Thomas O Driscoll @Thomasod10 Twitter profile

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Thomas O Driscoll

4 years

Look what just arrived. As someone born into consistent poverty, placed in residential state care as a 7yr old, becoming a dad at 15, leaving school without a JC or LC. Not given a chance by many. Today is one of the sweetest days, I officially have a Masters of Social Work 🎉🎉

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

2 years

As someone born into poverty, placed in residential state care as a 7yr old, becoming a dad at 15, leaving school without a JC or LC. Not given a chance by many. However,at 19 I met Margaret Fitch the belief she instilled in me fundamentally changed my life. Today I celebrate her

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

1 year

➡️2003: Mother unexpectedly passes away, Has more than 12 placement moves while growing up in Foster Care. ➡️2010: Answers an advert in a newspaper for a small role in a film, doesn’t have enough money to pay for the bus to drama college

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

4 years

Some great news today: For the entirety of my childhood (18 years) I had a social worker. As of today, I am now an officially registered Social Worker! I am not what happened to me, but what I chose to become.

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

1 year

➡️This week: attends #GoldenGlobes     after being nominated for Best Supporting actor⚡️ ➡️ @BarryKeoghan 's story of achieving his dreams is one of the creative industry’s most inspirational.

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

3 years

In 30yrs time, our Taoiseach will stand in the Dáil & apologise to survivors of Direct Provision as if we didn't know at the time. We're good at historic apologies; we'd be better served if we treated people in a way that won't require historic apologies that can't undo the past.

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

5 months

Such an incredible good news story coming out of Kerry today. Members of the Traveller Community in Kerry & Longford make the biggest toy donation Crumlin Children's Hospital ( @CHI_Ireland ) has ever received ahead of Christmas🎄. What an incredible gesture - @KerryTravellers 👏👏

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

1 year

That's 51,600 bottles of orange. The tale of elite privilege & working-class oppression articulated so clearly by social justice champion Fr Peter Mc Verry.

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

2 years

There will be people getting Leaving Cert results tomorrow in places you might not expect. Maybe in Oberstown, maybe in our prisons, maybe in state care, or direct provision. Just managing that, against all the odds is much more impressive than any number of points.

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

2 years

Margaret is an lecturer @MTU_ie she was that one caring adult for me. She believed in me when I didn't believe in myself, she listened, she talked, she was always humanistic. She was always personable and truly authentic she was/is #CareAware . #CareDay2022 #ItTakesAVillage

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

2 years

@Maggie_Cusack I word love the opportunity to present her with an outstanding person award. As she truly is, however she is also the most humble. She does richly deserves to be acknowledged, she changed my life course trajectory. In 2020 I obtained my Masters of SW @UCC

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

1 year

In 30yrs time, our Taoiseach will stand in the Dáil & apologise to survivors of Direct Provision as if we didn't know at the time. We're good at historic apologies; we'd be better served if we treated people in a way that won't require historic apologies that can't undo the past.

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

4 months

Love this picture: “I was elected by the women of Ireland, who instead of rocking the cradle, rocked the system.” ~ Mary Robinson. Happy Nollaig na mBan to the women of Ireland keep rocking the system. #NollaignamBan

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

1 year

Today my daughter received her Junior Cert results 🎉 The first generation to achieve a Junior Cert following ingrained intergenerational early school leaving. Words just can't describe how proud I am of this young woman & how privileged I am to be her dad. What a special day.

Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

4 years

Look what just arrived. As someone born into consistent poverty, placed in residential state care as a 7yr old, becoming a dad at 15, leaving school without a JC or LC. Not given a chance by many. Today is one of the sweetest days, I officially have a Masters of Social Work 🎉🎉

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

2 years

📍➡️As someone who spent 11 yrs of my childhood in the state care system due largely to the abuse I suffered in my childhood, viewing this is infuriating. Equating mask wearing to child abuse minimizes real child abuse. This type of false rhetoric is designed to inflame & incite.

TonightVMTV

@TonightVMTV

2 years

"I'm absolutely raging about it" Journalist Larissa Nolan criticises the introduction of mask-wearing for some primary school children to combat the spread of coronavirus #TonightVMTV

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

2 years

The government give €88m a year to the Horse & Greyhound Racing industry. They only give €30m to refuges for victims of domestic violence. In 2020 domestic violence refuges had to turn away 2,159 requests for help because they didn't have enough rooms #RTEInvestigates #rtept

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

1 year

As a child, I spent the majority of my childhood in Residential State Care. Words can't suffice on the impact of this ad, Raising awareness of children in care and fostering. So powerful. Thank you @JohnLewisRetail ❤️ @whocaresscot ❤️

John Lewis & Partners

@JohnLewisRetail

1 year

It’s the things we do that mean the most. 🛹 #TheBeginner

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

10 months

Today is my daughter's 16th birthday🎉 My world changed the day she was born I dropped out of school at 14 without even a Junior cert. At 15 when she was born & I returned to education, fast forward to 2020 i obtained my Masters of Social Work. I am so immensely proud of her.

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

3 years

I didn't do a Junior Cert nor a Leaving Cert & never applied to the #CAO . However, in 2011 I completed a PLC course. In 2015 I completed my Honours degree in Youth & Community at @MTU_ie . In 2020 I completed my Masters of Social Work at @UCC . There are so many different routes!

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

9 months

There will be people getting Leaving Cert results tomorrow in places you might not expect. Maybe in Oberstown, maybe in our prisons, maybe in state care, or direct provision. Just managing that, against all the odds is much more impressive than any number of points.

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

10 months

➡️13 yrs ago today, I completed a Youthreach Programme following leaving school after 1st year without a JC or LC & becoming a dad at 15 🌱 The seeds that were planted while in Youthreach blossomed in 2020 when I graduated with a Master's of Social Work from @UCC @SimonHarrisTD

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

6 years

The feeling of getting your results from 1st semester of Social Work Masters & passing everything! I may have left school at 14, I may have spent childhood in residential care system and became dad at 15, But with hard work, passion and commitment one can achieve! #Believe

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

1 year

A child living in poverty aged three years has 400 words, while a rich child - if a child can be rich at the age of three years - has 1,200. Even at the earliest stage, a disadvantaged child has a major gap to close (Figures Hart and Risley 1995).

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

9 months

The longer I work in social work, the more & more I’m constantly reminded that two of the most harmful factors affecting families (if not the most harmful factors) are poverty & intergenerational trauma.

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

4 years

From the care system to a Masters of Social Work - with caring adults, supportive structures and spaces to develop our emotional intelligence we can fulfil our potential. A special thanks to @KittyHollandIT / @IrishTimes Here is a little of my story:

Social worker overcomes poverty to graduate with master’s degree

Kerry native lauds commitment of one social worker, mother’s love and youth workers

www.irishtimes.com

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

2 years

In Ireland, 68% of Children who are in Residential Care are in placements run by Private for Profit Companies. 85% of older people in residential care are in a private nursing homes. The outsourcing & privatization of care must be ended.

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

2 years

Did you know between 2005 and 2014 - The HSE closed nearly 50% of the Residential Care Units that they managed from 86 in 2005 to 45 in 2013 and closed all high support units where there were 93 beds by 2014. What has been the impact of this decision in 2022? 🤔⬇️

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

2 years

📍Did you know: Unaccompanied children who come to Ireland to seek asylum are being removed from their foster families & placed in direct provision when they turn 18 if they don't receive a decision on their asylum application. ➡️ This inhumane practice must end @rodericogorman

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

2 years

I believe we must create a care system where Every young person truly feels seen, heard and is loved. I believe a root and branch care review needs to happen in Ireland so we can create a care system that puts love at its centre @rodericogorman .

'Every child deserves to be loved. At the moment, I'm not sure the care system really does that'

As Care Day takes place across the world today, care leaver and qualified social worker Thomas O’Driscoll reflects on an Irish system that he says is lacking love, and in desperate need of reform.

www.irishexaminer.com

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

2 years

What an incredible response!! Thank you all for such lovely comments. It would be so fitting to see @SimonHarrisTD - Minister for Further and Higher Education acknowledge Margaret who epitomizes that ''one caring, adult'' and is an expectational holistic educator.

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

1 year

Yesterday 6 years ago this article was published. Fast forward 6 years: I have obtained my Masters of Social Work from @UCC (I left school without a JC or LC). My beautiful daughter is turning 16 next month & yesterday I was selected for @dcediy - Care Experienced Expert Panel✨

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

3 years

Delighted today to receive official confirmation that I have been awarded a bursary from @tusla under the championing educational initiatives for young people with care experience. The bursary enables me to undertake the postgraduate diploma in trauma studies @UCC

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

2 years

Love this quote. My view of working with young people is to see beyond the here and now. Beyond the behaviour that is in front of me, beyond the barriers that they have rightly put up around themselves, beyond this moment in their lives. We have to look beyond.

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

2 years

If society were to understand that drug addiction is a symptom based on childhood loss and trauma, then we would be examining the conditions of childhood and asking ourselves ‘what is it that people need for healthy childhood development’ (1/2).

Action on childhood trauma ‘could help solve drug death crisis’

Better understanding of childhood trauma could hold the key to tackling Scotland’s drug death crisis, it has been claimed.

www.heraldscotland.com

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

1 year

Cause I Ain't Got a Pencil: I woke myself up Because we ain't got an alarm clock Dug in the dirty clothes basket, Cause ain't nobody washed my uniform Brushed my hair and teeth in the dark, Cause the lights ain't on Even got my baby sister ready, Cause my mama wasn't…

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

2 years

The work of healing children is best done through the healing of parents. I strongly agree with this statement and one of the reasons I left child protection social work to take up a role in a family support project.

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

2 years

@Dailigh @ClareOC_ Thanks. She's the first person to say that to me always.

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

1 year

Today is #CareDay2023 ! A global celebration of the care experienced community. Today I celebrate 7-year-old Thomas who was placed in Residential State Care, yet despite his many adverse childhood experiences & trauma,

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

10 months

This.

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

2 years

A privilege today to speak at the National Youthreach Annual conference. I came to Youthreach as a 16-yr-old father of a 2 yr old without a Junior cert, a childhood spent in state care, and very few caring adults in my life. Youthreach changed my life course trajectory @NAYCEXEC

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

2 years

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

1 year

A child living in poverty aged three years has 400 words, while a 'rich' child aged three years - has 1,200. Even at the earliest stage, a disadvantaged child has a major gap to close (Hart and Risley 1995). The children of wealthy, well-educated parents & the children raised in…

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

8 months

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

3 years

Great to get on @UCC campus today to officially celebrate my Masters of Social Work Graduation. Such a special day with my daughter & family. What a journey it has been. Congratulations to the class of 2020. Special thanks to @UCC @uccsocialwork & @johbees for making this happen.

Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

4 years

Look what just arrived. As someone born into consistent poverty, placed in residential state care as a 7yr old, becoming a dad at 15, leaving school without a JC or LC. Not given a chance by many. Today is one of the sweetest days, I officially have a Masters of Social Work 🎉🎉

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

4 years

Thank you all so much for such kind words & well wishes. I am truly humbled. Last week I completed an interview with @KittyHollandIT of the @IrishTimes which is forthcoming. At 14 I couldn't read properly, today at 28, three degrees hang proudly on my wall 👌✅

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

1 year

Did you know? Children aged 16 & 17 living in Residential Care/Children’s Homes are 15 times more likely to be criminalized than other children of the same age. Instead of being criminalized, these children need acceptance, stability, affection, love, and therapeutic support to…

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

2 years

Leaving Cert Results today: I didn't do a formal Leaving Cert nor a Junior Cert having left school at 14, however, in 2020 aged 28 I obtained my Masters of Social Work from @UCC . Not having a Leaving Cert did not define me nor will it You. #LeavingCert2022

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

1 year

We may advocate for Children's rights, but dehumanize them with sector-centric language. There are so many other shitty words that could be added to this list 👇

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

1 year

If children came to school with a visual poster board of what they'd woken to, we'd never expect them to 'just get on with their task.'........

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

4 years

Results day: Masters of Social Work ☑️ What journey it has been, 8 years of college ☑️

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

1 year

@johngeorge1977 Absolutely.

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

4 years

Today I virtually submitted my Master of Social Work Final Dissertation. A great feeling. Privileged to have spent the last number of years at @UCC / @uccsocialwork .

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

2 years

Did you know the average age people leave home in Ireland is 27 years of age -- While Care Experienced young people Must leave at 18. @rodericogorman we must stop suppressed & accelerated transitions for some of our most vulnerable young people leaving care in Ireland.

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

4 years

I spent my childhood in care and got two Ds and an E in my A-Levels - and now I'm doing a Master's degree 'Some teachers would ask me why I still bothered coming to school, and said it might be best to give up now'

My childhood in care made A-levels hard - but now I'm doing a Master's

'Some teachers would ask me why I still bothered coming to school, and said it might be best to give up now'

inews.co.uk

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

6 years

‘'A regular & reliable relationship with a trusted person, available on a daily basis, within the context of children’s lives, is a far bigger priority than meeting a therapist once a fortnight in a remote clinic environment.’' via @DizzyDoodler

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

1 year

It has always interested me that people will say there is a connection between poverty & ‘mental health issues’ & then not interrogate that connection. People in poverty are not mentally ill, they are oppressed, traumatized, isolated from a wealthy society & at times demonized.

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

2 years

'You can’t have a kid who’s lived with daily humiliation & neglect for six years & think your authorization for 20 sessions [of therapy] is going to fix the problem. It’s not & it’s bullshit' - Dr. Bruce Perry ( @BDPerry ) Excellent article, a must-read.

Inside the Bruce Perry Show

Day one of the TIC conference was devoted to the work Perry and his colleagues have done to better understand what therapists, social workers and others can do to help kids who have experienced...

imprintnews.org

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

2 years

🧵- In Ireland, some of the most vulnerable young people Must leave State Care at 18-- if they are not in Education / Training they are Not entitled to the aftercare allowance nor do they even have the most basic statutory rights to aftercare support or independent advocacy.

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

3 years

Delighted to hear from UCC's MSW Course Director today about the least initiative launched by @tusla - the NTRIS Employment Support Scheme specifically in place to support members of the Roma or Traveller communities study Social Work or Social Care.

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

4 years

I dropped out of school after 1st year...After some false starts & working for a time, I realised education was fundamentally the key for me and for a better life for me and my daughter, I began a Youthreach programme & come 2010 after 5 suspensions🙈 I graduated!

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

2 years

'Not everyone that is traumatised becomes addicted, but everyone that is addicted was traumatised' - Gabor Maté

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

5 years

As someone who spent 18 years in the social service system & 9 years in residential care, the language used for the duration of my childhood had a detrimental effect on how I view myself. Please watch & share. @VOYPIC well done all #Powerful

BBC News NI

@BBCNewsNI

5 years

These children who have been in care are on a mission to change the way people talk about them @VOYPIC

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

2 years

When supporting children in care the prevailing question should be: ‘Would this be good enough for one’s own child?’ If the answer is no, there is something wrong.

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

2 years

A reminder that we don't all start in the same place.

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

2 years

Saying that the number of points bears little if any relationship to the success, happiness or quality of journey you might take in life, Its a real shame our narrow banking model of education makes so many young people believe that & so much potential lost. #LeavingCert2022

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

4 years

Following this, an interview I did with @KittyHollandIT of the @IrishTimes examing some of my lived experiences will be in tomorrows paper. From the care system to a Masters of Social Work - with caring adults & supportive structures we can fulfil our potential.

Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

4 years

Look what just arrived. As someone born into consistent poverty, placed in residential state care as a 7yr old, becoming a dad at 15, leaving school without a JC or LC. Not given a chance by many. Today is one of the sweetest days, I officially have a Masters of Social Work 🎉🎉

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

1 year

If society were to understand that drug addiction is a symptom based on childhood loss and trauma, then we would be examining the conditions of childhood and asking ourselves ‘what is it that people need for healthy childhood development.

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

2 years

@Dailigh @ClareOC_ Honours Degree In Youth and Community Work Masters of Social Work (MSW)

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

9 months

🧵- In Ireland, some of the most vulnerable young people Must leave State Care at 18-- if they are not in Education / Training they are Not entitled to the aftercare supports nor do they even have the most basic statutory rights to independent advocacy.

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

10 months

'Young people leaving care are left to “fall off a cliff” when they reach 18 years of age' 'There has been a lot of talk about the Crisis in the care system but there is a Crisis in the aftercare system as well'- @ForsythNeil @AftercareIrl @CraftyReporter

Young people exiting care left to 'fall off a cliff' when they reach 18

The Irish Aftercare Network said there are very few supported aftercare residential services for people not ready to move from care into independent living

www.irishexaminer.com

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

1 year

This cannot be overstated. The longer I work in social work, the more & more I’m constantly reminded that one of the most harmful factors affecting families (if not the most harmful factor) is poverty.

Professor Ahmed Hankir

@ahmedhankir

1 year

This cannot be overstated. The longer I work in psychiatry, the more & more I’m constantly reminded that one of the most harmful factors affecting our mental health (if not the most harmful factor) is poverty.

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@Thomasod10

1 year

'The best social workers I have worked with are not usually the ones who are brilliant with paperwork, know all the theories inside out, or heralded by management as ‘efficient’. Instead, the best social workers tend to be those with real-life experience.

There is a wounded healer inside every social worker

The theory goes that we want to address our own issues by cathartically supporting others in this profession. We are all wounded healers.

www.mysocialworknews.com

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

2 years

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

5 years

There have been some people starting the #LeavingCert today in and/or living in places you might not expect. Maybe in Oberstown, they may be in care or in direct provision. Just managing that and doing the exams, against all the odds is much more impressive than any results.

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

11 months

📍Did you know: Unaccompanied children who come to Ireland to seek asylum are being removed from their foster families & placed in direct provision when they turn 18 if they hadn't received a decision on their asylum application ➡️ This inhumane practice must end @rodericogorman

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@Thomasod10

1 year

➡️ "Almost 70% of Irish prisoners are early school leavers" ➡️ "Many of the prisoners had “suffered extreme levels of social, economic &educational disadvantage" ➡️ "Many prisoners “experienced several adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)"

Almost 70% of Irish prisoners are early school leavers

Many have ‘suffered extreme levels of social, economic and educational disadvantage’, Dáil committee hears

www.irishtimes.com

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

2 years

"I would call on Minister @rodericogorman to leave a truly lasting legacy in office, and undertake a root and branch review, that will create a care system that puts love at its centre”

'Every child deserves to be loved. At the moment, I'm not sure the care system really does that'

As Care Day takes place across the world today, care leaver and qualified social worker Thomas O’Driscoll reflects on an Irish system that he says is lacking love, and in desperate need of reform.

www.irishexaminer.com

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

2 years

On World Mental Health day lots of focus on actions & behaviours of individuals - let’s also acknowledge the structural injustices, lack of investment and wider social determinants which impact on people’s mental health every day. #WorldMentalHealthDay

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

3 months

''I dedicate this award to Every child in care today or who has been in care or who is suffering or who didn't survive'' ❤️ ''You'll have a family one day and You'll have life beyond what the government statistics have laid out for you, because you matter, so don't give up''❤️

BAFTA

@BAFTA

3 months

A gorgeous speech from Samantha Morton who is awarded the BAFTA Fellowship 👏 #EEBAFTAs

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

1 year

Timeline memories; 3 yrs ago today I handed in my final dissertation on route to my Masters of Social Work from @UCC . What a journey. People like me with my type of lived experiences don't become social workers, but it's people like me needed in social work now more then ever ✨

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

2 years

Monday marks the start of a new chapter. I am returning to Social Work after spending the last year & a half working with the most wonderful team of people @KerryYouth in such a privileged role supporting families & young people.

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

3 years

"The child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel it's warmth." - African Proverb

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@Thomasod10

2 years

Watching back the Joint committee - Engagement with Stakeholders regarding issues relating to Foster Care which took place today, @SenLynnRuane Her very first important point was on Representation and the fact that Birth Parents who have a child in Care were not represented.

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

3 years

Poverty is not about individual failure but the lack of freedom & choices - a result of a class system that we don't talk about.

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@Thomasod10

2 years

📍What if we extended support to those with Care Experience, not just to age 25 but for our whole lives (including the transition to parenthood). The impacts of early adversity doesn't stop at 25. Ongoing support could enable prevention/early intervention in a range of issues.

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

2 years

Based on UK research CHILDREN aged 16 and 17 living in residential care are 15 times more likely to be criminalised than other children of the same age. Instead of being criminalised, these children need acceptance, stability, affection, help and support.

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

1 year

Great Quote 🌱 My view of working with young people is to see beyond the here and now. Beyond the behaviour that is in front of me, beyond the barriers that they have rightly put up around themselves, beyond this moment in their lives. We have to look beyond. We have to become…

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

1 year

I believe passionately Every Child Deserves to be Loved. I don't think that is currently the case for All Children in State Care. I fundamentally believe Ireland must undertake a root & branch Care review. Lead by Care Experienced people. @rodericogorman the time is now.

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

1 year

➡️ #Equality is dividing resources equally but does not factor in differences in need & ability. ➡️ #Equity is not only dividing resources fairly & equally, but also factoring in differences amongst people. ➡️ #Justice is long-term equity. Systemic barriers removed.

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

5 years

@KittyHollandIT If 2 men in a world of more than 7billion people can provide €300m to restore #NotreDame , within 6 hrs, then there is enough money in the world to feed every mouth, shelter every family & educate every child. The failure not to do so is a matter of will & current systems!

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

2 years

What if when describing 'some' young people we stopped using the term 'Hard to Reach' & changed it to; 'Undiscovered to us' For me; Hard to Reach implies blame on the communities themselves, rather than questioning why the organisation/s isn't easily accessible. (1/3)

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

1 year

Myself and the main lady herself.

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

1 year

This absolutely must include parent/s who have a child placed in state care. Parents with a child in care represent a group whose voices are seldom heard (Hojer 2011).

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

5 months

“About 70% of the prison population are early school leavers. If we are serious about giving people a second chance, if we are serious about reducing re-offending than we need to ensure access to education”

Prison officer shortages impacts inmate education programmes

Worst impacted prison so far this year has been Castlerea Prison in Co Roscommon, where there have been 37 full day closures

www.irishexaminer.com

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

2 years

➡️Did you know @HIQA who develops standards, inspects & reviews social care services Do Not inspect private for profit residential care homes for children who are placed in State Care ➡️In 2020 Tusla paid these Private Companies €114,000,000! 📍 @rodericogorman this must change

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

3 years

“If as a social worker you don't believe that person in front of you or sitting across from you is equal to you, there is no way you can practice recognition and respect.” - @AnnaGupta2

Relational Soup

@relationalsoup

3 years

Relational Soup 💝 Most watched films of 2020: TOP 5️⃣ Number 2 Prof Anna Gupta "practice recognition and respect" #mostviewed #top5 #wisdoms #endofyear

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

1 year

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

3 years

'We readily feel for the suffering child, but cannot see the child in the adult who, his soul fragmented and isolated, hustles for survival a few blocks away from where we shop or work' - Gabor Mate

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

2 years

We may advocate for children's rights but dehumanize them with sector-centric language. Shitty words social workers and other 'professionals' should Stop using with children in care: Placement - Alternative - Home/House. Funding - Alternative - Money.

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Thomas O Driscoll

@Thomasod10

5 years

Well done Patrick for pushing through the waves of oppression. I think we not only need to tackle the education system but employment at the same time, Travellers who go onto the third level end up having to hide your identity to get employment.

Patrick McDonagh: On Irish Traveller representation in third-level education | Hotpress

Only 1% of Irish Travellers go on to third-level education. PhD student Patrick McDonagh tells us about his experiences as a Traveller studying in Trinity, ...

www.hotpress.com

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