The 10th National Child Protection and Welfare Social Work Conference will take place on the 24th of October 2025 at UCC. This conference is a not-for-profit partnership between frontline child protection and welfare staff in TUSLA, the Irish Association of Social Workers, and University College Cork (@UCCsocialwork, School of Applied Social Studies). 

Social work practice in child protection, child welfare and alternative care is a constantly evolving field of professional practice with rapid changes in policy, practice, legislation, structures, and statutory systems. Child protection and welfare social workers collaborate with professionals, services, and representative groups to identify and promote the health, development and welfare of children and families, and to enhance social justice.

We welcome papers on the conference's main theme: Child Protection and Children’s Rights: The Future of Social Work, and related sub-themes:
Education; Diversity and Inclusion; Participatory Practice; Voice of Children and Families; Learning and Development; Policy; Innovative Practice; Legal Issues; Research; Social Justice; Lived Experience; Technology; Artificial Intelligence; Advocacy; Multidisciplinary Working.

Opens: 21st February 2025. Closes: 11th April 2025. Decisions: end of May 2025.

The conference committee invites experts by experience, practitioners, academics, researchers, managers, representative groups, policy-makers, community groups, and social commentators to submit on the theme for this conference. The conference is open to all disciplines and services. We especially welcome papers from practitioners that reflect upon challenges and innovations arising in everyday practice in child protection and welfare. Abstracts must explicitly address the conference theme.