The Problems with Outcome Based Accountability (2)

Prof Ann Marie Gray (Ulster) – A relatively new and common feature of the devolved administrations in the UK has been the emergence of outcome based frameworks as key components of their policy making processes. An outcome based approach was signalled by the Northern Ireland Government in 2015 as an ambitious approach which would be … Read more

How will the Mental Capacity (Health, Welfare and Finance) Bill work in practice?

Dr Gavin Davidson (QUB): This presentation will use case examples to demonstrate how the proposed Mental Capacity Bill will provide a comprehensive framework for supported and substitute decision making, for people whose decision-making ability is impaired, in Northern Ireland. The case examples will cover both civil and criminal justice aspects of the new law across … Read more

To Keep a Person in Their Own Wee Corner: An Exploration of the Roles, Responsibilities and Services Provided by Home Helps and Domiciliary Care Workers in a Large Health and Social Care Trust

Dr Kevin Moore (Ulster): Worldwide demographic trends indicate an expansion in the older person population and an increasing need for home-based social care provision. At the same time a number of factors impact on the ability of family members to provide informal care; and there is expected to be a reduction in the numbers of … Read more

The role of the hospice volunteer in two community settings

Jan Draper, George Kernohan and Aine MacNamara (OU and UU): In the United Kingdom, there are between 70,000 and 100,000 hospice volunteers, of whom half have direct patient contact. This presentation will draw on a commissioned literature review that highlighted how ‘volunteering is integral to voluntary action and often motivated by altruism.’ The review concluded … Read more

A time of transition: family caregiving, older people and long-term care

Dr Assumpta Ryan (Ulster): This presentation will bring together the findings from a range of qualitative and mixed methods studies on family caregiving and entry to long-term care from the perspective of older people and their families. The changing philosophy surrounding the provision of health and social care across Europe has resulted in a shift … Read more

Delivering effective enterprise education – the role of learning design and technology

Professor Pauric McGowan (UU), Dr Richard Blundel (OU) and Dr Kristen Reid (OU): Public policy statements on enterprise and entrepreneurship education have emphasised its importance in relation to the promotion of economic growth, community development and resilience. However, there is continuing debate over the nature, scope and effectiveness of existing approaches. For example, a recent … Read more

Creative Little Scientists

Professor Teresa Cremin (OU): This presentation is based on a comparative study funded by the European Union, which works across the four nations of the UK and eight other participating countries: Belgium, Finland, France, Greece, Germany, Malta, Portugal, and Romania. The project (2011-14) focuses on the relationships and synergies between science and mathematics education and … Read more

Realising potential: Widening participation in Science and Technology

Professor Nigel J Mason (OU): The United Kingdom, like most of Europe, is struggling to attract its younger generation into Science Engineering Technology and Mathematics (STEM). This presentation will examine a number of issues: How can we both improve uptake of STEM at schools and universities, and ensure subsequent careers are attractive to the next … Read more

We asked for workers, but human beings came’: Mental health and well-being of Polish migrants in Northern Ireland

Dr Anne Kouvonen, Dr Justyna Bell and Dr Michael Donnelly (QUB): This presentation will discuss our research in mental health and well-being of Polish migrants – the largest ethnic minority in Northern Ireland (NI) (Census 2011). Our findings suggest that many Polish migrants are still in a process of adapting to NI society and there … Read more

Lost generations’? Taking the longer view on Northern Ireland migration

Dr Johanne Devlin Trew (Ulster): Between 2004 and 2008, immigration to Northern Ireland rose to unprecedented numbers and the issue of how the newcomers could be accommodated here became a ‘struggle’ for local authorities and featured prominently in the local media. Since then, however, immigration has declined significantly to the point where by 2012, Northern … Read more