Towards a holistic Irish Social Care Education and Practice.

Social Care Project: The necessity for European social pedagogy and the wider EU social model.

See Share ‘Professionalization and Social Care in Ireland’ (European Journal of Social Care Education 2006)

Therapeutic care is crucial also. Needs greater symbiosis and interfacing The profession is struggling for an identity

based on body of knowledge and skills mix

Social Structure is economy, class system and the state (Peillon 1986)

These are crucial predictors of the genesis of social care problems. (Kirby 2006, Fanning 06)

Predictors of the adequacy and effectiveness of social care provision/interventions

See O’Connor (2006):more than context for Therapeutic interventions (Oliver 1993)

Their importance in the Irish project neglected

ABA education for children with ASD Drug rehab: see Mc Verry (CIT Visiting Speaker

Visit) Care for the elderly- Financing (see Prof. O’Shea

CIT Visiting Speaker Visit) Primary care and community care: lack of

teams (see Prof.Bury CIT Visit, O’Connor 2006 Irish Examiner)

Lack of CMHTs for mentally ill (See O’Connor 2007 Irish Examiner; Saunders+Prof.Casey, CIT visits, highlighting the ‘Biopsychosocial’ Model in mental health. This profession is mulistranding. We need to move likewise.

Social pedagogy needs to interface with some personal development and more practical social care skills.

So the sociology and law of all of the previous examples need a synergy and symbiotic link with the personal development and practical skills, e.g LSI and TCI.

This would vastly strengthen the profession. We are not counsellors. We are not nurses. We

need multi-strand ‘joined up’ modules reflecting a specific social care identity, leading too: skills for holistic care plans e.g. TCI with professional policy interventions e.g. sheltered housing for the mentally ill combined with advocacy strategies.

I made additions to course and professional descriptors on the IASCE guidelines for the profession , reflecting these needs recently.

I am arguing for this in CIT. SISSPIC Model: Symbiosis in Social, Structural, Psychological in Care.

The profession needs to be strengthened so as not to lose out in the implementation of Health and Social Care Professions Act.

Warning signs: social care workers are not mentioned in policy on PCTs or CMHTs.

Given that Primary Care is the locus of community care, an enhanced holistic social care identity giving the SCW a deeper, wider and more indispensable role is necessary.

A survey for IASCE to find out the balancing between the 3 components as outlined: PD, thematic subjects and practical skills

At dept level in colleges more multidisciplinary seminars. FESET: what can we learn from EU practice? Modules need to be multi d across PD, TC, Sociology,

and practical skills We need an inclusive social model not a quasi-medical

model based on individual needs (see Braye and Preston-Shoot, O’Connor, Porter 2006)

‘Synthesised’ and recognisable social care education and training mix enhancing profession: in advocacy the individual case legal strategy (see Moira Jenkins) with the wider social advocacy mobilisation of groups

Challenges to this process: Old professional biases: Democratic vs Reflexive

Practitioner (see Share CIT talk, Banks 2007) Timetabling Professional resistances: (Clarke 1996) The muliple accountability problem (Hawkins and

Shoet) More meetings to synchronise the courses. Crucially, just collaborating on the ‘academic’

subjects (done in CIT integ studs) is not the r’aison d'être.

Continuous and ongoing collaboration with the multiplicity of organisations in service provision and representative groupings.

More dissemination of our work in media. Need for greater presence. Major advocacy focus

Partnerships with social care organisations and research collaboration e.g. Positive Action, NCAOP.

Encourage ‘service providers’ to advocacy: e.g my proposed new book. Holistic articles.

Many NSMs also engage with traditional politics e.g. Sirl. We need influence and lobby with them.

The crucial need for us to link with new social movements in social care: DFI, Autism Ireland, PWDI, CFJ, IMHC, Age Action, Grow.

Social workers don’t have a campaigning focus but social care workers can have.

Social care workers increasingly work in community care. New sites of community care in FRCs, CDPs and other. Community care will interface with community

development and local development: social care workers need to participate on CDBs and other state structures.

Family support and social capital are also at the interface (see O’Doherty 2006+07).

New professional identity and interfaces are part of post-modern/post-fordist ‘New Times’ (Hall 1990)

Happy new times!!!!