Pat Dolan, Professor and Carmel Devaney, Lecturer and Researcher UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre, School of Political Science and Sociology, Research and Innovation Centre, NUI Galway – Family support for families at risk, Expert Consultation on Family and Parenting Support, UNICEF Office of Research – Innocenti Florence 26-27 May 2014

1. Family support for families at risk
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Professor Pat Dolan and Dr Carmel Devaney
UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre, NUI Galway
Incorporating Research into Practice

2. Not about Static or New Solutions
for Families at Risk

3. Family Support

4. Sources of Support
Informal (naturally occurring relationships with
family friends and neighbours)
Formal (professional services with supportive
roles for children and families)
Semi-Formal Sources (paid mentors,
volunteers)
There are instances when more formal supports are
necessary.
(Thompson, 1995; Gilligan, 2000; Gardner, 2003).

5. Importance / Evidence
of Informal Social Support for Young
People at Risk
• Informal Social Support - the ‘Bread and Butter’
of Relationships (Garbarino and Whittaker 1983)
• Social Support an ‘Underpinning’ theoretical
Framework for Family Support

6. TEA as a model for Types of Social Support
Tangible
Balance and
Buoyancy
Emotional Advice
Dolan and Brady
2012

7. Qualities of Social Support
Dolan and Brady. 2012
Close
Admonish
Positively
Reciprocal Durable

8. Informal Social Support Families at Risk
Attachment
Age/Stage
Lifecourse
Resilience
Social
Ecology
Social
Capital
From Veterans – Devaney 2011

9. Informal Social Support Young People at Risk
Natural and Abundent
Non Stigmatising
Cheap Intervention
Family Greatest
Source of
Support
Family Greatest
Source of
Harm

10. Strengths based
• A strengths based perspective rather than a deficit
model - a cornerstone of practice in Family Support
(Dunst et al., 1992; Saleeby, 1997; Gardner, 2006;
Pinkerton and Dolan 2007).
• Smith and Davis (2010) advocate choice,
participation, anti-discrimination and timeliness
employ peoples own solutions at the centre
• Saleeby (1997) argues for, groups and communities
to meet the challenges faced, - working
collaboratively using people’s own resilience to
achieve change.

11. Incorporating a strengths based approach in practice
1. All families have strengths. unique & depend upon culture,
background, beliefs, & socioeconomic status
2. Failure of a family to display competence must not be viewed
as a deficit but rather as a failure in the system to create
opportunities for the competency to be displayed or learned
3. Involves a shift away from the belief that experts should solve
the families’ problems & towards empowering families to
master the challenges in their own lives
4. Goal of intervention – not “doing for people”, but as
strengthening the functioning of families -less dependent on
professionals.
5. Requires acceptance but also valuing individual difference; a
shift away from the use of treatment & towards using
prevention models (Dunst, 1995)

12. Prevention & early intervention
• Barlow et al. (2010) emphasise a focus in universal
service provision on preventing difficulties arising
in the first instance – Starting point is key
• Sheppard (2009) actions of families themselves, in
particular parents, ought to also be included in the
prevention continuum.
• Refers specifically to the actions of parents in the
stages prior to the involvement of services, & the
actions families will take to ameliorate or resolve
a situation.

13. Review of Family Inquiries - Ireland
(Buckley and O’ Nolan DCYA 2013)
• Kilkenny Incest Case Report (1993)
• Kelly Fitzgerald Report (1996)
• West of Ireland Farmer Report (1998)
• Monageer Report (2009)
• Roscommon Child Care Case (2010)

14. Review of Family Inquiries – Ireland
• early intervention, family support, out-of-
hours services and staff welfare
were common themes.

15. Review of Family Inquiries – Ireland
• Need for better identification/ vigilance
of children with signs of
vulnerability/risk
• Ability to challenge the views of other
professionals
• Skills Sets, including multidisciplinary
training on different topics.

16. Policy Rich – Implementation Poor
Programme ‘itis’ – Reinventions
The Strange Case of Family Group
Conferencing
(Connolly 2009- Byrne & Devaney in press)

17. Pecora’s 5 point Litmus test
in FS work and risk
Is the Child or Young Person:
1. At home
2. In school/Work
3. Wanted by the Law (actively)
4. Mental Health ok?
5. Physical Health ok?

18. Programmes
For Families at
Risk

19. Programmes
For Families at
Risk
Relationship
Factor

20. Programmes
For Families at
Risk
AGENCY
Young Person
Family &
Social
Network
Relationship
Factor
(Style and
Reflective
Practice)

21. Programmes
For Families at
Risk
AGENCY
Young Person
Family &
Social
Network
Relationship
Factor
(Style and
Reflective
Practice)
Nuances &
Flexibility
Cultural
Competent

22. Resilience Factor Balance in Person Risk Factors
(Rutter et al 2012)
Protective
Factors

23. Protective
Factors
Risk Factors
Resilience Factor in Ecology
E.G – Civic Engagement (Dolan 2012;
McArdle 2013 )

24. Working with Children/Youth at risk and Families
Through Family Support ‘A’ - Models
• By Area
• By Age/Stage
• By Adversity
• By Asking Dolan et al in press

25. Would this Work
For Me/Family?
Would I use it or
recommend it for
my children parents
or other family
member ?