A total of 200 professionals working in domestic violence and child protection will gather at an educational conference in Dublin this week. 

Hosted by business law firm Mason Hayes & Curran (MHC) and the School of Social Work and Social Policy at Trinity College Dublin, the event will take place at the Arts Building in Trinity on Friday, 8 September. 

The conference is aimed at practitioners, including social workers, lawyers, policy makers and support practitioners, who wish to engage with key findings from research, legislation, and practice.

Guardian ad litem

Speakers from TUSLA, Safe Ireland, the Independent Guardian Ad Litem Agency (TIGALA) and the judiciary will focus on key topics, including: 

• • The impact of domestic violence and coercive control on children,
  • The legal framework for domestic violence and child protection,
  • The voice of the child in a domestic-violence context,
  • Interagency collaboration regarding domestic violence,
  • Changes needed to improve outcomes for children and families. 

Over 500 people have completed online training for practitioners who work with families and children experiencing domestic violence. 

Course director Sonya Bruen (health and prosecutions partner at MHC) said: “This conference marks an exciting collaboration between key stakeholders in the domestic-violence and child-protection sector. It is an opportunity for TUSLA, Safe Ireland, Irish judiciary, and child experts to come together and plan for improved responses and interagency collaboration in this important area.”