Report on Dublin Region Event:

“Sourcing The Sanity “
Approaches to Meeting Psychological Adolescent Needs.
October 23rd 2003.

This was the third event held it the Dublin Region in 2003 and again it proved to be a popular choice. Both topic and venue were excellent. The event was held in the Blackrock Education Centre and had thirty delegates attending, representing a wide and varied cross-section of agencies working with young people.
The day set out to promote awareness of adolescent psychological needs, the services available to meet these, and to identify gaps in service provision.

The morning session consisted of three main speakers followed by questions and answers. The speakers were:

John Davenport, Senior Psychologist
National Educational Psychological Service ( NEPS).

Mary Gordon, Senior Psychologist.
Further Education Section D.E.S.

Mary Cullen. Social Worker / Psychotherapist.
Project Leader, Mountown Neighbourhood Youth Project. (NYP).

The key points raised by the speakers

Individual casework with supports to parents & teachers.
Assessment must be ongoing and lengthy.
Assessment must be regularly updated.
Agencies to work more effectively
Early intervention is vital in terms of preventing emotional and behavioral Disorders

Multi agency approach is essential.

John Davenport spoke briefly about the “ Incredible Years Programme “ which promotes emotional & social skills in children
See www.incredibleyears.com for information.

The remainder of the day focused on small groups examining case histories and a full group discussion on key issues and gaps in service provision.

Key Issues:

Lack of information on services and referrals process available to client groups
Exclusion of vulnerable client groups. Because of age, parental consent, school attendance, location.
Absence of psychological assessments for girls referred to JLOs.

This may result in them being charged as this is the only way at present to access pyschological assessments.

Difficulty in contacting social workers
Lack of consistency in social work teams / areas.
Difficulties in accessing assessments and the timeframes for validity of such assessments.
Long waiting lists.
Inter-agency cooperation could/ should be more effective,
Government departments shifting responsibility.
Mechanisms for collating, saving and sharing information safely are required.

Gaps & Recommendations

A centralised agency to act as gatekeeper for child and adolescent psychological / psychiatric services
This agency would direct referrals based on having all information.
Based on the principle of equity, the requirement that both parents consent is required is removed.
A child in Care of Health Board, that board should be recognised as acting in loco parentis.
The provision of a 24 hour social work service is vital.
Lack of specialist interventions, eg, speech and language, occupational therapy, bereavement & suicide prevention.
Specialist Interventions need to be integrated in child environment, ie school youthreach, care home etc.
The need to promote immediate assessment in emergency situations.
Child and adolescent services replicate Adult services in terms of drug and addiction services.
Services to be available on an equitable basis, irrespective of community care boundaries.
Waiting list for assessments needs to be addressed.
To identify and assess in a more creative and flexible manner.

Wrap Up

The report of the day be compiled and sent to the relevant Government Departments and agencies.

The next Dublin region event will be held in February 2004.

Watch website for details

Report on Dublin Region Event: May 21st 2003,
Working with Separated Refugee Children,
The implications for Projects/ Workers.

This event was held in the Law Society, in central Dublin on 21st may 2003. Thirty delegates from various projects and agencies both statutory and voluntary attended. The format of the day consisted of four main speakers followed by a question and answer session after each speaker. . This was followed by the individual experiences of four young refugee children from the Dun Laoghaire Refugee Project. The following is a brief account of the morning session:

Cabrina Gibbons. Irish Refugee Council, The legal Position:

Cabrina commenced the session with a thought provoking insight into the legal minefield of working with unaccompanied minors and areas of responsibility.

Marilyn Rowntree, Principal Social Worker, Unaccompanied Minors Team ECAHB:

Marilyn ‘s presentation concentrated on delivering a profile of young people who seek asylum in the East Coast Area Health Board region.. She also presented up to date statistics of age, gender, reason for fleeing and country of origin. Over 50% of unaccompanied minors seeking asylum came from Nigeria in the first three months of 2003.

Mick Corcoran. Director, Residential Inspection Service:

The focus of this speech concentrated on current and future resources available. Mick spoke of a system soon to be put in place which will see certain high-risk groups i.e. young mothers, 12 to 14 year old being cared for in appropriate small residential type units. He put this into context by saying that the services soon to be available will equate with the states response to youth homelessness an area which has been bottom of the funding ladder. His speech evoked a lively debate.

Jennifer Rylands, Senior Clinical Psycho list:

Jennifer’s presentation centered on three issues, Pre-Migration, Journey & Post Migration. The common theme through out was Trauma and Loss. “ By facilitating the minor to begin to engage in the present, to engage in the normalising experiences within a supportive context enables him /her to begin the process of integrating the past and envisioning a future. (Rylands 2001).

Young People, Dun Laoghaire
Refugee Project:

The four young people spoke bravely and openly about their asylum seeking experience. They spoke of the frustration in the decision making process and their present position of limbo. They cannot work, attend college or travel. they spoke briefly of small levels of racist insults but also of degrees of racism between refugees from different areas of Nigeria.

After lunch we had an open discussion on the gaps in the service and recommendations Breaking Through could make to various government departments and interested lobby groups.

GAPS:

Permanent Social Care Workers attached to each hostel, one-year target to support residents skills/training for staff - Organisations to take responsibility for this.

Asylum process to be reviewed
time shortened
less adult orientated
be sensitive re :timing of interviewing (Re leaving cert exams etc, interviews to take place after exams)

Dialogue with Asylum Seekers Forum
Lack of integration

within schools
locally

Increase options for the young people. 18 year olds training and other options. Things to do in the summer, when on school holidays. Summer courses/training

Options after school (18+) re: full-time options Education Plan/Strategy needed locally, Creative design and access to current programmes

Information groups, agencies/service providers ,reps from residents associations locally need to communicate.

The care of teenage mothers and pregnant girls to be prioritsed. Tracking of separated children and their families who have moved to different areas Support needed under Children’s Act re: charging of young people

Who to Lobby:

Children’s Rights Alliance, Department of Health & Children, Combat Poverty

Recommendations

Social Care Workers in all units
Skills/training to be included, cultural diversity training
Asylum process child/individually based
Dialogue with residents. Forum for young people
Policy re: education & integration programme

Report on Dublin Regional Event Bullying, February 13th 2003

On February 13th the Dublin Region held its first event of 2003. The theme of the event was BULLYING . The event was held in the Law Society and had twenty nine participants. The focus of this full day seminar was to gain a number of differing perspectives on the bullying issue.

The day was split in two with lunch provided . The main speaker in the morning session was Dr Brendan Byrne . Dr Byrne also presented a workshop later on that morning.. The other workshop was a joint presentation by Karen Cahill & Geraldine .Karen works with the Anti Bullying Unit in Trinity College and Geraldine is from Victim Support.

During the workshop a prominent theme of self esteem was very evident. This would be concurrent through all aspects of bullying from the victim , perpetrator and indirect participants .This was an issue we dealt strongly with again in the afternoon.

The afternoon began which a change in one of the workshops ,Tony Kineally replaced Dr Brendan Byrne and spoke on the connection between bullying and suicide, while Karen & Geraldine again did their double act.

A theme that emerged from the afternoon groups was the need for mediation between all parties concerned and this process must deal solely with the negative behaviour and not at the persons involved . Quote from the day was "I LIKE YOU AS A PERSON BUT I DO NOT LIKE YOUR ( bullying ) BEHAVIOUR.

This again was a successful seminar although the numbers were lower that anticipated . The next event will be held in May and will deal with the issue of Refugee Children / Unaccompanied Minors.

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