Kieran McGrath holds a degree in Law and a Masters in Social Work from University College Dublin. Part of his post-graduate studies was undertaken in the Sacramento Child Sexual Abuse Treatment Agency, California. He worked as a Social Worker and Social Work Manager with the Eastern Health Board before being appointed Principal Psychiatric Social Worker in St Clare's Child Sexual Abuse Assessment & Therapy Unit, Children's University Hospital, Temple St., Dublin. In March 2002 he was appointed Assistant Director in St Clare’s Unit. He represented St Clare’s Unit on various expert working parties including the Video Evidence Committee (Dept of Justice & Equality, 2003) which drew up guidelines for the taking of video-statements from children and people with intellectual disabilities in cases of alleged abuse.

 

In 1990 he co-founded the Northside Inter-Agency Project (NIAP) a treatment service for young people who sexually abuse; the first service of its kind in Ireland. He was a clinician with NIAP from 1990 until 2002 when he became Chair of its Steering Committee.  He is the author of guides for parents and carers on sexualised behaviour in children and adolescents in both English and Spanish. He is accredited to provide Risk Assessments using AIM3, MATRIX 2000 and STABLE & ACUTE (2007).  Kieran is also accredited to use The Capacity & Ability to Supervise and Protect - Risk Framework © (The CASP-R©) .   He is an Associate and accredited trainer with the AIM Project in Manchester. He is a Visiting Research Associate in the Dept of Social Studies, Trinity College Dublin, where he teaches a course to Masters-level students entitled “Social Work and the Law”.

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In January 2006 he established the Irish Child & Family Institute, an independent Child Welfare Consultancy, which operates in both Ireland and Spain. Since 2007 he has been consultant to the ATURA’T Project in Palma, Majorca, a service for the evaluation and treatment of young people convicted of sexual offences. Since 2018 he has provided training on Harmful Sexual Behaviour to the Psycho-Social support staff of the Catalonian Courts Service. In 2020 he started consulting to the Council of Europe in Moldova

 

Publications

1. Cerezo, M. A., McGrath, K. & Lamers-Winkelman, F. (2003) Perpetrators and Victims of Child Sexual Abuse: Identifying the legal obstacles to rehabilitation in three European countries. In C. Cahal-May & A. Herzcog (Eds) Child Sexual Abuse in Europe. Strasbourg: Council of Europe Publishing

2. McGrath, K. (2005) "Protecting Irish Children Better – The case for an Inquisitorial Approach in Child Care Proceedings”. Judicial Studies Institute Journal. 5:1: 136-65.

3. McGrath, K. (2019) Understanding & Managing Sexualised Behaviour in Children and Adolescents – Guidelines for Parents and Carers in the Cyber Age. Dublin: ICFI

4. McGrath, K. (2021) Guía sobre comportamientos sexuales en niños y adolescentes – Pautas a seguir por padres y tutores en la era cibernética. Dublin: ICFI

 

 

Denis Cullen MA, CQSW (CORU), Pg Dip Forensic Behavioural Science, Dip. Counselling, Adv. Dip. Personal, Leadership & Executive Coaching (EMCC)

Denis Cullen is a highly experienced registered social worker both within Ireland and the UK and has specialised in the field of mental health since 1984. His extensive career has been diverse at both practitioner and senior manager level for both local authority and health service organisations.

 

At practitioner level, Denis brings expertise from having worked across community mental health, forensic mental health, and criminal justice settings. He brings a successful track record of strategic development, management and commissioning of health and social care services across community and hospital settings including prisons in which he developed and oversaw the implementation of newly commissioned prison-based mental health services as part of a prison/health partnership framework. He has previously held senior management positions (both Operational and Strategic) including as Head of Social Care and Safeguarding. 

Having retired from full-time public sector employment in 2017, Denis now works independently on a wide range of diverse roles including as a European Accredited Personal, Leadership and Executive Coach, Social Work Supervisor and as a Lay member of the Mental Health Tribunal Network via the Mental Health Commission of Ireland. He also continues to support NHS trusts in the UK on a range of service review projects and ‘serious incident’ statutory investigations. 
Prior to commencing his social work career, Denis studied Theology and Philosophy and has maintained an active interest in matters pertaining to individual and community church ministry. He brings a sound knowledge of religious organisations and has extensive experience of continuing to support and advise church diocese’ across the north of England in their assessment and selection of suitable candidates for the ministry of Deacon. 

Denis continues to enjoy membership of the Irish Association of Social Workers, the Irish Penal Reform Trust, and the European Mentoring and Coaching Council. 
 

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Renée Hanley, BSW, NQSW, CORU, Independent Social Worker and Guardian ad Litem 
Renée holds a Bachelor Degree in Social Work, from Indiana University, in the US. She is a registered CORU social worker. As a professionally qualified Social Worker with over 19 years’ experience, Renée has worked in the areas of child protection and welfare with children in alternative care settings, including foster care and residential care, with children and families at risk in the community, with young people involved with the Juvenile Justice system and as a Guardian ad Litem advocating for children in the legal system. 

She has contributed to on-going learning for Social Care students at Athlone Institute of Technology as a guest Lecturer regarding the Guardian ad Litem role. While in America from. 2001 – 2002 she worked as a Family Preservation Therapist with children and families at risk to support families remaining together and family re-unification for children placed in temporary alternative care situations. She also provided case management for child protection and welfare cases where young people were involved with the American Child Protection Services and the Juvenile Justice system. She also worked as a children’s Residential Youth Supervisor from 2000 - 2002. 

Following her move to Ireland, Renée was a Residential Unit Manager for children’s residential care placements from 2003 – 2004. She held Social Work posts in Ireland from 2004 - 2010 and was Social Work Team Leader during from 2007 to 2010. 

Since October 2010 to present Renée has been working as an Independent Social Worker and Guardian ad Litem. She has been appointed as Guardian ad Litem to cases in Ireland including by the District Court, Circuit Court, High Court and Family Law Courts. As an independent Social Worker she has also undertaken Section 20 reports and Section 47 reports as requested by the Courts. She has extensive experience in the provision of comprehensive Court reports and evidence for proceedings, as well as, extensive experience completing comprehensive risk assessments, developing solution-focused approaches and detailed action plans. She has extensive experience working as part of multi-disciplinary groups, working in collaboration with other professionals, organisations and families developing positive and productive partnerships, while maintaining clear boundaries in respect of her professional role and responsibilities. Renée is a dedicated and highly motivated professional with an excellent ability to work independently, adhere to deadlines paying meticulous attention to detail and safeguarding fairness and transparency.

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Joan Cronin,  RGN, RM, CQSW, (CORU) Dip. in Systemic Psychotherapy (Distinction), LL.M Children’s Rights and Family Law (First Class Honours) 
Joan Cronin holds a 1st Class Honours Master’s Degree in Children’s Rights and Family Law from UCC. She is a CORU registered Social Worker, having qualified in 1986. Prior to undertaking Social Work training Joan qualified as a Registered General Nurse and Midwife. She qualified in Systemic Psychotherapy in the Clanwilliam Institute and, following accreditation, utilised her Family Therapy training in clinical Social Work practice.

Joan draws on practice experience in many areas of Social Work both in Ireland and in the UK. She has worked as a Principal Social Worker both in Learning Disability Services, and CAMHS. Prior to retirement from the public service in 2016, she was Manager of Social Work and Social Care Services in the Mental Health Services in CHO Area 4.

In the late 1980s, Joan was one of the first social workers to work in HIV services in Ireland. In this role, she formed strong alliances between the voluntary and statutory services working in HIV. For many years she worked as a Senior Social Worker in St James Hospital in Dublin. There, she carried out research on how to improve the identification and follow up support for women presenting to Accident and Emergency (A&E) following Domestic Violence (DV).  This work led to the national roll out in all Irish hospitals on training on  DV for health care professionals working in A&E Departments. 
Collaborative and inter-disciplinary work are central tenets of Joan’s work. She has led research and implementation of projects on women’s health, with Turkish-speaking women in the east end of London. As Social Work Manager, she was instrumental in developing community-led interdisciplinary mental health intervention services for children in Cork and Kerry.     

Along with other Designated Liaison Persons (DLPs), Joan was instrumental in developing the Policy Statement on the “Policy and Procedures for the Welfare and Protection of Children” for a national voluntary Disability Service and she has extensive practice experience in the role of DLP.  

As well as carrying out research in many the areas of DV, mental health needs of children in state care and interdisciplinary practice, Joan was an active member of the Child Law Clinic in UCC where she examined children’s rights to housing under the European Social Charter. 

The integration of theory and reflective practice into Social Work practice remains one of Joan’s lifelong interests. For many years she has provided classes on the BSW Course in UCC.  She is experienced in Social Work module development, preparation and delivery and recently has undertaken training on Virtual Teaching. 
Joan has been an active Board member of Positively Irish Action on Aids (PIAA), Housing and Integrated Living (HAIL) and Cork Aids Alliance. She is currently on the Board of Directors of the Kerry based Social Action Group, of which she was a co-founder as a teenager. 

 

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Grace McNally is a CORU registered social worker who has many years’ experience working with children and families, primarily in the area of child protection, fostering and CAMHS. She currently divides her work between CAMHS with the HSE and working privately as an independent social worker providing an attachment-based assessment.

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Grace has extensive experience in undertaking assessments of children and their families to assess risk as well as the needs and strengths within families. She has extensive experience in completing fostering assessments, Parenting Capacity Assessments and court reports on what represent the child’s best interest. She also has experience of working in a therapeutic context with families where children present with moderate to severe mental health issues.

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Grace is committed to continuous professional development and from her direct work with children and families she became particularly interested in attachment, trauma and relationships within families. She graduated from the University of Roehampton with a master’s degree in Attachment Studies in 2019. She also graduated with a postgraduate certificate in Systemic Practice and Family Therapy in Queen’s University in 2017 and continue to develop her knowledge and expertise for working in children and families.

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Grace is passionate about the use of evidence-based and validated assessment tools for assessment and intervention as a means of providing objective understandings and supporting families. She is trained to administer numerous attachment assessment procedures and has successfully achieved reliability in the MotC, Infant Care-Index and the CAPA. She is also a Video Interaction Guidance (VIG) practitioner (in training). Grace is currently training in Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy.

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Sinéad Hegarty , BSc Psychology, DipSW and MSc Social Work, NISCC, CORU, Independent Social Worker
Sinéad has 30 years’ experience in Social Work, predominantly in Northern Ireland (NI). Since 2004 she has specialised in the field of Child Sexual Abuse Trauma and Therapeutic Recovery and has extensive experience as a Practitioner, Team Manager and Service Manager in that area.  Within those roles she has experience in programme development, implementation, and delivery, as well as staff development and training. She has also delivered training in this work to statutory, voluntary and community groups. As a Social Work Manager, she has significant Supervisory experience. 

Throughout her career, Sinéad has worked in a multi-disciplinary capacity, establishing and maintaining partnerships with statutory and voluntary agencies in a wide variety of areas of  Education, Child Protection, Adverse Childhood Experiences, Parental Mental Health, Domestic Abuse and Parental Substance and Alcohol Misuse. She was a member of the Safeguarding Board Northern Ireland, (SBNI), regional panels and also the Domestic and Sexual Violence Partnerships within NI, representing the NSPCC. She developed Multi-Agency Support Fora in schools for children with Special Educational Needs and has convened and chaired Multi-Agency Meetings to appropriately share information, identify risk and promote outcomes for children and young people.

Sinéad worked with NSPCC for 17 years, before becoming an Independent Social Worker in 2021. Since then, she has offered bespoke therapeutic recovery programmes to children and young people who have experienced CSA. She has also delivered training in relation to all aspects of CSA trauma and recovery as well as consultancy on complex cases involving CSA/CSE. 
Sinéad’s has extensive experience in the provision of detailed, analytical Court Reports in Child Protection proceedings, as well as Victim Impact Reports, Risk Assessments and Assessment of Therapeutic Need, informed by her knowledge of this area as well as current research and best practice. She also has experience in undertaking Court Directed Parenting Assessments. She is committed to trauma-informed reports and assessments in order to promote understanding of the impact of trauma, and better outcomes for children and young people.

Sinéad is a member of the Irish Association of Social Workers, the British Association of Social Workers (NI), the Action Trauma Network and the Association of Child Protection Professionals, maintaining her ongoing professional development in the field of child abuse trauma, its impact on the developing child, and therapeutic interventions.