Carmel Devaney
Carmel is a Lecturer, Academic Director of the MA in Family Support Studies, Associate Director of the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre, and Head of the Discipline of Applied Social Science at the University of Galway. Carmel's recent research, publications and conference presentations are in the areas of Family Support, Parenting Support, Child Protection and Welfare, Alternative Care, and supporting practitioners who work in these areas. Carmel has published over 40 peer-reviewed research papers in international journals, including the British Journal of Social Work, Child and Youth Services Review, Child & Family Social Work, Journal of Family Studies, and Social Work Education as well as edited books, book chapters, and research reports. Carmel holds a BA in Social Studies (DIT), an MA in Family Support Studies (NUI Galway), and a PhD (NUI, Galway). She also holds a PG Cert in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education from the University of Galway Prior to joining the University, Carmel worked for many years in statutory children and family services as both a practitioner and manager.
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context with respect to its primary beneficiaries. The central question
considers the focus of concern in a child welfare system and what it
means when Family Support is focused on children, on parents, or
involves the family unit as a whole. Informed by a body of relevant
literature reviewed as part of a wider project, Family Support is seen as
more often conceptualised as being targeted toward parents as the
primary service user, and to a lesser extent described as being tailored
toward children or whole families. This approach to Family Support
provision is somewhat at odds with a systemic understanding of families,
which is foundational to much social care and child welfare work, and
which takes account of the multi-layered relationships between individuals
within families, and between individuals, families and their social world.
Applying an ecological systems perspective, this paper critically discusses
the consequences for the involved stakeholders and the implementation
of services at different system levels when support and interventions are
targeted at the child, the parents or at the family as a whole.
context with respect to its primary beneficiaries. The central question
considers the focus of concern in a child welfare system and what it
means when Family Support is focused on children, on parents, or
involves the family unit as a whole. Informed by a body of relevant
literature reviewed as part of a wider project, Family Support is seen as
more often conceptualised as being targeted toward parents as the
primary service user, and to a lesser extent described as being tailored
toward children or whole families. This approach to Family Support
provision is somewhat at odds with a systemic understanding of families,
which is foundational to much social care and child welfare work, and
which takes account of the multi-layered relationships between individuals
within families, and between individuals, families and their social world.
Applying an ecological systems perspective, this paper critically discusses
the consequences for the involved stakeholders and the implementation
of services at different system levels when support and interventions are
targeted at the child, the parents or at the family as a whole.