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Dr. Sinead Whiting

Assistant Professor (Social Studies)
      
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Dr. Sinead Whiting

Assistant Professor (Social Studies)

 SINEAD.WHITING@tcd.ie

 


Sinéad is an Assistant Professor in Social Work, and Practice Education Coordinator, in the School of Social Work and Social Policy in Trinity College Dublin. She holds a PhD from Trinity College Dublin (2023), a Masters in Social Work from University College Dublin (2001), and a BA(Hons) in History from Trinity College Dublin (1998). Sinéad's PhD research was a qualitative study investigating the lived experiences of a group of young adults who grew up in long-term foster care with permanence, in Ireland. Prior to joining the School of Social Work and Social Policy Sinéad had 19 year"s experience working as a social worker primarily in the fields of adoption, foster care and child protection and welfare. Sinead teaches across both the undergraduate and post graduate social work programmes and her teaching includes social work skills and counselling approaches, preparation for practice, developing practice issues such as the use of technology in practice, including use of AI, as well as contributing to teaching within Alternative Care modules. Sinéad is also involved in delivering continuous professional development courses for professional social workers in the areas of practice education and supervision and reflective practice. Sinead welcomes inquiries from potential PhD applicants in the areas of care leaving, permanence in care, youth transitions, experiences of minority groups in care and after care as well as PhD inquires relating to Social Work Practice Education including the experiences of students, practice teachers and agencies of social work placements.
  children in state care   Foster Care   PERMANENCY   Reflective Practice   Social work education, work practice teaching   Social work with children and families   Social work/social work education
Project Title
 The lived experience of of young adults who grew up in foster care with permanence
From
Sept 2016
To
April 2023
Summary
A lack of stability and permanence for young people growing up in long-term out of home care is a common critique of child welfare systems. Legal permanence through the use of adoption gained some priority, however, increasingly relational permanence, defined as an enduring and supportive relationships, is seen as important (Perez,2017; McSherry et al,2016 & 2018). In Ireland many young people raised in long-term foster care continue living with their foster carers even after aging out of care. Only a small number are adopted, and adoption tends to occur in late teen years, by long-term foster carers. Thus, while adoption occurs infrequently, stability within foster placements appears common, leading to young people potentially experiencing either legal or relational permanence. This study will investigate the lived experience of a group of young adults who grew up foster care with permanence, in Ireland. In-depth qualitative interviews with 22 young adults in their 20s were undertaken. Through reflective thematic analysis and including the lens of youth transitions, insights were uncovered that have allowed for a broadening of understandings into how permanence is conceptualised for young people growing up in permanent foster care.
Project Type
PhD Research
Project Title
 Pivot Project Research Consortium
From
May 2020
To
Ongoing
Summary
The Pivot Project Research Consortium is a Community of Practice that was formed with the coming together of six social researchers, from the same school within the one university. The commonality that drew the group together was the impact of the public health measures, put in place to manage the pandemic, upon the process of data collection for each of our research projects. Specifically we were all adapting to the need to pivot to online data collection methods. What evolved was a Community of Practice that facilitated ongoing dialogue, that transcended the use of online data collection, to a deeper conversation about wider methodological, epistemological and ontological issues that were impacting upon each project in diverse but similar ways.
Project Title
 Hybrid Placement Model
From
Aug 2020
To
Dec 2021
Summary
Development of the Hybrid Placement Model in conjunction with Dr Erna O'Connor and social work colleagues in the School of Social Work and Social Policy; Dr Stephanie Holt, Professor Robbie Gilligan, Dr Eavan Brady, Dr Michael Feely, Dr Ruth Elliffe, Dr Susan Flynn, Dr Stan Houston. This model was developed to support social work practice placements to continue in the context of public health measures brought in as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The model demonstrates how practice placements can take place via on-site learning, off-site learning, on-site learning and reflective practice. Each of the CORU/SWRB proficiencies are mapped to the model. The Hybrid Placement Model has been adopted by all HEIs providing social work education in Republic of Ireland.
Project Title
 
From
June 2021
To
Summary
An inter-disciplinary study investigating the experiences of students from allied health and social work professions of undertaking a professional placement during the Covid-19 pandemic. This mixed methods study reports on the students' experiences and suggests a triad of supports were instrumental in supporting the the students during this difficult placement cycle. Findings indicate value of the triad of supports for supporting student placements.
Project Type
Journal Article

Details Date
Reviewer Child Care in Practice 2019
Irish Council of Social Workers in Adoption Member Executive Committee 2018
Member of Trinity Research in Childhood (TRiCC)2017-present
Reviewer Journal of Practice Teaching and Learning 2023
Member of International Research Network on Transitions to Adulthood from Care (INTRAC)
Member of Tusla Adoption Committee for Dublin/Mid Leinster 2023
Details Date From Date To
CORU registered Social Worker 2014 Present
Irish Association Of Social Workers January 2012 Present
Irish Council of Social Workers in Adoption September 2018 Present
Whiting, S., Dorney, L., Rose, J., O'Connor, E., Slavin, P., Kelly, E., Melaugh, B., Feeney, B., National Practice Teaching in Social Work Initiative; a rare opportunity to shape the development of social work student placements and practice teaching in Ireland., Journal of Practice Teaching and Learning, 2023, Journal Article, APPROVED  DOI
Recent developments in aftercare provision in Ireland in, editor(s)Refaeli, T Mann-Feder, V. , , Leaving Care around the world: Twenty years of the International Network on Transitions to Adulthood from Care, 2025, [Brady, E., Gilligan, R., Whiting, S.], Book Chapter, PUBLISHED
O'Connor, E., Whiting, S., Mapping blended learning in social work practice education to national standards - a Hybrid Placement Model Teaching and Learning Resource, Journal of Practice Teaching and Learning, 2023, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Quigley, Duana; Poole, Claire; Whiting, Sinead; O'Connor, Erna; Gleeson, Claire; Alpine, Lucy, University student experiences of work-based placements during COVID-19 pandemic: An inter-disciplinary survey of allied health and social work students., Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, 13, (1), 2023, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
O'Connor, E., Roulston, A., Whiting, S., & Olusa, O.,, Editorial: Special Across Ireland Issue of the Journal of Practice Teaching and Learning, Journal of Practice Teaching and Learning, 20, (2), 2023, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
O'Connor, E., Whiting, S., Gilligan, R.,Holt, S., Brady, E.,Eliffe, R., Feely,M., Flynn, S., Houston, S., McEvoy., P., 'Hybrid Placement Model: A Social Work Teaching and Learning Resource http://hdl.handle.net/2262/96780', TARA, TCD, 2020, -, Protocol or guideline, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text
Whiting, S, Birth Family Connections: the perspective of young adults who grew up in permanent foster care, EUSARF 2021: The Perspective of the Child, Zurich, 1-3 November 2021, 2021, Conference Paper, PRESENTED
Whiting, S, What Difference does Adoption Make: the experiences of young adults adopted as older teenagers from long-term foster care, ICAR7 International Conference on Adoption Research, Milan, 6th-9th July 2021, 2021, Conference Paper, PRESENTED
Whiting, S, Establishing Permanence in Long Term Foster Care: A process of co-creation between young people and their foster carers, International Foster Care Research Network, Brussles, Beligum, 11th-12th September, Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
  

Murphy, N., Rose, J., Feeney, B., Melaugh, B., Kelly, E., O'Connor, E., Byrne-Cummins, J., Dorney, L., Slavin, P., Whiting, S., The Experience of Practice Teaching in Ireland, September, 2023, Report, PUBLISHED
Conlon, Catherine and Antosik-Parsons, Kate and Flynn, Susan and Caffrey, Louise and Byrne, Julie and Whiting, Sinead, , Lessons from Pivoting to Online Interviewing: Ethical and Technical Considerations for Qualitative Researchers following the COVID-19 Pandemic (February 1, 2023). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4345037 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4345037, 2023, Report, PUBLISHED

  


Sinéad's research interests are strongly grounded in her experiences in professional practice and are located in the field of children in care and care leavers, with a focus on experiences of permanence for young people in care, including adoption from foster care. Sinead has a particular interest in themes related to youth transitions and how common youth transitions intersect with issues such as adoption and foster care in early adulthood. She is interested in research relating to the experiences of foster care and adoption for those from the Travelling community and other ethnic minority groups, including experiences of transracial placements and intercountry adoption. Sinead's PhD research examined experiences of permanency and stability for young adults who grew up in foster care, drawing upon qualitative methodologies to understand more about the lived experiences of young adults who grew up in foster care with permanence and using the lens of youth transitions to gain deeper insights into key issues. Sinead's research interests also extend to Practice Education in a social work and interdisciplinary context, contributing to current Irish based research drawing on innovation in the field of practice education, within allied health and social care professions. Underpinning her academic career is Sinéad"s previous career as a social work practitioner, with eighteen years experience across the areas of child protection and welfare, fostering, and adoption. Sinéad"s familiarity with practice has been pivotal in informing her research and her teaching, providing an authorative familiarity with the challenges and rewards of professional practice and the policy and practice context of her field. Sinead welcomes inquiries from potential PhD applicants in the areas of care leaving, permanence in care, youth transitions, experiences of minority groups in care and after care as well as PhD inquires relating to Social Work Practice Education including the experiences of students, practice teachers and agencies of social work placements