Child protection and welfare social work in Northern Ireland and the Republic: Commonalities, divergences and possibilities

This paper provides a comparison between child welfare and protection social work in Northern Ireland and in the Republic of Ireland by considering some key aspects of its historical development. It is argued that social work must always be understood within its specific genealogical context that provides the profession with legitimacy and space to operate. In relation to Northern Ireland, the particular way in which child welfare and social work developed over the thirty years of the ‘Troubles’ is considered. Similarities and differences between social work in Ireland and the rest of the UK are also presented. For the Republic of Ireland, the way in which the profession struggled to gain legitimacy and recognition within a medically dominated health board system is explored. The impact of a number of inquiries over the 1990's is also addressed. In addition to recognising the differences between social work in both jurisdictions, possibilities for recognising ‘dimensions of commonality’ are also considered (McDonald, et al., 1993). The shared challenges to social work on both sides of the border at micro, mezzo and macro levels are explored. The paper concludes with some suggestions as to how we can take forward our dimensions of commonality at a time of reform and expansion of social work education in both jurisdictions. It is argued that attention must be paid, not only to our genealogical context, but also to our own archaeological construction.