Workshop Sessions:
This page provides you with an outline of the content of each of the workshop sessions and also some background information on each of the workshop leaders. To facilitate choice and minimise oversubscription the workshops will be available on both days of the conference, unless otherwise stated.
Gael Strack: – Strangulation Workshop
In this two hour workshop Gael will provide an overview of our current understanding of non-fatal strangulation assaults in the U.S. including the severity and lethality of strangulation, the risk to police officers, the link to other crimes including mass shootings, and resources from the Training Institute on Strangulation Prevention.
Objectives:
1) Increase understanding of why strangulation and suffocation offenses must be treated as felonies and made our top priority
2) Improve system response to the handling of non-fatal strangulation through multi-disciplinary teams
3) Increase awareness about current research, laws, best practices and resources.
Prof. Chan Hellman: The Science and Power of Hope
Hope is an important protective factor that enables individuals and families to thrive. Hope is also an important coping resource to vicarious trauma and burnout among service providers. This workshop will present the science of Hope as a psychological strength in our ability to cope with traumatic experiences and flourish toward future goals.
In particular this seminar with show how:
(1) hope predicts adaptive outcomes
(2) hope buffers the effects of adversity
(3) hope can be influenced and sustained
This workshop will also present “hands-on” tools to assess and nurture hope across the lifespan.
Dr. Geraldine O’Hare: Special Court Perpetrators’ Probation Service
This workshop will focus on work with perpetrators of domestic abuse and highlight the various programmes and interventions that work with offenders. The workshop will also discuss the new problem solving initiatives and early interventions strategies for work with perpetrators of domestic abuse, reflecting on what works within this area of practice.
Geraldine’s biography can be found here
Casey Gwinn: Breaking the cycle of Domestic Violence, a culture of Hope
The vicious generational cycle of domestic violence is perpetuated generation after generation by children who grow up with unmitigated trauma in the home. Casey Gwinn will share the work and vision of Camp HOPE America, the first year-round camping and mentoring program for children exposed to domestic violence. He will present the research on how to increase hope and resiliency in the lives of trauma-exposed children and conduct an interactive session on what types of programs can be successful in Ireland to help break the generational cycle of abuse in families.
John O’Hagan/Rosin Hamill: Local perspective – “Teenlink” Workshop
At this workshop, John and Rosin will present the Teenlink programme, which is designed to give children and young people the opportunity to develop an understanding of what they have experienced, express the emotional impact this has had and communicate this to their non-abusive parent, with a view to planning for their future safety. Also discussed will be the Headspace for Hope programme, which is an early intervention programme for children and young people who have begun to use aggressive behaviours in their most significant relationships.
The workshop will focus on the child’s emotional experience of living with domestic abuse and how this potentially affects their behaviour. Delegates will learn what Foyle Women’s Aid’s experience has been in relation to developing programmes that attempt to address this trauma, and develop a greater understanding of how we can help children and young people resolve what can be overwhelming and conflicting feelings that result from growing up in a family where domestic abuse is present.
John and Rosin’s biographies can be found here
Pascale Franck: European Justice Centre Perspective
During this workshop, Pascale will discuss the development of the Family Justice Centre model in the European region. How does the model adapt to the local situation? What are the experiences of the European Family Justice Centres (FJCs)? What are the lessons learned in the FJCs?
The European Family Justice Centre Alliance facilitates the exchange of best practice, development of methodology and networking. What are the benefits to the work of local FJCs? This workshop will go into some of the European methodology development, such as moral deliberation, multi-focus approach and work with perpetrators.
Pascale’s biography can be found here
Marie Brown MBE: Foyle Family Justice Centre Update
Marie will provide an overview of the progress achieved to date in the establishment of the Foyle Family Justice Centre here in Derry-Londonderry, including the vision, objectives and outcomes for the Centre.
Marie’s biography can be found here
Prof. Stephen Murphy: Women’s Empowerment Programmes from Survivor to Thriver!
At this workshop, Stephen will present on what constitutes a successful Women’s Empowerment Programme, exploring this conversation by looking through the lens of the successful Women’s Empowerment Programmes at the Alameda County Family Justice Centre.
The objectives for the session are to discuss the creating and/or maintenance of a vibrant Women’s Empowerment Programme at a coordinated community response centre such as a Family Justice Centre.
Participants will be able to discuss grant funding of a Women’s Empowerment Programme, Women’s Empowerment curriculum, necessary community partners, necessary staff, the data supporting the efficacy of Women’s Empowerment, trauma-informed programming, job training, skills training, outreach to potential employers, etc. Delegates will learn everything they need to know to begin or modify a Women’s Empowerment Programme at a Coordinated Community Response Centre.
The benefits of attending the session are to learn about Women’s Empowerment, Trauma-Informed Care, Grant Funding of the programme, staff recruitment, creation of curriculum and how to develop the necessary community partners.
Stephen’s biography can be found here
Dr Esther McGuinness: The impact of Student Led University Law Clinics: An Overview
Dr Esther McGuinness is a Senior Lecturer in Law. She holds a degree in law and a PhD from Ulster University and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Authority. In 2004, she undertook further training in Labour Law and Human Rights at the European University Institute, Florence. She worked as a Fellow at the Transitional Justice Institute (TJI) before joining the School of Law as a Lecturer in 2004. A former Acting Head of the School of Law, she is a founding member and Co Director of the Ulster Law Clinic, where she supervises LLM students and practices/advises on all areas of employment law. A qualified mediator, Esther is a founding member of the Law Clinic Derry/Foyle Family Justice Centre, which specialises in providing advice and support to victims of domestic violence and their families.
She is currently engaged in a H2020 project on privacy and the use of big data sets for the collection and retention of information in accordance with the GDPR. She has been a Visiting Professor at Guelph Humber University Toronto, Canada and is currently the Northern Irish Correspondent for the Irish Year Book of International Law and an External Examiner of Employment Law Programmes at Dublin City University (DCU).
Esther’s biography can be found here
Prof. Aisling Swaine: Women in Civil Rights
Domestic Violence and Abuse Disclosure Scheme ‘Our Journey’
The Domestic Violence and Abuse Disclosure Scheme came into effect in Northern Ireland on 26 March 2018.
This Workshop will focus on the Domestic Violence and Abuse Disclosure Scheme within the Northern Ireland context and will reflect on ‘Our Journey’ 1 year from implementation.
Session Objectives:
• Describe the origins/ history of the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme.
• Increase awareness of the process involved in the Domestic Violence and Abuse Disclosure Scheme.
• Describe the challenges/ ethical dilemmas
• Share ‘The Journey’ and future developments.
Day 1 only – Mairead Ferris : Women’s Rights as Human Rights: Abortion Law in Northern Ireland.
Mairead studied Law and Business at the University of Ulster (now Ulster University) graduating with First Class Honours in 2002. After completing her degree, she completed her Solicitor training at the Institute of Professional Legal Studies at Queens University Belfast and was admitted to the role of Solicitors in Northern Ireland in 2004. She has been a practising Solicitor in Northern Ireland since 2004. Mairead’s areas of practice include litigation, criminal, family law, conveyancing and probate. She is accredited to the Law Society of Northern Ireland Children Order Panel and acts as a Solicitor Mentor for the Law Society of Northern Ireland. She was awarded a Masters Degree in Human Rights and Criminal Justice by Queens University Belfast in 2008 and completed a Advanced Diploma in Management Practice in 2014. Mairead has been lecturing law at Ulster University since 2006. In 2008 she completed a Post-Graduate Certificate in Higher Education Practice. She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and was nominated UK Law Teacher of the year in 2016. Mairead is currently researching for a PhD in Law at Ulster University. Her research area is Northern Ireland abortion law. She is investigating the link between Northern Ireland’s colonial past and the current framework of abortion law and policy in the region.
Mairead’s biography can be found here
Day 2 only – Alison McAreavey: Domestic Abuse and Body Worn Video: utility or futility for women’s rights in court?
Allison McAreavey is a PhD candidate at Queen’s University Belfast. Her doctoral research focuses on the utility and impact of police Body Worn Video (BWV) cameras within respective human rights, criminal justice and technological frameworks. To date she has gathered the views of different categories of criminal justice system stakeholders and will now consider how this technology could and should be regulated. Allison is a graduate of the Ulster University Law Clinic and has over 30 years’ experience in the public sector. She is passionate about access to justice research.
Allison’s biography can be found here
Deidre Mahon and Natasha Duddy: Signs of Safety & Domestic Violence Cases
This workshop will focus on how Signs of Safety can be used when working with families where domestic violence is a serious worry. Reflecting on the challenges and how the Signs of Safety approach and the tools within this can assist in providing opportunities to create new ideas in moving forward, aligning families’ and professionals’ views towards a shared goal.
Deirdre and Natasha’s biographies can be found here
Day 1 only – Dr Shauna Page: Female Genital Mutilation as the Basis for Refugee Status: A Particularised Form of Domestic Violence
Dr Shauna Page joined the School of Law and the Transitional Justice Institute of Ulster University as an associate/affiliate in 2006. As a part-time lecturer Shauna has extensive teaching experience, having taught at both Ulster University and Queens University Belfast. Shauna has graduated with both her LLB and LLM master’s degrees and in 2017 she obtained her PhD in Law from Ulster University. Her doctoral research was concerned with highlighting the inconsistent and inadequate treatment of gender-based claims for refugee status by decision-makers, focusing exclusively on the controversial cultural practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Shauna also holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Education and is an Associate of the Higher Education Academy and teaches at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Her research and teaching interests are in the areas of family law, domestic violence, gender-based violence, human rights, and refugee law. Shauna is also involved with the Ulster University Law Clinic which has been launched at the Ulster University Magee campus in partnership with the UU School of Law, UU Science Shop and Foyle Women’s Aid. The new Foyle Family Justice Centre offers innovative, dedicated legal advice and support to victims of domestic violence and their families.
Shauna’s biography can be found here
Day 2 only – Sasha Gillespie: Carers, Social Exclusion and Poverty: Why Women Remain Among the Most Disadvantaged
After a decade employed as a special education teacher, Sasha returned to study at Ulster University gaining LLB and LLM (with Distinction) qualifications. Sasha has particular interest in wider social participation in the context of equality law theory, and feminist perspectives. Her doctoral research focuses on whether the existing legal frameworks impact negatively on carers and leads to social exclusion, poverty and presents barriers to entering in to, or remaining in, employment.
Sasha’s biography can be found here
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