What is Child Protection & Welfare?
Child protection is part of the safeguarding process. It focuses on protecting individual children identified as suffering or likely to suffer significant harm. This includes child protection procedures which detail how to respond to concerns about a child.
Child protection is often the term used to identify government policy and its services working to prevent children from being neglected and abused and to intervene when they are. In Ireland, as in many countries, the welfare of children is paramount.
What 3rd level courses are available?
Universities and colleges in Ireland are offering courses in Child Protection & Welfare in the following subject areas:
- Disability and Child Protection: Towards New Understanding – Gain an understanding of key issues in the area of disability and child protection.
- Legal Training for Child Protection & Welfare Practitioners – This MC is offered to a wide range of health, social care and policing professionals working in the area of child protection and welfare.
- Child Protection & Welfare in ECCE settings – This course provides deep knowledge about Child Protection and promote the development of the Skill of Dealing with Child Protection Concerns when raised, in line with the Children’s First Act 2015.
- Critical Social Work Practice – This course for Social Work students in Wales supports you in becoming a confident, critical, analytical practitioner, and to apply critical reflection to your practice.
- Care, Welfare and Community for Social Workers – This course emphasises rights, differences, partnerships and inequalities in delivering sensitive support for vulnerable adults.
- Social Work with Children and Families – This course provides knowledge and theory needed for effective social work practice with children and families.
Studying Child Protection & Welfare in college
There are many courses in Child Protection & Welfare that may take place over a few days, weeks or even 1 year to 4 years depending on the course and modules selected. There are also part-time courses and night courses available so you can be sure to fit in your studies no matter what your schedule is like.
Courses will cover theory work through lectures, assignments, tutorials and taught modules. Assessments will take place on a continuous basis with written examinations and practical assignments combined in order to achieve a qualification.
You could also consider work experience or a work shadow in the industry. Gain as much work experience as possible, either through paid positions in community care settings or by undertaking relevant voluntary work. Relevant work experience is a good way of demonstrating a genuine interest in the field and is regarded favourably by employers.
Work Experience will not only give you the opportunity to obtain a deeper knowledge and understanding of the industry, it will also give you a chance to do some essential networking with other industry professionals and gain valuable contacts for the future.
Career options
After completing a Child Protection & Welfare course you will be able to get started in a career that uses specific knowledge of child welfare and protection laws and practices.
Careers in Child Protection and Welfare support individuals and their families through difficult times and ensure that vulnerable people, including children and adults are safeguarded from harm. Their role is to help improve outcomes in people’s lives.
They maintain professional relationships and act as guides and advocates. They sometimes need to use their professional judgment to make tough decisions that might not always be well received by those they are trying to help.
As a Child Protection and Welfare worker, you’ll work in a variety of settings within a framework of relevant legislation and procedures, supporting individuals, families and groups within the community. You may work in homes or schools, hospitals or on the premises of other public sector and voluntary organisations.
There are many specialist roles available in Child Protection and Welfare, once you’ve completed the appropriate induction and training. These roles include positions such as day-care social worker, education welfare officer, healthcare social worker and mental health social worker. Social workers tend to specialise in supporting either children and families or vulnerable adults.
Working hours will depend on whether you are self-employed, employed by a company with set business hours or if you are contracted to various businesses or companies. Working hours are normally around 37 hours per week. If you work as a residential care social worker, regular unsocial hours are normal practice. Occasional evening and weekend work may be necessary if working in child protection or fostering and adoption teams.
Related jobs include:
- Social worker
- Education mental health practitioner
- Family support worker
- High intensity therapist
- Advice worker
- Arbitrator
- Chaplain
- Community development worker
- Counsellor
- Detective
- Education consultant
- Equality, diversity and inclusion officer
- Life coach
- Mediator
- Play therapist
- Special educational needs coordinator
- Volunteer coordinator
- Youth worker
Further study
After completing a course in Child Protection & Welfare you may choose to pursue further study in a specialist field to increase your knowledge base and skill set. Postgraduate study can also be used as a means to change career focus or to gain professional qualifications required to practise in certain career areas such as legal studies, politics, government or public administration, social care and social sciences.
FAQ
What is the difference between child welfare and child protection?
Child protection is a term that is often used to refer to the child welfare system. Specifically, it is most often used to describe the government response to child maltreatment.
What is the difference between safeguarding and child protection?
Safeguarding is the action that is taken to promote the welfare of children and protect them from harm.
Safeguarding means:
- Protecting children from abuse and maltreatment
- Preventing harm to children’s health or development
- Ensuring children grow up with the provision of safe and effective care
- Taking action to enable all children and young people to have the best outcomes.
Child protection is part of the safeguarding process. It focuses on protecting individual children identified as suffering or likely to suffer significant harm. This includes child protection procedures which detail how to respond to concerns about a child.
All organisations that work with or come into contact with children should have safeguarding policies and procedures to ensure that every child, regardless of their age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation, has a right to equal protection from harm.
Setting up and following good safeguarding policies and procedures means children are safe from adults and other children who might pose a risk. This includes voluntary and community organisations, faith groups, private sector providers, as well as schools, hospitals and sports clubs.
Where can I study Child Protection & Welfare?
Explore your options here
Did You Know?
- Neglect is the most common form of child abuse, followed by physical abuse, sexual abuse, and psychological abuse.
- Boys and girls experience similar rates of childhood abuse (48.6% and 51% respectively).
- Rates of child abuse and neglect are 5 times higher for children in families with low socio-economic status compared to children in families with higher socio-economic status.
- Children who experienced any form of violence in childhood have a 13% greater likelihood of not graduating from high school.
- Adult survivors of childhood abuse are more likely to experience mental health difficulties, including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, PTSD, eating disorders, and substance use disorders.
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