While social work in the Republic of Ireland shares many of the traditions, aspirations and values of social work elsewhere in the world, it has also been shaped by the particular nature of the society and by the key political processes within this jurisdiction over the past century.
Historically, many similarities and parallels can be identified between social work in Northern Ireland and in the Republic of Ireland. These include the establishment of charitable societies in the larger cities at the turn of the century where social work and social services can be seen to have their roots, and the introduction in the 1970s of professional social work training as we know it today.
This section describes the current context of social work in this jurisdiction, including: routes to social work qualifications; role and functions of social work accreditation bodies; main employment areas for social workers; trade unions for social workers; social work salary scales and other practical information.
The recognised professional social work qualification in the Republic of Ireland is the National Qualification in Social Work (NQSW).
At the undergraduate level, two courses are accredited to lead to the NQSW: the Bachelor in Social Studies (with Honours) at University of Dublin, Trinity College, and the Bachelor of Social Work at University College Cork.
At the postgraduate level, four courses are accredited to lead to the NQSW: the Master of Social Work/Higher Diploma in Social Work Studies at University College Cork, the Masters of Social Science (Social Work) /Higher Diploma in Applied Social Studies at University College Dublin, the Masters in Social Work at University of Dublin, Trinity College and the Masters in Social Work at National University of Ireland Galway.
See Section 6 for
full contact details of the School of Applied Social Studies in University
College Cork, the School of Applied Social Science in University
College Dublin, the School of Social Work and Social Policy in University
of Dublin, Trinity College and the Department of Political Science and Sociology,
National University of Ireland Galway.
Post-qualifying courses in specialist areas of social work are provided by colleges and employers. The National Social Work Qualifications Board has established a set of procedures for the accreditation of post-qualifying courses. The National Social Work Qualifications Board has also accredited the Diploma in Advanced Fieldwork Practice and Supervision (Social Work) in University College Cork.
National Social Work Qualifications Board. 2002. Handbook of Accreditation
for Post-Qualifying Courses undertaken by Social Workers. Dublin: NSWQB.
Diploma in Advanced Fieldwork Practice and Supervision (Social
Work). Contact: Carmel Halton, Department of Applied Social Studies, University
College Cork. Tel: (021) 4902828.
The National Social Work Qualifications Board awards the NQSW and is responsible for:
Holders of qualifications gained outside the Republic of Ireland (i.e. including those gained in Northern Ireland) who wish to take up employment in the Republic of Ireland should apply for accreditation to the NSWQB. Application forms are available directly from the NSWQB office or website. Candidates who meet the criteria are issued with a Letter of Accreditation.
See section 6 for full contact details of the National Social Work Qualifications Board.
The Health and Social Care Professionals Act was passed in November 2005 and the Council was appointed by the Minister for Health and Children in March 2007. A CEO and executive have now been appointed and are working on the task of preparing and agreeing detailed plans with the Council, on a profession by profession basis, for the introduction of individual Registers. The Registers will be overseen by dedicated Registration Boards, under the umbrella of the Council. It is anticipated that Social Work will be among the first to come on stream.
For social workers the accreditation system of the National Social Work Qualifications Board will be replaced with a statutory registration system. The main elements of the system will be an overseeing Health and Social Care Professionals Council and a Registration Board for each of the professions. There will also be a set of common statutory committees relating to the protection of the public. These committees will comprise a Preliminary Proceedings Committee, a Professional Conduct Committee and a Health Committee.
The object of the Council is to protect the public and to promote high standards of professional conduct, education, training and competence among registrants. The registration system also sets out procedures to deal with complaints made against registrants.
The Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 has been passed by the houses of the Oireachtas and was signed by the President on the 30 th November 2005. The Council was appointed by the Minister for Health and Children in March 2007.
Further information on the Act, including the Act itself is available at
the following web link: www.oireachtas.ie/viewdoc.asp?DocID=4805&CatID=87
Health and Social Care Professionals Council. Web: to be announced later
Department of Health and Children, Hawkins House, Hawkins Street, Dublin 2 . Tel: (01) 6354000. Fax: (01) 6354001. Web: www.dohc.ie
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