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O'Brien, Valerie
Preferred name
O'Brien, Valerie
Official Name
O'Brien, Valerie
Research Output
Now showing 1 - 10 of 53
- PublicationA discussion of international, national, discipline and institution contextual factors that impact on the design /redesign of a Post Graduate Social Work Programme in IrelandThe purpose of the paper is to examine what international, national and institutional influences need to be considered in appraising the need and design of a post-qualifying training in therapeutic or counselling social work. It is my view that such a programme could augment both the existing social work counselling skill base and could provide a mechanism whereby social workers identity and work opportunities in the therapeutic and counselling roles would be enhanced. This paper will examine the feasibility of the programme and the issues/ influences that need to be considered in the design of the curriculum.
261 - PublicationFostering care : 'relatively' speakingThis article discusses the revelations and outcry about children in state care being placed with families who have not yet been assessed and approved and it argues that there is a danger of generating confusion about the appropriateness of this option. But it is not the option that is faulty. It is not just lack of social workers. The issue is more complex than that.
156 - PublicationEvolving networks of relative careThe place of relative /kinship care in the Irish child welfare system is presented. The central tenets of the ‘fifth province model’, which underpins the study are briefly explained. A typology of relative /kinship care networks is presented and discussed. The implications of the different categories in terms of the case management implications are discussed briefly.
341 - PublicationSummary report on the inter-country adoption preparation "train the trainers" coursesThe provision of preparation courses for intending adoptive parents was integral to the Standardised Framework proposed and accepted for Inter-Country Adoption Assessment in Ireland. In November 2002 funding was made available by the Department of Health and Children to develop and provide ‘Train the Trainers’ for running these preparation courses. The aim was to increase/ develop a pool of trainers to run the recommended courses for prospective adoptive parents. The main purposes of this report are: To give overview of the state of development of the ‘train the trainers’ courses provided; To identify implementation issues/ learning points derived from the initial stages of the training programme and to identify steps needed to mainstream this development.
95 - Publication
135 - PublicationFostering the future: A Change Agenda in the Provision of Alternative CareAlternative care is defined as the placement of children within state care and refers to family based care (foster and kinship care) and residential care. This chapter explores aspects of the alternative care system, primarily foster care, which is the principle form of care for looked after children in Ireland. The first section of the chapter provides an historical overview and offers a context for the contemporary picture. The second section relates the pers pectives of key participants - children, biological families and carers. This section focuses on two specific aspects of the care experience, namely education and leaving care. Fin ally, this chapter considers selected policy and legal issues including the concept of permanence, recruitment and retention of carers, kinship care, meeting t he needs of diverse populations an d the future of the social work role arising from changes in th e wider domains.
295 - PublicationContributions from an Irish Study: Understanding and Managing Relative CareThis chapter is drawn from a PhD research study conducted in Ireland between 1993-97 (O'Brien, 1997) and further developments arising in the field since that date. The study is the only one of its type conducted to date in Ireland and has contributed significantly to an understanding of this care option for children, This chapter is divided into two sections. Section one outlines the aims of the study, the development of relative care in Ireland and key findings in relation to the children's and relative' biographical details, and the care career of the children. Section two describes and traces the processes involved at the decision-making, assessment and post-assessment stages. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the implications for practice and puts forward a model that may assist future practices.
37 - PublicationRelative foster care : practice implications arising from the 1995 Relative and Foster Care RegulationsThis paper examines the history that led to two separate sets of kinship and foster care regulations, the difference and similarity between the regulations, and the implications arising out of the changed framework for kinship placements. It focusses particularly on the practice implications arising from emergency placement of children with relatives, and the process of conducting assessments when the child is already placed in the home. The article is drawn from the author’s PhD research study, which examines the evolution of relative care networks / placements, and the characteristics of the families and children involved in relative care in the Eastern Health Board.
243 - PublicationGuide for practitioners - a standardised framework for domestic adoption preparation, assessment and decision-making proceduresThe purpose of the Adoption Guide and the Framework is to enable agencies and their professional workers to perform their key functions to an appropriate, explicit and consistent standard; to make explicit and transparent the process and the areas which potential adopters will be expected to engage in with the agency; to establish the range of checks which workers would be expected to undertake in respect of prospective adopters; to establish the decision-making process. Decision-making should encompass: if adoption is in the best interests of a particular child and if the applicants should be approved to adopt? Furthermore the question is the match between the child and the family suitable and appropriate?
316 - PublicationTowards a standardised framework for inter- country adoption assessment procedures : a study of assessment procedures in inter-country adoption for Department of Health and ChildrenThis study reviews assessment / home study practices in respect of inter country adoption in Ireland arising from concerns that the system was causing difficulties for many stakeholders. A framework for improved practices is put forward by the author. This frame work was incorporated into Irish adoption practice.
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