group, has been working to address the needs of the Roma community in the greater Tallaght area. TRIP was formed in response to a number of issues which were highlighted during a community consultation process with the Roma population living in the locality of Tallaght, a large suburb positioned on the outskirts of Dublin, the capital city of Ireland. Problems with access to healthcare emerged from that consultation process as a major concern for the Roma community. Arising from that process of consultation, a key focus of TRIP, since its foundation, has been to work to improve healthcare access for the Roma community. The aim of this report is to record the establishment of TRIP and its subsequent focus on improving access to healthcare for the Roma community in Tallaght.
ABSTRACT This paper reports on the benefits gained from the creation of a high-challenge learning... more ABSTRACT This paper reports on the benefits gained from the creation of a high-challenge learning environment within one module of a professional social work degree programme. In a module entitled Mental Health and Social Work for final year social work students, the traditional classroom landscape was transformed (and the safety perch of the lecturer-as-expert unseated) when two representatives of a mental health service-user organisation accepted an invitation to audit the module's content and delivery. As part of conducting the audit, the service-users reviewed the module handouts, assignment guidelines and lecture content. They also sat in on all the lectures. Appreciating the value of the service-user perspective and service-user feedback on service delivery is a threshold concept in social work. It is mandated by law in certain jurisdictions, such as Northern Ireland, that social work degree programmes promote service-user perspectives in the curriculum. Yet, for students it is an elusive and hard-to-grasp concept which can be perceived as ill-defined and ambiguous. Finding ways to represent the views or the ‘voice’ of service-users in education of professional disciplines (not just social work but many other professions also) has consequently confronted lecturers and students alike with challenges of definition, conceptual understanding and application. This experimental audit of a module by two mental health service users threw out the traditional rule-book on boundaries between expert and learner. students, lecturer and service-users bravely embarked on a journey together into the uncharted territory of service-user involvement in the classroom. This paper reports on the transformative, irreversible, integrative and profoundly knowledge-changing elements of that journey for all concerned….so far. “When people not used to speaking out are heard by people not used to listening, then real changes can be made” (Western Health Board, 2002, p. 10).
This article highlights key messages from the literature on groupwork, political oppression and c... more This article highlights key messages from the literature on groupwork, political oppression and cultural competence in human services delivery, which are relevant to group workers involved with participants who have experienced political oppression and migration, related to that experience of oppression. Research findings regarding the effects on individuals of political oppression and related migration are summarised and the relevance of this information for groupwork planning and delivery are considered.
This paper draws selectively on the findings of a study exploring the impact of a concurrent grou... more This paper draws selectively on the findings of a study exploring the impact of a concurrent groupwork programme for mothers and children (6-7 years of age) who have experienced domestic abuse. This group was delivered by statutory child and welfare services in Ireland in conjunction with a voluntary sector child support service. This paper illustrates how participation in the groupwork programme impacted positively on the relationship between the participating mothers and their children and also explores what benefits were sustained over time. Employing a mixed methods approach, both quantitative and qualitative data were collected from three distinct populations and at three points in time. The findings of this study confirm the usefulness of the group environment in helping participants share the full extent of their personal experiences in a therapeutic and supportive setting. Participant outcomes included pro-social modelling of positive parenting, awareness raising and informa...
The interface between new entrants to professional disciplines, professional reputation managemen... more The interface between new entrants to professional disciplines, professional reputation management and social media usage is an under-researched and little understood phenomenon. A small-scale study on social media usage conducted with new social workers and teachers, working in the Irish context, revealed interesting insights into the complexities of reputation management for new professionals and the particular issues related to development of their professional reputations raised by online interactions, relationships and behaviour. Key messages for professionals and professional educators emerge from the findings outlined in this article.
In a qualitative study, long-term mental health service users shared their views on the concept o... more In a qualitative study, long-term mental health service users shared their views on the concept of ‘participation’ as shaped by their personal histories of contact with mental health services in Ireland. Adopting a narrative methodology, the study participants were asked to draw on their experiences with mental health services to illustrate their general views on participation by service users in mental health care contexts.In this study, the research participants recounted positive experiences of participation in which their expressed views regarding their symptoms and treatment needs were incorporated into the service responses they received. The data revealed that service users perceived open and inclusive communication by service providers as an important factor in optimising their ability to participate in help-seeking, diagnosis and treatment plans. However, the study also illuminated the chilling effect on participation when service users’ views were not heeded or acknowledge...
Superdiversity, as a concept, has assisted researchers to reveal heretofore hidden phenomena in s... more Superdiversity, as a concept, has assisted researchers to reveal heretofore hidden phenomena in society and to illuminate the nuanced subjectivity of migrant flows and the multidimensionality of migratory experiences. This article argues that the core tenets of superdiversity theory can help address epistemological questions in relation to issues beyond the parameters of migration studies. The topic of mental illness is used as an example through which to contemplate or ‘imagine’ the potential of superdiversity theory to assist researchers to break through limiting perspectives and to engage in innovative enquiry. Drawing on Mills’ call for sociological curiosity, this article proposes that a superdiversity lens can be used to think imaginatively in research on mental illness and potentially many other topics. Superdiversity theory has been influential in shaping new ways of understanding migration and population diversity but the question addressed here is whether this lens carries...
Comunitania. Revista Internacional de Trabajo Social y Ciencias Sociales
Se analizó la influencia del sentido de comunidad en la adaptación biopsicosocial de latinoameric... more Se analizó la influencia del sentido de comunidad en la adaptación biopsicosocial de latinoamericanos residentes en la ciudad de Málaga, España. La muestra la formaron 34 personas de origen latinoamericano a las que se le hicieron dos mediciones en un intervalo de 18 meses. Se desarrolló un estudio comparativo prospectivo longitudinal de carácter aproximativo, en el que se compararon las relaciones entre las variables en función del tiempo de residencia previo en Málaga (menos/más de un año) y el efecto del paso del tiempo. Las dimensiones del sentido de comunidad se relacionaron consistentemente con las variables de adaptación biopsicosocial contempladas y se observó un cambio positivo en las variables de adaptación para ambos grupos. Se presentan implicaciones para la práctica y la capacitación de los/as trabajadores/as sociales y para la mejora de las políticas públicas, evidenciándose las potencialidades del Trabajo Social Comunitario en este ámbito.The influence of the sense of...
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Papers by Gloria Kirwan