TIGALA organises national conferences on the issues that are most important for the children we represent.

About the Presenter

Dr. Lisa O’Reilly has a Phd that focuses on the Voice of the Child in Social Work Assessments and Attachment Theory. Lisa worked on the CFA National Development Team from October 2014 - January 2016. The teams were responsible for designing training programmes for all frontline child and family practitioners. Lisa was the project lead on ‘Linking Attachment Theory to Practice’. She designed the programme based on feedback from practitioners nationally with regard to their struggle to apply attachment theory to their work and to use the theory in Court to explain the decisions they were making in respect of children and families. This training will be rolled out to all social workers; childcare leaders and family support workers nationally in 2016-2017. Lisa designed the course to support practitioners to link attachment theory to their work and to be able to use the theory to explain the decisions they were making in the interests of children and families. Lisa is in the analysis stage of a research project that is examining a tool to assess the quality of children’s attachment relationships to their caregivers. Tigala guardians are participating in research to explore the assessment, collation and presentation of attachment information in childcare proceedings.

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Aim of Seminar

The seminar aims to look at the role of attachment theory when making decisions in the best interests of children and families. It is crucial that all professionals involved in decision making processes have a common understanding of attachment theory as it is the key theory that supports our understanding of the quality of the child-parent relationship. It is envisaged that participants will be guided through the theory and provided with concrete examples of its importance in protecting children and ensuring they have the opportunity to reach their full potential.

Tigala invite the key stakeholders involved in promoting the best interests of children and families to attend this learning seminar. The seminar aims to promote a common language that is clear and constructive in child care proceedings. In addition, it will provide a platform for views and expectations to be shared in relation to using Attachment Theory in the Courtroom.

Please take a moment to have a look at our training videos. They are very informative and presented by experts in their respective fields

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Part One

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Part Two

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Part Three