At an athletics competition with my daughter today in Tullamore, and they have the most Irish of inspirational quotes.

After a lengthy delay it's disappointing (but not surprising) they have decided to publish it during a Dail holiday so it can't be immediately debated. Seems to be a standard response to these types of reports being published. We'll see if any real lessons are to be learned

Not mine Author not known but it’s gorgeous - gentle reframing @soulinmedicine.bsky.social

Gentle reminder to come & join us in NGH Naas next Thursday 13th. Dr. Hilton Koppe will have two workshops as attached. His Irish tour is very generously supported by Attuned in Practice. Open to all health & social care profs or students who wish. Please send me a DM re registration. 🙋🏻‍♀️🙋🏻‍♀️🙋🏻‍♀️

Domestic violence victims must be included in the assisted dying debate, campaigners say

If you have some time, please do read the article below, from the Irish Foster Care Association Journal, 2021 issue, titled “Through the eyes of a child – my first hand experience of the foster-care system through the lens of ‘dual culturalism” 1/

Essential listening for anyone who wants to support carers in Ireland Very clear and informative interview on research on #CarerHarm by @sarahmdonnelly1 & @CarersIreland links below The reaction when people seek support "there's someone worse than you" shows.acast.com/4c53ef4c-65d...

CARTOON OF THE DAY

It takes courage to shed the masks we wear, trusting that who we truly are is already enough. When we allow ourselves to be seen as we are, we give others permission to do the same. 🧡 #kindness #courage #brave Picture by doodlebotillustration

Happy Nollaig na mban. Celebrating Women's Christmas in Ireland #speirgorm

January weather

Great letter in todays @irishtimes.bsky.social from John O Brien on redefining what Success means. Love that reminder of being a positive impact on the people around you. Small acts of kindness and connection are so important.

The State should invest substantially in Early Years Education & Care, particularly in respect of children/families who are experiencing poverty or trauma or deprivation. www.thejournal.ie/readme/child...

It's easy to read, sigh, and move on. But we are complicit through our silence, through looking away, through our gratitude that this affects somebody else. What we tolerate, we accept. Some ways we might respond, to support Liams everywhere ⬇️ Thread🧵

Powerful reporting from @thejournal.ie on the deaths of 37 women killed in Ireland over the last 5 years. The majority killed by people known to them, partners or family members. The range of ages & backgrounds shows how no group is exempt #EndVAWG www.thejournal.ie/investigates...

Very distressing case of woman with alzheimers being sexually assaulted in her hospital bed. Huge challenge for gardai when a witness can not make a statement. It means many victims do not get justice unless there are witnesses or forensic evidence m.independent.ie/irish-news/c...

Final publication of 2024! Findings from a European, cross-national project study on service user participation: Implications for social work policy, practice and education, International Social Work. @ucdspswsj.bsky.social journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

"1,242 people with disabilities including people recovering from strokes aged under 65 were living in nursing homes as of May. This is due to lack of suitable alternatives in many cases." #DisabilityRights #HumanRights www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-41...

2024 is ending on a bit of a high for me as I have a poem in Poetry Ireland Review for the first time. It is also so nice to recognise so many names in the issue as friends I’ve met through the Irish poetry community these past few years. Here’s to a 2025 full of good poems and interesting people.

There's something in the water. #CanalLife #ChristmasWalks

Reminded of these lines tonight from Rainer Rilke poem. So many people in pain but please do reach out your hand for support. #MentalHealthMatters "Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final."

Healthcare workers, are you feeling the strain? It's time to prioritize your well-being! Burnout is real, and it's more than just "work being hard". @drjessigold.bsky.social reminds us that it's a combination of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a reduced sense of personal accomplishment

He’s making a list…

Imagine the fun being an archaeologist in a few hundred years' time

"Social workers stop rushing" Love this message from Empower Kids: Vision for Change - @barnardos-ireland.bsky.social Taking the time to sit and really listen is central to supporting, protecting and making effective safeguarding plans

It's time. Every Xmas I run a charity appeal to raise funds for worthwhile causes. So far, in six years, we've made almost €230,000. You are always the most generous of givers. This year our two benefiting charities will be the DSPCA and UNICEF Ireland's Gaza and Lebanon Appeal. (1/2)

The upcoming pension auto-enrolment scheme will not address the structural inequalities faced by women in the pension system and may even make them worse, according to a new report.

"the provider failed to protect all five residents “from all forms of abuse”. The types of abuse under safeguarding policy are Sexual, Physical, Emotional Neglect, Discrimatory and Institutional abuse #Safeguarding #SocialWork www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2024...

Nobody ever planted a tree in this photo. It was a working gravel pit 30 years ago. We need to get over our obsession with planting trees and let nature do the job. The results are just SO much better. It's also about realising we are not, in fact, central to everything. 🌍

‘Whelmed’ really means ‘capsized’ - the over and under were added later for effect. But you can be consolate: consoled and comforted. And gruntled too.

I liked these tips on improving small talk by "tweaking boring questions." In social work assessment classes, we teach similar techniques—using strengths-based reframing to transform closed-ended questions into open-ended opportunities for deeper conversation and connection. 1/2

• Mary Oliver •

"81% of social workers working with children, young people and families have seen the number of cases referred to them due to poverty increase in the last three years" Important findings from @swu-uk.bsky.social and @itvnews.bsky.social: swu-union.org.uk/2024/12/soci...

Patrick’s life mattered, Patrick’s life matters, all #Traveller children’s lives matter. At the SHINE Headline #mentalhealth media awards yesterday, the documentary ‘Patrick: A Young Traveller Lost’, won multiple awards across categories; 1/

Childhood neglect: the neglected trauma? https://buff.ly/49kmN1K Dhea Bengardi summarises a systematic review exploring the prevalence of different types of neglect across a wide variety of mental health conditions. #Neglect #ChildhoodNeglect #EmotionalNeglect #PhysicalNeglect #Trauma

Missed that this paper dropped the day before Thanksgiving. @mad-academic.bsky.social looked at relationships between adolescents technology use, emotional dysregulation, and self-esteem in an EMA study and found no same-day linkages: link.springer.com/article/10.1... w/ @candiceodgers.bsky.social

Horrific -Afghan women 'banned from midwife courses' in latest blow to rights www.bbc.com/news/article...

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Today’s poem is called ‘Meeting Deadlines’.

Massive congratulations Dr Jennifer Allen on the conferring of your Doctor of Philosophy Degree this evening- we are so proud of you!🥳🎉🥂🥳 @ucddublin.bsky.social

A child psychiatrist who groomed and sexually abused a teenage girl leaving her with 'painful and grave trauma' has been jailed for eight and a half years

A High Court case has been brought seeking damages, including aggravated and exemplary damages, over the State’s alleged “systemic failure” to provide secure accommodation for vulnerable children. #socialwork www.irishtimes.com/crime-law/co...