St. Clare’s & St. Louise’s Units
Joint Conference 2017
The Sexual Abuse of
Children in a Cyber Context:
Considerations and
Guidance for Professionals
Friday March 10th, 2017, Cusack Stand,
Croke Park Convention Centre
8.45am— 4:30pm [€85 Parking and lunch included]
[Student Rate €75]
[Early Bird €75 until 17th February 2017]
Places are limited, early booking is advised
CPD attendance certificates awarded to all delegates
Conference Theme
The Sexual Abuse of Children in a Cyber Context: Considerations and
Guidance for Professionals
As professionals, we have all experienced first-hand the impact that societal
change has on the children and families with whom we work; and as
professionals, we are adept at developing our practice to continually work in
an ever changing arena. However, in recent years the changing landscape
created by the digital age has been unprecedented and there is a sense
that; we as professionals are playing catch up to the development of new
technologies. This conference has been organised with the intention of
inviting discussion and providing information and practical guidance to
professionals on the challenges and opportunities that we are now faced
with.
Some of the areas the conference intends to cover include;

The grooming of children with a focus on grooming online.

Issues surrounding cyber activity between peers for example, the
sharing of explicit images, cyber bullying.

The positive and negative impact that technology can have on mental
health, from a clinical perspective.

The criminal investigation of cyber abuse in Ireland.

A developmental and societal perspective on child sexual abuse and
where cyber abuse fits with this.

The Irish context of online child sexual abuse.

Assessment and Therapeutic considerations to hold when working
with young people and families who have experienced abuse.

Information on how young people can protect themselves online.
Programme
8.45 - 9.15
Registration and Refreshments
9:30
Conference Opening: Keith O’ Reilly
Director, St. Clare’s Unit
9.45
Opening Address: Dr Niall Muldoon
Ombudsman for Children
10.15
Keynote: Prof. Anne Marie Mc Alinden
11:15
Refreshments
11:45
Workshops
13:00
Lunch
14:00
Keynote: Mark Smyth
15.00
Refreshments
15:15
Panel Discussion: Question & Answer
16:15
Conference Closing: Dr. Aoife Twohig
Director, St. Louise’s Unit
Keynote Speakers
Prof. Anne-Marie McAlinden:
Anne-Marie McAlinden is a Professor of Law and Criminal Justice and
Director of Research in the School of Law at Queen’s University Belfast
where she has taught modules on Sex Offending, Evidence and Criminal
Justice Processes. She is an expert in the area of sexual offending against
children and has over 50 publications, including 3 books, on the use of
restorative justice with child sexual abuse, institutional child abuse, and
grooming.
Her first book, The Shaming of Sexual Offenders: Risk, Retribution and
Reintegration (Oxford, Hart Publishing, 2007) was awarded the British Society
of Criminology Book Prize 2008 for the best first sole authored monograph
published in the discipline in the previous year. Her second sole-authored
monograph, ‘Grooming’ and the Sexual Abuse of Children: Institutional, Internet
and Familial Dimensions was published in 2012 as part of the prestigious
Clarendon Studies in Criminology series by Oxford University Press and drew
on empirical research funded by the British Academy. As Principal
Investigator (with Prof Shadd Maruna, Rutgers University, and Mark
Farmer, NOMS) she recently completed a 3-year ESRC funded study on
‘Understanding Sex Offender Desistance’ which involved interviews with
over 30 convicted sex offenders who had committed a range of sex
offences against children; and is currently Senior Co-Investigator on a
further ESRC funded project on ‘Apologies and Abuses and Dealing with
the Past’ where one of the case studies is institutional child abuse. Her
fourth book entitled ‘Children as “Risk”’ which examines peer-based
sexual exploitation and abuse will be published by Cambridge University
Press in 2017.
Mark Smyth:
Mark Smyth is a Senior Clinical Psychologist with Dublin North City &
County Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service in Swords. He has
spent much of his career working with young people in the care of the
state and those who have come to the attention of the juvenile justice
system.
Mark currently specialises in working with adolescents with mental
health difficulties, particularly those who struggle with anxiety,
self-harm and suicidal thoughts and urges. Key to this is trying to
understanding the young person’s identity, both online and offline and
how this can influence their wellbeing and mental health. The first
challenge for professionals is how, in a non-judgemental way, to assist
young people in minimising their risk while exploring their online
identity formation. The second challenge for professionals is
developing our own awareness of the benefits and pitfalls of the online
world and how it integrates with our professional roles.
Workshops
Delegates will have the opportunity to attend a
workshop session. Spaces are limited to 30 per
workshop so that the workshops are as interactive as
possible. Workshops will be allocated by the organisers
at the time of booking, on a first come first served
basis. Please indicate which workshop you would
like to attend on the booking form. Please rank a
number of preferences.
A) Navigating the Familiar in an Unfamiliar
Landscape- An exploration of the themes that arise
when working with children and families affected
by sexual abuse in a cyber context. Ms Angela
Holden, Psychotherapist and Ms Diane Hanly, Senior
Social Worker and Family Therapist: St Clare’s Unit.
B)
Making Meaning in Play Therapy - An
experiential exploration of how Play Therapy
facilitates the expression of the complex emotional
world of traumatised and maltreated children. Ms
Brenda Kirley, Play Therapist and Ms Carol Sheridan,
Play Therapist: St Louise’s Unit.
C) Friend, Foe or Fantasy? Thinking about the
journey to childhood sexual abuse online. Ms Leanne
Gibney, Assistant Psychologist, Dr Leanne Gregory,
Senior Clincial Psychologist and Ms Noelle O Keefe,
Counselling Psychologist, Professional Coach and Play
Therapist: St Louise’s Unit.
D) An exploration of the profiles of young people
who have exhibited sexually abusive behaviourCould Interactive Technologies be a possible
pathway to sexually harmful behaviour? Ms Rhonda
Turner, Principal Clinical Psychologist, and Ms Judy Mc
Carthy Principal Social
Worker: Sexually Harmful
Behaviour Service (SHBS) for Children and Adolescents,
TUSLA.
E) Criminal Investigation of Online Child Exploitation
– Recent trends noted by Gardaí working in the area
of online child exploitation: Mike Smyth, Detective
Sergeant, Online Child Exploitation Unit (OnCE), Garda
National Protective Services Bureau.
F) Growing up in a Digital World- Awareness for
parents, educators, practitioners and all who work
with children and young people: Wayne Denner,
Speaker, Author, Entrepreneur
Booking Form
Name:
__________________________________________________
Title:
__________________________________________________
Agency:
__________________________________________________
Address:
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
Telephone: __________________________
Email:
___________________________
Special Dietary Requirements: __________________________________
Workshop Title
Please rank, in order of preference, the workshop you would most like to attend:
Please input the letter and title of the workshop as listed on the previous page.
1st preference.__________________ 2.________________ 3.________________
4._________________
5. __________________
6.___________________
Workshops will be allocated by the organisers at the time of booking, in order of
payment received.
Method of Payment:
Bank Transfer €_____
Reference Number ______________
Cheque/postal order enclosed for €_______
Conference Fund )
(Made payable to: Child Abuse
Standard Rate €85 ________ Student / Early Bird €75 (17th February 2017) ______
Date Paid:_______________
Booking Details
Booking Forms & Enquiries to: The Administration Team, St.
Clare’s Unit, Temple Street Children’s University Hospital,
Dublin 1
Tel: 01-8745214 Email: [email protected]
For ease we ask that the completed booking for is returned via
email to [email protected]
Conference Fees:
Rate €85 Student €75 Early Bird– 17th February 2017- €75
Payments accepted by Bank Transfer or Cheque
Account Name: Child Abuse Conference Fund
Account Number: 95336542
Sort Code: 90 - 00 - 17
IBAN: IE92 BOFI 9000 1795 3365 42
BIC: BOFIIE2D
Branch: Dublin - 2 College Green
Fees must be received at the time of booking. Registrations
without fees will not be secure until payment is received. Places are
limited and will be filled on a first come first served basis.
**If paying by online bank transfer please state the attendees
name(s) as the payment reference and state the reference
number given by the bank at the time of transaction on your
booking form.
CPD:
Certificates of attendance can be provided with prior notice for any
discipline.
Who Should Attend:
This Conference will be of interest to anyone working with children,
parents, adults or families in the areas of child and adolescent mental
health, child protection, specialist services, foster care and residential
care. Experience of working in the area of sexual abuse is not
necessary.
The Units would like to take this opportunity to thank our
professional colleagues for your support and
inter-agency cooperation.