Full Description
This book provides an account of the experience of a multifaceted system-change programme to strengthen the capacity of Ireland's statutory child protection and welfare agency in the areas of prevention, early intervention and family support.
Many jurisdictions globally are involved in system change processes focused on increasing investment in services that seek to prevent children's entry into child protection and welfare systems, through early intervention, greater support to families, and an increased emphasis on rights and participation. Based on a four-year in-depth study by a team of University-based researchers, this text adds to the emerging knowledge-base on developing, implementing and evaluating system change in child protection and welfare. Study methodological approaches were wide ranging and involved a number of key stakeholders including children, parents, social workers and social care workers, service managers, agency leaders and policy makers. Since the change process involved an agency-university partnership encompassing design, technical support and evaluation, the book also contributes to understandings of the potential and limits of such partnerships in the child protection and welfare field. Uniquely, the book gives voice to the experience of both agency personnel and academic in the accounts provided.
It will be of interest to all scholars, students and practitioners in the areas of child protection and welfare.
Contents
1. Introducing systems change in Child Protection and Welfare through Prevention, Partnership and Family Support. 2. Focusing on the Big Picture: Doing System Change Evaluation. 3. A Collaborative Approach to Researching the Meitheal Model - Learning and Legacy. 4. Systematically embedding child and youth participation in Tusla's culture, practices, and processes - Key findings from an evaluation of national training for staff. 5. Collaborative Research on Parenting Support and Parental Participation in Child Protection and Welfare Services. 6. Expectations, Capacity and Sustainability: Introducing a Commissioning Model for Child and Family Services in Ireland. 7. Understanding and Improving Public and Media Awareness of Family Support Services and Supports: Challenges and Opportunities for Research and Practice. 8. Conclusion: Returning to the Research Objectives: Reflections on Learning from the Study to Inform Future Research.
