Domain 2: List of Contributors
Dr Denise Lyons is a social care worker who lecturers on both Social Care and Creative Skills modules in the Institute of Technology Carlow. She is also a qualified art therapist. Denise served as secretary for Irish Association of Social Care Educators (IASCE) for five years, and was one of the founding members of Social Care Ireland Executive, serving as president from 2012 until 2014. Denise’s publications include Creative Studies for the Caring Professions (2010) and Social Care: Learning from Practice (2014), which she co-edited with Noel Howard. Denise’s PhD, which she completed in 2018, explored the experiences of social care workers in different settings.
Dr Teresa Brown is a social care worker currently lecturing on Social Care degree and masters’ programmes in the Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest TUS. Teresa has extensive experience as a social care worker in Northern Ireland, Ireland and Romania. She has practised in the areas of residential care, secure care and child protection/family support. Teresa is currently a board member of Social Care Ireland and an active member of the Irish Association of Social Care Educators (IASCE). Her PhD, completed in 2016, focused on social care workers’ experiences of relationship-based practice.
Vicki Anderson is a social care worker currently lecturing in the Institute of Technology Carlow. Prior to lecturing, Vicki had practice experience in children’s residential care services and in disability services. She was Vice Chair of the Irish Association of Social Care Educators (IASCE) from 2011 to 2013, during which time she was a board member of Social Care Ireland.
Bernie Breen has over twenty years’ experience working in the field of social care. She holds a BA (Hons) in Applied Social Care and an MA in Social Care Leadership and Management. Bernie is one of six professionally accredited therapeutic crisis intervention trainers in Ireland and her MA research focused on ‘Social care managers’ perspectives on factors which support or impede the implementation of therapeutic crisis intervention (TCI) systems in children’s residential care services in Ireland’. Bernie is Director of Services with TerraGlen Residential Care Services, which provides mainstream and disability residential and respite services.
Natasha Davis-Dolan is a social care worker currently working in partnership with children, young people and families who are at risk. Natasha holds an ordinary degree in Social Studies in Social Care and is currently undertaking her honours degree in Athlone Institute of Technology. Natasha’s focused interest is in the area of care and aftercare, particularly the effect on children and young people who enter the care system of separation and loss, and attachment. Natasha is a qualified financial adviser, having spent sixteen years working for a large Irish financial provider before making the decision to return to education in 2016.
Maeve Dempsey is a social care lecturer with Limerick Institute of Technology and has over eight years of teaching experience. She has previously worked in mainstream residential care, youth and community work, and the disability sector, and continues to work as both a facilitator and consultant for supervision in social care and developing effective communities of practice within organisations. Maeve holds a BA (Hons) in Applied Social Studies (Professional Social Care), an MSc in Criminology and Criminal Justice from University College Dublin and is currently undertaking a diploma in Clinical Supervision.
Diane Devine is a social care worker for over seventeen years, and her experience includes management in day services. Diane specialised in the education and training of adults with additional needs in day services; earlier in her career she worked with children in the specialised care sector. Diane is a lecturer in the Department of Lifelong Learning, Institute of Technology Carlow. She lectures across Social Care and Childcare programmes. Diane also holds a B.A Degree in Arts – Community Studies, an MA in Child, Youth and Family Studies,, a Diploma in Local and Community Studies from National University of Ireland Maynooth, a certificate in Supervision, Theory and Practice, and qualifications as an adult literacy tutor and a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) tutor.
Paul Hogan is a lecturer in social care in Athlone Institute of Technology. As well as his social care degree, he holds an MA in Child and Youth Studies and is currently undertaking postgraduate research on family homelessness. Paul co-ordinates practice placements for students. He was involved in politics for fifteen years and has a particular practice interest in homelessness, youth, direct provision and community development.
Dr Ailish Jameson, a social care lecturer in Technological University Dublin, is also a relief social care worker in homeless services. Her PhD, which she completed in 2019, explored emotional intelligence (EI), graduates and employability. Part of this PhD was the design and delivery of an EI coaching programme for final year students, tailored to the specified needs of employers. Ailish completed the Applied Social Studies in Social Care degree in 2010. She has a major interest in wellbeing, in particular mindfulness interventions to address stress and burnout, and is a trained mindfulness teacher. She facilitates mindfulness sessions on a voluntary basis in educational settings, to individuals deemed at risk and to members of the public.
Gillian Larkin is a lecturer in Applied Social Care at Technological University Dublin, Tallaght Campus. She lectures across the programme in Professional Practice, Management and Supervision in Social Care, Leadership and Organisational Change in Social Care and Strategy and Governance in Social Care. Prior to becoming a lecturer, she worked in family support and residential care settings for fifteen years, and for the last ten years has worked on a voluntary basis coaching and mentoring people experiencing difficulties with addiction and mental health. She is currently completing a MA in Applied Psychology (Positive and Coaching Psychology).
Eleanor Lyons is currently working as a social care worker/deputy manager in a residential house for adults with intellectual disabilities. Eleanor graduated from the Institute of Technology (TU Dublin) Blanchardstown with a degree in Applied Social Studies in Social Care. Eleanor’s family were foster parents for children in emergency care and she grew up with a keen interest in social care. She also worked with Dublin City Council on their student activity programme, which aimed to empower young people from the inner city.
Garreth McCarthy is a social care worker currently working in an addiction community service as part of a multidisciplinary team in Dublin’s North Inner City region. Garreth previously worked in numerous residential homeless services including a family hub, supported temporary emergency accommodation and one night only emergency hostels for five years. Garreth completed his honours degree in Social Care at Technological University Dublin, graduating in 2020 and completed a master’s degree in Social Science (Rights & Social Policy) at Maynooth University in 2021.
Des Mooney is a social care leader working with children in residential care in Dublin South. He also teaches and writes about the practice of social care. He holds a BA (Hons) in Social Care and an MA in Higher Education. His research interests include social care practice, therapeutic care and communities, supporting recovery from trauma and negative early life experiences, and lifelong learning. Des was a member of the Social Care Workers Registration Board from 2015 to 2021.
Evonne Mushonga is a social care worker who began her career with the Ana Liffey Drug Project (homelessness and addiction). She is currently working in the community with HIV Ireland as a support worker. After graduating in 2017, she has continued her studies in the area of counselling and psychotherapy. Evonne is currently serving as a board member with Rooted in Africa and Ireland (RIAINetwork), an initiative that aims to tackle and promote anti-racism in Irish society.
Shauna O’Regan is a social care worker currently working in day services for adults with intellectual disabilities. Shauna has also worked in adult residential care and residential services for children with autism. She graduated from Technological University Dublin, Blanchardstown Campus with a degree in Applied Social Studies in Social Care in 2019 and has been working in the disability sector since then. Shauna is currently completing a course in Positive Behavioural Support with the Open Training College.
Collie Patton has worked in social care for the past fifteen years, in both frontline and academic roles. His practical work has primarily been in residential and day programme development and delivery, with a special focus on therapeutic work in the outdoors for those living with an additional challenge. Collie currently works for Active Connections Inc and was instrumental in creating a therapeutic outdoor programme for children and adults with additional needs, which currently runs in seven counties in Ireland. He delivers Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programmes with CARA that focus on sports inclusion, and teaches on Dublin Business School’s and Limerick Institute of Technology’s Social Care degree programme. Collie holds a BSc (Hons) in Chemistry, graduate degrees in Applied Social Studies (Professional Social Care) and Business Administration, and an MSc in Behaviour Analysis.
Gráinne Powell, a graduate in Family Support/Social Care, has a range of expertise in the areas of community development, drug education and parenting. Gráinne has worked for many years as a health promotion officer with the Health Service Executive delivering health and wellbeing initiatives in line with national policy priorities. Prior to this she was a youth and community worker. Gráinne is a trained parenting practitioner and is currently undertaking research in this area.
Tanya Turley has worked with and continues to manage organisations involved in the social care arena such as crisis intervention services, child protection, residential care, youth services, community development, and therapeutic and family resource work for the past twenty-three years. Tanya holds an MA in Therapeutic Childcare, a BA (Hons) in Applied Social Studies and Combined Management, an HDip (Hons) in Adult Education and Community Development, a Diploma in Psychology (NUI Maynooth) and a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) qualification. Tanya has lectured in the Faculty of Lifelong Learning and full-time daytime courses across the Early Years Education and Social Care programmes in the Institute of Technology Carlow since 2005. Her ethos of work is a person-centred approach with areas of special interest that include trauma-informed practice, adverse childhood experiences, polyvagal theory, resilience, and attachment.
