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The emergence of interprofessional supervision has occurred since the early 1990s (Davys and Beddoe, 2010). This form of supervision is also referred to as ‘multi-disciplinary’ (Gillig and Barr, 1999), ‘cross disciplinary’ (Hair, 2013; Hutchings, Cooper and O Donaghue, 2014), ‘multi professional’ (Mullarkey, Keely and Playle, 2001), and ‘cross professional’ (Holton, 2016) within the literature field. Davys, Fouche, and Beddoe note that interprofessional supervision offers a rich opportunity for learning and development for professionals who are practising as or aspire to practice as reflect transformative practitioners (2021, p.136).

The value of this form of supervision has been cited as providing professionals with an alternative perspective that can lead to increased creativity and promote critical thinking (O’Donoghue, 2004; Hutchin, 2012, Beddoe, 2012). Discourse relating to the challenges of this form of supervision clearly articulate that interprofessional supervision practice must align to the wider organisational culture, reflect policy and regulation, and be cognisant of professional practice guidelines (Hutchings, Cooper and O’Donoghue, 2014).

The principle aim of this mixed-method study is to explore professionals lived experience of interprofessional supervision in community based family support services, and to examine what they need from interprofessional supervision to support them in achieving better outcomes for children and families.

Delores holds a MA in Family Support Studies and a H. Dip in Teaching and Learning for Higher Education. She has also obtained specialist Diploma’s in Supervision across Professions and a Diploma in Expressive Arts Therapy. Delores has many years experiences managing and supervising staff working in community based family support services. 

Email: Delores Crerar – d.crerar2@universityofgalway.ie

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Sibling relationships are usually the longest lasting and most enduring of all intimate family based relationships (Meyer, 2009). The inter-relational bond between siblings typically develops from birth onwards and can extend across the life-course. Nevertheless, sibling relationship dynamics can be strongly impacted when a sibling has a disability (Strohm, 2014). Family dynamics and routines change within the family and relationships between siblings can become more complex. Family patterns may frequently change in response to the specific care needs of a child with a disability. In some instances, siblings may provide vital support or undertake caring activities alone or alongside a parent for their sibling with a disability in order to help fill a care demand in the home.

A vast majority of siblings will maintain a high level of involvement in the lives of their sibling(s) with a disability across the life-course, often exceeding that of parents or service providers (Meyer and Vadasy, 2014; Strohm, 2014). Existing research indicates that young people with caring responsibilities (young carers) fare worse in many areas of their lives than their non-carer peers (Becker & Becker, 2008; Arnold & Heller, 2018). Moreover, there is relatively little known about the direct and indirect challenges faced by a subgroup of sibling carers who provide care exclusively for their sibling(s) with a disability in Ireland, as research in this area is quite limited and underdeveloped.

The principal aim of the study is to explore sibling’s perspectives of their lived experience growing up alongside a brother or sister with a disability in an Irish context. As the study is interested in understanding sibling’s experiences from their own frame of reference, a qualitative research design was selected using a narrative approach in order to capture in-depth and detailed information in relation to the research topic under exploration and to address the current gap in Irish social scientific literature.

Paula holds a BA (Hons) in Psychology & Sociology, Psychology (H.Dip) and a MA in Health Sciences from the National University of Ireland. Paula has many years experience working alongside families of children with chronic illness, special health issues and disability. Paula also has a professional background working within the NGO and charitable sectors as a health promotion practitioner facilitating family, child and youth development programmes and initiatives in educational and community based settings.

E: Paula Jennings -  p.jennings5@nuigalway.ie

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Adolescence is a difficult stage in the life of every youth because it is not only a time of extreme change and conflicts confronted with different lifestyles, ideologies, and values but also a transitional period between childhood and adulthood when they are clashing about their identity, asking ‘who am I’. Identity involves synthesizing the various parts of oneself i.e., goals, social roles, relationships into a coherent whole, so it is a period when youths begin to consolidate their self-perceptions into a coherent view of themselves. Marcia (2002) talks about the fourth personality structure of identity as the stage where teenagers face the psychosocial crisis of finding their identity. Child Migration Matters (2016) described identity as being a “massive issue” for young migrants as they struggle to find a sense of their own identity and who they are. My first-hand experience as a migrant parent of a child growing up in Ireland as well as being in supporting, mentoring, and coaching relationships with other African/Irish adolescents ignited my interest in this research. They have always presented the confusion around their identity and where they belong; they constantly express struggling with ‘fitting in’ here and this struggle has led to a lot of them emigrating from Ireland.

The purpose of my research is to explore the concept of ‘identity’ amongst African/Irish youths and to understand the processes they pass through in attaining their true identity. Researchers and theorists state that an individual's identity, especially adolescents’ identity is influenced by the people around them and the environment in which they live. This research will carry out a review of the theories and research within the identity/psychosocial development and bioecological approaches. Semi-structured interviews will be conducted amongst Africa/Irish youth to explore their experiences in identifying ‘who they are’ and their struggle in pursuit of ‘true identity’. It will also explore how the influence of family beliefs/ideologies/religion/customs, peer pressure, school and the environment affect their pursuit for true identity (Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2006). The study will also explore experiences of practitioners and experts from around the world with regards to identity development among migrant youth to make recommendations for policy and practice in Ireland.  

While my interests in migrant issues are vast, I have found special interests in migrant children and youths especially around ‘growing up’ as a minority group and their path to identifying and attaining their identity. I discovered that these issues, the theories, and concept satisfy my intellectual curiosity and provide a meaningful methodological foundation. Therefore, it is from this theoretical perspective and challenging background that I am carrying out my PhD in Child and Youth research at the Child and Family Research Centre, National University Ireland, Galway. One of the interesting aspects of this research and past ones is the ability to place the ideas in the background of current events and emerging issues such as identity clash, empathy, and migrant experience.

 ‌   E: h.ogbu2@uigalway.ie

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