On completion of this module the student will be able to:
1. Understand how children are socially constructed in contemporary society.
2. Critically appreciate how context can impact on child protection using an ecological framework
3. Critically review the impact domestic violence, parental factors and culture and ethnicity in child welfare and protection.
4. Develop a practice based inter-disciplinary approach in relation to diverse contexts
5. Contextualise practice within regulatory systems (HIQA)
6. Develop disciplinary leadership in child protection
7. Critically examine own practice in relation to improving service delivery
8. Evaluate the application of quality improvement and case management strategies to a variety of child welfare and protection contexts

Introduction to module
Children in contemporary society: An ecological approach
Unit 1: The social construction of childhood
Unit 2: A systems approach to child protection
Unit 3: Bronfenbrenner’s ecological approach

Examining theories of child protection

Unit 1: Theories in child protection
Unit 2: The attachment theory
Unit 3: Disorganised attachment


Domestic violence and child protection

Unit 1: Domestic violence: Context and theory
Unit 2: Domestic violence and child welfare and protection
Unit 3: Case management

Culture, ethnicity in child protection

Unit 1: Culture and child welfare and protection
Unit 2: Ethnicity and child welfare and protection
Unit 3: Case management

Vulnerable groups in the child population (Poverty, disability, traveller)

Policy and child protection: Contextualising practice in regulatory systems
Parental factors impacting on child protection- Part 1

Unit 1: Parents with mental illness
Unit 2: Parents with intellectual disability

Parental factors impacting on child protection-Part 2

Unit 1: Parents with substance abuse
Students’ review of SCIE material online
An evaluation of bullying behaviours and prevention strategies for primary schools.

Unit 1: What is bullying
Unit 2: Research and teacher influence
Unit 3: Whole school approaches
An examination of cyberbullying and its effects

Unit 1: What is cyberbullying
Unit 2: cyberbullying: Consequences and statistics
Unit 3: Cyberbullying intervention and prevention

Reviewing child protection and welfare cases: Purpose and process

Unit 1: Purpose and function of case reviews
Unit 2: A systems approach to case reviews

Must have completed level 8 studies or successfully obtained UCD Recognised Prior Learning.

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

Students receive general feedback on the discussion board (group work) within one week of submitting. Individual meetings with the student are then facilitated to discuss the individual grade. For the assignment, this is end of term. Students will access the grad via the provisional exam grades, but will be offered a meeting to discuss grades. All students who fail any competent will be offered additional meetings