| Contact Name |
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www.hse.ie |
| Address |
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Dr Steevens' Hospital |
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Steevens' Lane |
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Dublin 8 |
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| Email |
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| www |
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www.hse.ie |
| Ph |
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+353 (01) 6352000 |
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| What subjects did you take in school and how have these influenced your career path? |
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I decided to do a 3 year degree in Social Science UCC, Cork which was a clear cut route into the area of Social Work. I also decided to undertake this broad degree course as it would provide me with a variety of different options to pursue after completion of my degree especially in the event that I chose a different career path to Social Work as I got older!
I also chose this course as it provided an introduction to a variety of subjects e.g. Social Policy, Psychology, Sociology Philosophy, Law, Economics and other interesting topics pertinent to certain areas of society .eg. homelessness, social issues such as drug use etc.
In second year, I had to choose which subjects I wanted to specialise in for my degree which ultimately meant that the subjects in question would be focused on in more detail rather than in a generalised context.
In my final year of the degree, I was very determined that Social Work was the career I wanted. Hence, I then completed a two year Masters in Social Work in UCC in order to obtain a Professional Qualification as a Social Work Practitioner. I loved this course and felt like I had finally “come into my own”. Again, this course offers an array of subjects (such as Family Law, Psychology, Working with Children and Families, Policies and Legislation governing Social Work Practice etc.) and skill development based classes (e.g. development and use of counselling skills etc.).
Throughout this two year Masters, one is required to complete two student placements in the field of Social Work - one in a voluntary area, the other in a statutory agency – the student lists their preference in certain areas of Social Work. I worked firstly in a community development project and my second placement was in a child protection agency in a statutory setting on a specialist team working with children and families at risk where a parent(s) is a drug user.
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| What is your education to date? |
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Leaving Cert, a degree in Social Science and a Masters in Social Work which gives a NATIONAL QUALIFICATION IN SOCIAL WORK - the only recognised qualification to be a practitioner. There are ongoing training opportunities when in the job.
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| What aspects of your education have proven most important for your job? |
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I also chose Social Science in UCC as it provided an introduction to a variety of subjects e.g. Social Policy, Psychology, Sociology Philosophy, Law, Economics and other interesting topics pertinent to certain areas of society e.g. homelessness, social issues such as drug use etc.
In second year, I had to choose which subjects I wanted to specialise in for my degree which ultimately meant that the subjects in question would be focused on in more detail rather than in a generalised context.
In my final year of the degree, I was very determined that Social Work was the career I wanted. Hence, I then completed a two year Masters in Social Work in UCC in order to obtain a Professional Qualification as a Social Work Practitioner. I loved this course and felt like I had finally “come into my own”.
Again, this course offers an array of subjects (such as Family Law, Psychology, Working with Children and Families, Policies and Legislation governing Social Work Practice etc.) and skill development based classes (e.g. development and use of counselling skills etc.).
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| Have you undertaken, or do you plan to undertake any further training as part of your job? |
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There are ongoing training opportunities in this job which are organised and facilitated by the HSE. Training pertinent to Social Work is actively promoted by the agency. For example, I have completed courses in the following:
- domestic violence,
- mental health,
- framework of assessments when working with families and children,
- attachment theory in practice etc.
Also there are opportunities for a social worker to take on students for their college placements which mainly involves being their ‘mentor’ while they gain work experience in your agency setting.
At present, I am also considering doing a part-time two year course in addiction studies and counselling. The benefits of a Social Work Qualification is that it opens many 'doors' and provides much opportunity to explore or specialise in other related areas.
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