Social services play a central role in protecting children and young people who have suffered or are at risk of harm. They do this by working with both children and their families, as well as across sectors. In this session, delegates will learn about three complementary approaches from across Europe that place the children’s wellbeing at the centre while strengthening family capacities and system-level practice.
Delegates will hear about the findings of a four-year study of the French AEMO (Action Éducative en Milieu Ouvert), a court-mandated child protection service providing relationship-based support directly within the family environment. While improvements were recorded for 68% of the involved children, this study highlights the complexities of addressing entrenched parental difficulties. When child-family separation is inevitable, the Santa Casa da Misericordia de Lisboa’s approach will show delegates how parental competencies can still be developed, social engagement supported, and parent-child bonds reinforced.
Participants will also learn about the importance of setting clear outcomes when working with children, young people, and their families, through a presentation of the Irish Child and Family Agency’s recently approved Outcomes Framework. Designed for use by all its 5,700 professionals and more than 500 commissioned services, the framework provides a common foundation for improving practice and strengthening accountability across the child protection system.
Presentation Language: English
Moderator:
-
Arnaud Lopez, Deputy Director General for Children, Families, and Health Yvelines County Council, France
Presenters:
-
Stella Owens, Project Manager, Tusla - the Child and Family Agency, Ireland
-
Akiko Awa, Researcher, International Child & Family Social Work Research Hub, Japan
-
Filipe Saramago, Director of Alvalade Capacity Centre, Portugal
Meet the presenters
|
Stella Owens, Project Manager, Tusla - the Child and Family Agency Dr Stella Owens is a social worker based in the Office of the Chief Social Worker in Tusla. For the past 3 years Stella has been co-leading the development of the Tusla Outcomes Framework which defines a set of desired outcomes for children, young people and families attending Tusla services, in line with Ireland’s Five National Outcomes. Stella leads on the Empowering Practitioners and Practice Initiative (EPPI) which aims to develop evidence-using, evidence-informed and outcomes focused practitioners in Tusla by increasing the knowledge levels and confidence of staff and improving the consistency and quality of practice across the Agency. She also leads on the Practice Development and Improvement Project which centres on training, recruiting and retaining a skilled, competent, and quality social work and social care staff and involves national co-ordination of student placements, practice teacher development and post qualifying opportunities. |
Akiko Awa, Researcher, International Child & Family Social Work Research Hub Akiko Awa, PhD in Sociology. After working as a social worker in Japan, she has conducted comparative research on child protection and preventive practices in Japan and France, with a particular focus on parenting support. Her work bridges research and practice, aiming to strengthen early intervention and family support systems. In collaboration with frontline practitioners, she designs and delivers continuous professional training programs that translate research findings into practical knowledge. She also organizes international study tours and overseas training programs to promote cross-national learning and the exchange of good practices. Through these activities, she aims to socially construct better environments for children’s well-being.
|
|
Filipe Saramago, Director of Alvalade Capacity Centre Psychoanalytic psychotherapist and clinical psychologist by training, he has worked in the field of child and youth protection since 2001. Initially as a psychologist in residential care homes and in family intervention teams in natural living contexts, and since 2017 as director of the Alvalade Capacity Center (of the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa), which has two services: the Santa Joana Residential Care Home for children (from 0 to 6 years old) and the Family Relations Promotion and parental Capacitation Team, which works in the area of parental conflict and the promotion of parental skills.
|
