Disability, Mental Health and Child Protection: Towards a New Understanding - Micro-credential

Overview

Who is this Micro-credential for?  

• This micro-credential will appeal to education, health, social care and policing professionals working in disability, child protection and welfare or sectors where the client base includes individuals may have disability and/or mental health issues. 

• It will also be of interest to those working in related areas of employment and to advocates and activists, and/or those working for sectoral employers and who are upskilling in the relevant areas.  

Why should I take this Micro-credential?  

• This innovative micro-credential provides learners with an understanding of key issues in disability, mental health and child protection. It is designed to meet the specific training needs of all education, health, social care, and policing professionals working in areas where the client base could include individuals who may have a disability and/or mental health issue.

• The micro-credential provides learners with an understanding of key issues in child protection related to disability and/or mental health. Uptake of current best evidence, insights from seminal inquiry reports, innovations and insights from disability and mental health theory, research, and activism as well as practice wisdom will be instrumental in achieving this.

When can I start this Micro-credential?  

• There is one intake per year in September

What do I need to be accepted onto this Micro-credential? –

• Applicants must have a minimum of a 2.1 grade in a level 8 degree and

• Experience of a practice setting and/or life experience pertaining to disability/mental health and child protection such as advocacy, disability or mental health services experience, informal caregiving experience, child protection and welfare experience, or relevant professional experience in fields such as social care, law, social work or psychology.

• An up-to-date CV is required.

What will I learn? 

On successful completion of this micro-credential, learners will be able to: 

1. Critically discuss examples from the history of key disability, mental health, child welfare and child protection contexts, issues, and practices.

2. Apply key insights from research, literature, and inquiry reports to critically inform practice in various settings around issues of child protection, mental health and disability. 

3. Evaluate unique strengths and risk factors associated with disability and mental health in a child protection context. 

4. Assess the various needs of children and parents with disabilities and/or mental health issues in a child protection context.

5. Apply a theoretical framework to understand disability, mental health and child protection issues.

What will I do? 

• The micro-credential will begin by introducing students to the historical context of disability, mental health and child protection in Ireland. This will involve exploring the history, legislation, policies and practices of child protection and welfare, mental health and disability. 

• Following this, the micro-credential will engage with the strongest current research evidence, seminal inquiry reports, practice wisdom and contemporary understanding related to disability, mental health, and child protection. This will be complemented by provision of important foundational knowledge in the area such as the different recognised kinds of abuse as well as the meaning of common terminology. 

• Central will be child protection and welfare practice for children with disabilities including extra-familial abuse and child victimisation, as well as parental disability and child protection, and perpetration of abuse by individuals labelled as having a disability. Particular concerns and challenges for practice will be explored, such as issues with conducting authoritative parenting capacity assessments, working well in multidisciplinary contexts, and capturing credible accounts from individuals with verbal inarticulacy or intellectual disability.

• Exploration of key contemporary trends and perspectives on the subject matter of disability, mental health and child protection will include a strong focus on the implications of disability theory and children’s rights for social work. Here, learners will be provided with a comprehensive introduction to one helpful theoretical framework for understanding disability and child protection. 

How will this Micro-credential be delivered? 

• This micro-credential allows for flexibility in many of its components and will be delivered fully online. 

• The relevant sector in Ireland is demanding and many professionals must juggle demands of work and homelife leading to the need for flexible learning at the learner’s pace. This module therefore only entails seven hours of synchronous learning in the form of live tutorial classes.

How is this Micro-credential assessed? 

• Assessment will be in the form of a written assignment that requires learners to reflect upon a multidisciplinary-based practice-orientated case example.

• There is also a presentation to peers on the course.