My foremost milestone has to be accepting a role as a social worker within children and families’ services. I spent the majority of my university years proclaiming that it was not the type of work I would be interested in but was encouraged to complete a work placement in the service as part of my education. I reluctantly accepted, and I am so glad that I did. I found working with young people in care to be rewarding, humbling, challenging and career defining. Not every day was easy, but the personal and professional growth that I have enjoyed has made every decision worthwhile.

I have been influenced and inspired by several great managers throughout my career, and I have equally learned so much from those I have managed. My social work practice was refined through my interactions with the families and young people I have met throughout the years. Finally, I’ve been inspired by Brené Brown, American professor and author, though I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting her.

I worked with children and families for almost 19 years, and whereas I loved my managing role within child protection services, following the Covid-19 Pandemic and many changes personally and professionally, I felt that I needed a new challenge. I applied for the position of Principal Social Worker in November 2022, and used my years of practice and management to prepare as best I could for the interview. I was successful in getting the role and commenced the new year with a new position.

I should preface this by saying there is no ‘typical day’ in my experience of social work, with each dawn bringing its own new learning, opportunities and challenges. However, I would routinely start the day by reviewing my work priorities’ list for the week, checking my calendar and responding to emails that may have been sent the previous evening. After a brief check in with my teams, the day generally consists of a cocktail of meetings with my teams, advocacy on behalf of them, strategy meetings with external agencies, and ensuring that the department is operating efficiently. As a Principal Social Worker, my role is less ‘front line’ now, and my responsibility is to provide support and governance to my various teams to ensure that the young people we work with are getting the best service they can.

Supervision of staff, governance of the service, representation of the service to other agencies and advocacy of the young people to other services. I also see it as my responsibility to continue to learn about any new legislation or practice that might positively impact my teams, service or young people we work with.

Akin to the housing crisis, it is a challenge to find places for all the separated children entering the country to live. However, the team manages it every time. This is an exhausting part of the work and I’m impressed daily as to how they achieve this. Aside from this, time management will always be a challenge, but over the years I have developed strategies to learn how to prioritise my responsibilities.

I’m genuinely blown away by the energy in the department! Everyone who works there, regardless of their job, brings their all to the workplace daily. There is a consistent hum of productivity and collegiality, and it is inspiring.

Like many social work departments, there is more work than staff available to do it.

I was a soldier (so to speak) for a long time before I was a leader, and therefore I am proud of my leadership skills, which are grounded in frontline practice. I lead by service, and therefore am prepared to put the needs of my staff first. I practice by example, see every challenge as an opportunity to learn, and place a strong emphasis on relationship building in practice.

I know that these days there is a wider range of school subjects that might promote a social work career, in my day these didn’t exist. My strongest subjects were English (which has assisted in report writing and Court work) and Geography (which hasn’t really assisted at all), but it was the extra-curricular school activities that influenced my career path. Whereas I had entertained the idea of careers in journalism and drama, it was working with young tourists during the summer, and ‘Care Week’ in transition year that influenced me the most.

I completed the BSS in Social Work in Trinity, graduating in 2004. Since then, I have completed no other formal education, but have continued my professional development through attending training regularly. My particular career development interests have included the areas of trauma recovery, child development, leadership and Signs of Safety. Recently I have commenced a Level 9 Certificate in Trauma Informed Care.

The practical opportunities offered to me by Trinity College’s School of Social Work offered me the most significant learning in preparation for my career. As part of my Social Work BSS, I was required to complete three extended social work placements. I completed these in Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Probation and Children and Families (following this placement, I ended up working in the same area of social work for almost 19 years!). Furthermore, as part of university, I had the opportunity to teach reading to adult learners and work as a care staff member in a summer camp for physically disabled adults in the US.

I could speak about lots of little and big wins, but ultimately there are two things that I have found the most rewarding. For one, I have had the pleasure of seeing so many children and families develop to reach their best potential, and I have been delighted to hear from young people I worked with over the years, updating me on their own growth, careers and families. Furthermore, many of the colleagues I have worked with throughout the years have become close and life-long friends who have supported me through personal highs and lows.

I consider myself to be calm in a crisis, patient and compassionate. I am diplomatic in my attitude and approach, and apply a strengths-based mindset to concerns or challenges. I believe that these qualities were instilled in me since childhood, and have developed as I have as a professional.

In the future I would aspire to move into the field of mediation and conflict resolution. And someday, when I find the time, I hope to write a bit more!

Absolutely. I earn a good salary and maintain relatively social hours. Whereas there have been times where I have needed to prioritise the needs of a child or the service over evening plans, these occasions have been exceptional rather than the norm. I have always worked with incredible colleagues, and consequently, we would always look out for one another, and assist to minimise life interruptions. Furthermore, I have always been offered flexibility in my job to take any accrued hours back at times to suit my own lifestyle.

I would advise you to contemplate your motivations for considering a career in social work. Whereas I entered university wanting to change the world, I now understand that if I wanted to do this, I should have followed a career in social policy. Moreover, I have developed an appreciation for the big (and small) changes I have made to children’s and family’s lives, the connections I have made within the communities I have worked in, and the support and guidance I have given and received throughout the course of my career.

I would further add that through my career I have met some incredible colleagues who I am lucky to now call friends. Social work is a career wherein one relies heavily on their teams/colleagues, and close interpersonal connections are quickly forged.  

I have commenced a Level 9 Certificate in Trauma Informed Care, and will obtain this qualification in June 2023. I intend to undertake a Higher Diploma in Mediation and Conflict Resolution in the next 12-18 months.

Anything people related. From working with the less fortunate to retail, a strong foundation in communication and ‘customer service’ would set someone on the right path. I would advise anyone that believes that social work is a career for them to get into the community; volunteer (however briefly) with an organisation that works with the disadvantaged, children or the elderly, and begin to learn about the systems in place that drive the promotion of their welfare.

In terms of working specifically in Tusla as a social worker, it can be hard to get pre-university experience due to confidentiality issues. I would, however, suggest calling your local Tusla office and asking to speak to a social worker about their role and duties.

I am a Principal Social Worker for Separated Children Seeking International Protection.