John Canavan - Understanding System Change in Child Protection and Welfare

Understanding System Change in Child Protection and Welfare

This book provides an account of the experience of a multifaceted system change programme to strengthen the capacity of Irelands 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 childrens 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 policymakers. Since the change process involved an agencyuniversity partnership encompassing design, technical support and evaluation, the book alsocontributesto understanding 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 researchers in the accounts provided.

It will be of interest to all scholars, students and practitioners in the areas of child protection and welfare.

John Canavan is Director of the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre (www.childandfamilyresearch.ie) where he leads the centres extensive work programme. John is Personal Professor in the School of Political Science and Sociology at NUI Galway and teaches at undergraduate, MA and PhD level in the school. His research interests span family support, evaluation methodology and connecting research, policy and practice.

Carmel Devaney is Associate Director of the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre and Lecturer in the School of Political Science and Sociology at NUI Galway. Carmel is Academic Director of the MA in Family Support Studies and teaches and researches in the area of child protection and welfare, family support, parenting support and children and young people in care. Prior to joining NUI Galway, Carmel worked for many years in statutory children and family services as both practitioner and manager.

Caroline McGregor is Senior Research Fellow in the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre and Professor of Social Work in the School of Political Science and Sociology at NUI Galway. Her research interests in the field of child protection and welfare include socio-legal practice, child protection and family support and children in care.

Aileen Shaw is Manager for Strategic Development in the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre at NUI Galway. Aileen has extensive experience in research management, funding and non-profit practice and has worked in the university sector in a number of research and fundraising roles in the United States and Ireland. Her research interests are in the areas of philanthropy, civil society and non-profit strategy.

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Understanding System Change in Child Protection and Welfare

Edited by John Canavan,
Carmel Devaney, Caroline McGregor
and Aileen Shaw

First published 2022
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN

and by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business

2022 selection and editorial matter, John Canavan, Carmel Devaney, Caroline McGregor and Aileen Shaw; individual chapters, the contributors

The right of John Canavan, Carmel Devaney, Caroline McGregor and Aileen Shaw to be identified as the authors of the editorial material, and of the authors for their individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

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British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Canavan, John, 1967- editor.
Title: Understanding system change in child protection and welfare/edited by John Canavan, Carmel Devaney, Caroline McGregor and Aileen Shaw.
Description: Abingdon, Oxon; New York, NY: Routledge, 2022. |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2021025468 (print) | LCCN 2021025469 (ebook) | ISBN 9780367706777 (hardback) | ISBN 9780367706821 (paperback) | ISBN 9781003147527 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Child welfareIreland. | Child abuseIrelandPrevention. ChildrenServices forIreland.
Classification: LCC HV757.A6 U53 2022 (print) | LCC HV757.A6 (ebook) DDC 362.7609415dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021025468
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021025469

ISBN: 978-0-367-70677-7 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-367-70682-1 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-14752-7 (ebk)

DOI: 10.4324/9781003147527

Typeset in Times New Roman
by Deanta Global Publishing Services, Chennai, India

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