A one-day virtual seminar funded by the Irish Research Council and UCD Seed Funding – October 8th, 2021
To register for this event please follow this link.
Disclosing experiences of sexual abuse can involve many barriers and hurdles. These may come from within, from your close social circle and family, or may even come from wider policy, legal, and structural factors. Disclosure can help a person move towards healing, it can identify current and future children that may be at risk, and it can assist in bringing a perpetrator to justice. It is therefore vital for society and for individuals impacted by abuse that disclosure is encouraged, facilitated, and supported.
Funded by the Irish Research Council and UCD Seed Funding, and created by Dr Joe Mooney, UCD School of Social Policy, Social Work, and Social Justice, this one-day virtual conference brings together those in the areas of research, practice, and policy to exchange perspectives and develop knowledge in the complex area surrounding disclosure of sexual abuse and violence.
The Seminar is divided into three related strands; Voices from the Field including experts in the area of provision of services to those disclosing sexual abuse, Voices from Experience including critical insights from those impacted by abuse in childhood, and Voices from Research including key messages and future considerations from those engaged in research in this complex area.
The seminar will include a keynote address from Professor Ramona Alaggia, University of Toronto. Ramona Alaggia is a Professor at the the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and is affiliated with the Women and Gender Studies Institute. She is the former Factor-Inwentash Chair in Children’s Mental Health (2008-2018). Ramona is currently the Margaret and Wallace McCain Family Chair in Child and Family. Ramona’s overarching area of interest is in trauma and resilience across the life course. Her research focuses on gender and violence; child sexual abuse disclosures and mental health effects; intimate partner violence and structural barriers; and promoting ways to foster resilience processes in children, youth and adults exposed to violence. Results of these studies aid in mitigating the long-term effects of trauma, violence and abuse on children and youth. She strongly advocates for the use of trauma informed approaches for service delivery.
The Seminar will also act as a launch for a report of a recent research project entitled ‘Barriers or Pathways? Aiding Retrospective Disclosure of Childhood Sexual Abuse to Child Protection Services‘. This project was conducted with the support of One in Four, Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, and the Rape Crisis Network Ireland.
The seminar is open to all and free of charge. Questions are welcome via Q&A and we will have some facilitated panel discussions also. To register for this event please follow this link.
More details and a full schedule of speakers and papers will follow in the week of September 6th. We look forward to seeing you there.
Irish Social Work 
Leave a comment