It’s about time we challenged the views of those who wrongly claim that only a handful of universities deliver social mobility

No one yet knows the full impact that the fee changes will have on many underrepresented communities. Pam Tatlow argues that the diversification of student bodies amidst fee changes must start with a challenge to the elitism that pervades the social mobility debate

Who I Am: Exploring the nature and meaning of children’s active and social selves

The aim of this study was to develop a richer picture of children’s core self-concept factors and their meaning in order to increase adults’ understanding of the self factors that children value most. In addition, since self-esteem is based on core self-concept factors, the study aimed to use this richer understanding to assess the content validity of widely used self-esteem questionnaires. The central objectives were: » to develop a richer picture of children’s core self-concept factors, with a focus on their active and social selves; » to compare children’s core self factors with adults’ conceptualisations of children’s self-concept and self-esteem

A bit more understanding: Young adults' views of mental health services in care in Ireland

Children and young people in the care system typically experience very high levels of mental health difficulties, yet their views of these difficulties and of mental health services have rarely been explored. For this qualitative study we spoke with eight young adults aged 18 to 27 years with experience of the care system in Ireland about mental health challenges, service experiences, and how they felt mental health services needed to improve. Themes from the interviews illuminated young adults' views of their emotional well-being while in care, and the double stigma of being in care and mental health difficulties. In terms of services, young adults wanted these to be flexible and sensitive to level of need; to offer choice and more congenial environments; to provide more creative routes to engaging young people; and to offer honest, reciprocal, caring communication — treating children in care as one would any child. Recommendations highlight three key needs: an ethic of care in services as well as an ethic of justice; mental health training for all professionals in contact with children in care; and the need to listen, hear and act on what children and young people sa

A traumatised and traumatising system: Professionals' experiences in meeting the mental health needs of young people in the care and youth justice systems in Ireland

It is well recognised that children and young people in the care and youth justice systems typically present with significant and diverse mental health needs. Much has been written about this challenging area of professional practice but the focus has been primarily on the young people themselves rather than professionals' experiences of working in this challenging context. In this study, focus groups and individual interviews were conducted with 26 professionals working in the care and youth justice services in Ireland, representing a range of disciplines, to capture professionals' perspectives of working in this field. A thematic analysis was conducted on the transcribed data. Professionals described frustration and helplessness in the face of what they perceived as inadequate system responses and poor interagency working. Their experiences are conceptualised here as reflecting a traumatised and traumatising system. The implications for practice emphasise the need for staff support through training, collaboration between agencies, and addressing vicarious traumatisation

Good Enough to Eat : How We Shop, What We Eat

Published by Gill & Macmillan Goldenbridge, Dublin 8 in 1998. Design by Identikit Design Consultants, print origination by O\u27K Graphic Design, Dublin, printed by ColourBooks Ltd., Dublin. Cover design by Slick Fish Design. In this book the author looks at the food we buy, she gives an honest description of how our food is produced. 254 p. 21 cm.https://arrow.tudublin.ie/irckbooks/1080/thumbnail.jp

Who's Feeding the Kids Online? Digital food marketing to children in Ireland: Advertisers’ tactics, children’s exposure and parents’ awareness

Obesity in children and young people is a global health challenge. The widespread marketing of unhealthy foods (food and non-alcoholic drinks high in fat, sugar and salt, or HFSS) plays a causal role in unhealthy eating and obesity. Food and eating is typically presented as an issue of ‘choice’. However, this disregards the fact that current obesogenic environments use many tactics to promote unhealthy foods, interfering with people’s ability to make good choices. This study examined: 1. Content appealing to children and young people on websites of top food and drink retail brands in Ireland 2. Marketing techniques on Facebook: Pages of food brands that have the highest reach among young teens, the first such study of which we are aware 3. Parents’ awareness of digital food marketing to their children in an online, two-stage survey with digital marketing examples and open-ended response options