Research and Information Mentors

Carlow / Kilkenny / South Tipperary

Cork

Kerry

Waterford / Wexford

Donegal

Galway  / Roscommon

Mayo

Mid West

Sligo / Leitrim / West Cavan

Cavan / Monaghan

Dublin North

Dublin North City

Louth Meath

Dublin South Central

Dublin South East / Wicklow

Dublin South West / Kildare / West Wicklow

Midlands

Carlow / Kilkenny / South Tipperary

Cork    

Kerry    

Waterford    

There are currently no Research and Information mentors assigned to these areas however please get in contact with angela.feeney1@tusla.ie for further assistance.

We currently have vacancies for mentoring in these areas.

Research Interests  

Broad interest in social research generally. More specific research interests include: Qualitative and Participatory research methodologies; Practitioner Research; Interagency working practices; Social Care, Child Protection and Family Support; Early Years; Child and parental participation in decision making and policy development.

 What do I hope to achieve as a Research & Information Mentor:

My background is in Social Care and I worked as a Social Care Leader in a Social Work team in Galway until 2015. Currently I am working as a Researcher for Tusla, attached to Galway and Roscommon CYPSCs and have completed several evaluation reports and research studies in my current role. I have a Masters in Family Support Studies from NUIGalway and am also a PhD student in NUIG.

I hope that my experience as a practitioner and also as a researcher will be useful in this role.

I have a range of research skills and I hope I will be an accessible and helpful resource to my Tusla colleagues in Galway and Roscommon. Specifically I would like to be a source of support and advice to Tusla staff who are hoping to develop, plan and conduct their own research activities. 

Mary.neligan@tusla.ie

Research Interests  

• Children’s rights including the ‘voice of the child’ in social work and social care fields,
• The area of adoption particularly adoption from foster care,
• Having a law degree I am also very interested in legislation and the impact of new legislative on social work practice,
• Evidence informed decision- making. 

 What do I hope to achieve as a Research & Information Mentor:

I hope to assist colleagues and tusla staff to explore, identify and undertake evidence based practice and research.

I hope to mentor and support social work colleagues and staff in tusla to conduct research relevant to their practice with the aim of evidence informed decision- making.

I hope to support and empower social workers and tusla staff to base assessments and report writing on evidenced based research.

I am presently completing a PhD in Social Work and have developed a range of research skills which I hope will be a useful resource to my colleagues in the Mid-West.  I would also like to be a support to Tusla staff who would like to develop and conduct their own research activities.

Research Interests  

• Profiling of children in care
• Development & evaluation of programmes to improve the outcomes of children in care
• Development of clinical audit tools for social work
• Development of standardised operating procedures for social work practices
• Development of standardised reporting templates, data management systems and practice instruments
• Inter-agency research
• Consultation on research and audit design with staff group
• Educational needs & outcomes of children in care

 What do I hope to achieve as a Research & Information Mentor:

With the recent inception of Tusla, a considerable opportunity exists to develop and build a research culture that will hopefully, in time, become inherent and valued within the Agency, not only amongst the management but also amongst frontline staff.

For over 10 years, I have worked to promote and facilitate research, continuous quality improvement and evidence based decision making across Alternative Care, Child Protection & Welfare and Family & Community Support Services in the Mid-West Area. The Research & Information Mentor programme will provide a unique and important structure and focus to develop and build further the research culture within the organisation and for real improvements in service delivery and outcomes for children in care to be realised. In addition, the programme will support the further development of the existing research capacity of multi-disciplinary staff working in the Mid-West Area, facilitate research utilisation and promote a shift towards a more evidence based and informed practice.

Donegal 

There are currently no Research and Information mentors assigned to this area however please get in contact with angela.feeney1@tusla.ie for further assistance.

We currently have vacancies for mentoring in these areas.

megan.oleary@tusla.ie

Research Interests  

I have a specific interest in the following areas of research:

• Factors impacting on the participation, engagement and retention of children and young people in education
• The experiences of children and families of statutory service providers, namely the Irish education system and Tusla, Child and Family Agency
• Informal care giving within and between families
• The Impact of drug and/alcohol use on the family
• Drug related intimidation
• The research, policy, practice interface

 What do I hope to achieve as a Research & Information Mentor:

As a peer research and information mentor I hope to:

• Provide helpful information to practitioners and/or teams undertaking research within Tusla
• Signpost colleagues to relevant individuals, departments, committees and/or resources that can support their research
• Strengthen my own and others capacity to access, analyse and disseminate relevant research
• Support the research department to increase the value of research within the agency 

Research Interests  

I am interested in all aspects of research especially as it relates to working with children and their families. I am really interested in the rights and hearing the voice of the child in all aspects of our work. I am really delighted that more so than ever this is actually happening in 2018 especially with the “ Signs of Safety “ approach to working with the children and the families.

For years, I have held a strong interest in the health and wellbeing of the children and their families. Having worked in child protection field for many years, I feel it is so important that practice and how we function as practitioners must reflect best practice. Having recently gained my LLB (Irish) Law), I am really interested in how the courts are embracing the rights of children and their families.

Another part of me is very interested in supporting staff in their roles. I feel it is so important. Education and research is the way forward. Having trained in the area of management/ leadership/coaching I really enjoy supporting staff in their roles. It will be great to be able to compile various documents for example pertaining to “team working”, as I have done this month.   

 What do I hope to achieve as a Research & Information Mentor:

The key aspect of my role as a Research & Information Mentor is to support staff in their roles and to promote the importance of the “Tusla: Child and Family Agency: Research Strategy (2014). I have already began the journey and I can see the benefit of having the time to really focus and use my research skills which I feel have not really been used fully. I know that I can and do promote training but I now need to promote the importance of research.

Over the years, I had really not considered how much work I was putting into research and the development of courses. It will be good to be able to document this, now. I actually put a lot of work into getting the best research and even contacting the person who created the work.  I will always try to help staff to the best of my ability. It is great to have the backing of Marian, Angela, Bernard and indeed Danny who saw I love research and finding new information.

Very interested in supporting students on placement with respect to their research work whilst working with their Practice Teachers.

International Social Services Ireland,
Sir Patrick Dun’s Hospital,
Grand Canal Street Lower,
Dublin, D02 P667

01 6477012  / 

01 6477000

Research Interests  

• Outcomes for children in care,
• Young people’s experiences of the care system
• Adoption of children in care
• Childhood trauma and impact on mental health
• Supports for young people in aftercare with complex needs
• Ethnicity and children in care

 What do I hope to achieve as a Research & Information Mentor:

I would like to share the skills and experience which I have developed in my studies in the areas of social work research, to enable colleagues to develop an interest in research and to create a culture of research empowerment within the organisation. I hope to develop practitioners’ confidence in using the various research tools and resources available to them in Tusla in informing their practice and in evidencing their decision-making.

I am interested in promoting good quality research and sharing research knowledge and information with colleagues. I would like to champion research within the Agency and promote a culture of research and of evidence-informed decision-making. 

Clonree, Green Road, The Curragh Co. Kildare

Research Interests  

• The experience of young people in and leaving the care system.
• Addiction
• Attachment and trauma
• Paternal mental health and impact on children
• Outcomes of Young people leaving care
• Behaviour management
• Resilience in young people
• Youth mental health

 What do I hope to achieve as a Research & Information Mentor:

I have worked in Children residential services for the past 13 years. 

I hope to develop my own learning and professional development. Through the research and information mentor role I hope to assist and empower staff to move towards a research minded approach to their work. To help facilitate staff to enhance their own work practice through best practice, research and evidence based practice.

I hope that my role will help to further build the research culture within the organisation and help improve service delivery and outcomes for the families and children that we work with.

Research Interests  

• Child Protection and Welfare Issues.
• Children’s rights.
• Evidence informed practice.                                                         -
• Policy implementation.
• Training, development and implementation
• Impact of attachment on neglected and abused children and young people.

 What do I hope to achieve as a Research & Information Mentor:

In my role as research and information mentor I hope that I can promote a culture of research throughout the organisation. I will assist and support frontline staff in actively engaging with good quality research relevant to their roles and areas of interest. I believe that through embracing a research culture this will  build staff capacity,  ultimately resulting in evidence informed decision making, service delivery and better outcomes for children and families.

Research Interests  

• Child protection and welfare issues,
• policy development,
• policy implementation,
• organisational governance,
• training development and evaluation,
• evidence informed practice,
• human resource management,
• evidence informed decision making.

 What do I hope to achieve as a Research & Information Mentor:

I am a strong believer in the importance of evidence informed practice. In my 17 years in post working with many internal and external departments and agencies I have seen the importance of linking decision making to an understanding of the wider context and an awareness of what has come before. I enjoy teasing out and understanding problems and helping to develop solutions. I have been involved in research, education and training and find satisfaction in being able to share learning with others.