Clare Lynch
Limerick,Ireland
Summary
I am a CORU-registered Social Worker with over nine years’ experience working with children, adults and families across acute hospital, rehabilitation, disability and community services and I currently work as a Social Work Team Leader within Children's Disability Network Services (CDNT) in East Limerick. Throughout my career, I have been committed to providing person-centred psychosocial support, advocacy and leadership and I would welcome the opportunity to bring these skills to ABI Ireland.
Overview
11
11
years of professional experience
5
5
years of post-secondary education
1
1
Certification
Work history
Social Work Team Leader
Avista Children's Disability Services
East Limerick
2025.08 - Current
- Provide evidence-based social work services to children and young people aged 0-18 with complex needs arising from disabilities in collaboration with families, carers, and interdisciplinary teams, utilising person centred and family centred practice.
- Supervise Basic Grade Social Workers and managing complex caseloads while drawing on reflective practice to support best practice.
- Work collaboratively with the HSE Children and Adults Disability Case Managers to coordinate supportive services such as respite, residential placements and outreach services to support the care planning.
- Complete risk assessments and safeguarding intervention while working closely with TUSLA and other external agencies.
- Establishing networking links and groups with community agencies such as housing, medical, mental health, primary care and family support services to provide a wrap around level of supports for families.
- Adding to service provision and delivery by establishing gaps in service and developing initiatives. EG. As part of the baby pathway, I recognised many parents were isolated and navigating the grief and loss of a new diagnosis and so set up a baby massage class to encourage parent peer support and education.
- Contribute to the Recruitment of staffing.
- Active member of the Course Advisory Group with TUS Shannon to support the Master of Social Work programme and meeting the CORU requirements. I have presented to students.
- Employed as a Tutor with University College Cork to supervise and support students on practice placement. Facilitate group and individual tutorials and utilising reflective practice frameworks. Offering support to practice teachers and students and contribute to the grading of academic assignments.
Senior Social Worker
North Tipperary Children's Disability Network Team
Nenagh, Tipperary
2021.05 - 2025.08
- Allocated Senior Social Worker working with children from 0-18 years old who present with a complex disability. Completing psychosocial, needs and risk assessments to offer individualised support to children and families.
- Supervising Basic Grade Staff and overseeing their caseload and providing support with complex cases. Promoting training opportunities within the service to enhance CPD.
- Contributed to the recruitment and interviewing process of new staff.
- Ensuring family centred and person centred practice to all interventions.
- Completing Business Cases and reports to the HSE Disability Managers to request funding and resources for respite/residential care and community/home respite supports to support to sustain family support and placements.
- Work closely with respite co-ordinators in implementing respite supports for families and completing risk assessments to escalate the need for supports to Management.
- Advocating for the rights and needs of children and young people with additional needs and ensure their voices are heard, drawing on strengths based and family centred practice.
- Identifying gaps in service provision and advocate for future service developments to support the needs of children and young people with complex needs. Eg I set up parent support groups and Sibshops.
- Offer a high standard in relation to assessment, diagnostic, therapeutic supports from early years to school leavers.
- Participating in the delivery of training and group work opportunities for children and young people with complex needs, families, staff and external groups.
- Providing child protection awareness and support to the interdisciplinary team with managing child protection concerns and mandate reporting. Acted as Designated Liaison Officer.
- Promoting inclusion for children and young people with complex needs and their families to ensure their rights for access and equality to services, in line with the Progressive Disability Services Model.
Medical Social Worker
University Hospital Limerick
Limerick
2019.06 - 2021.05
- Attachments covered: Stroke and Trauma, Neurology, Duty, Emergency Department, Paediatric and Maternity Care.
- Responding to the adverse psychosocial needs of those including supporting those impacted by a traumatic and non-traumatic brain injury, stroke and trauma, pregnant mothers, babies, children, adults and the ageing population.
- Completing comprehensive risk and need assessments and psychosocial assessments, interventions and supporting the discharge planning of patients throughout their medical journey.
- Providing a duty service to UHL and responding to cases featuring risk, child protection, homelessness, domestic violence, mental health, addiction, crisis pregnancy and safeguarding.
- Providing therapeutic and counselling support to children, adults and families. Drawing on core social work theories and approaches such as person-centred approach, strengths perspective and solution focused theory.
- Facilitating family meetings and case conferences to identify the risk factors and supports required as recommended by all members of the MDT to support the needs of service users.
- Ensuring the patient's voice, preferences and wishes are at the centre of care planning and working in accordance with the Assisted Decision (Capacity) Making Act 2015 and Safeguarding Vulnerable Persons at Risk of Abuse Policy (2014).
- Completed a Practice Teaching placement with University College Cork and have experience supervising students and offering advice and guidance to new staff members.
- Competence and skills in evaluating current practice protocols and contributed towards reviewing practice outcomes and creating Standing Operating Procedures and policies to ensure best practice.
Social Worker (Children and Adults)
St. Michael's House
Dublin 11, Dublin
2018.08 - 2019.06
- Working as part of the interdisciplinary team to provide emotional and practical support to children and adults who present with complex needs.
- Completing comprehensive psychosocial, needs and risk assessments and social work reports.
- Providing initial visits and assessments for screening new referrals, risk assessments and completing Individual Family Service Plans.
- Part of the subgroup in developing the Prioritisation Tool for screening referrals which is now being used nationally within CDNT services.
- Delivered the HSE Safeguarding of Vulnerable Adults at Risk of Abuse Training alongside my SW colleagues to other staff members.
- Supporting the Host Sharing and respite supports for families in need.
- Undertaking assessments with the HSE to support adults transitioning to respite or residential services and accessing appropriate adult services.
- Supported adults day service and facilitated educational training on grief and loss to service users.
- Managed complex cases involving external stakeholders such as TUSLA and mental health services.
- Set up a free English speaking class for parents of children from different cultures and linked closely with local enterprise centre, improvement of service delivery.
Medical Social Worker
Mater Misericordiae University Hospital
Dublin 7, Dublin
2017.10 - 2018.07
- Attachments: Duty (including Neurology, Oncology, ICU, Palliative Care and Bereavement), Emergency Department, Gastroenterology.
- Individual and family work - including completing psychosocial assessments, attending care planning meetings, supportive counselling re: diagnosis of life changing/limiting diagnosis, bereavement and loss/deliberate self-harm.
- Facilitating Care Planning Meetings and expediting complex discharges.
- Multidisciplinary team meetings and development of the acute medical services team.
- Assessment of risk and liaison with statutory services such as HSE Safeguarding and TUSLA. Acted as DLP for the wards.
- Involvement in the annual Children and Adult Remembrance Service, departmental meetings and promotion of the social work role within the acute hospital setting.
- Offered crisis intervention to patients during critical phases of recovery.
- Provided therapeutic support for patients dealing with severe illness or injury.
- Adhered to safeguarding principles to protect service users from risk in accordance with Safeguarding legislation and liaised with Safeguarding teams during inpatient interventions.
Medical Social Worker
Cappagh National Orthopaedic Hospital
Dublin, Dublin
2017.08 - 2017.10
- Attachments: Orthopaedics, Active Rehabilitation Unit, Duty.
- Psychosocial assessment and formulating care plans with the MDT, ensuring patient's voice and preferences were at the the centre of intervention and supporting patients to make informed decisions about their health and care planning.
- Counselling to patients with respect to crisis, trauma and adjustment to life transitions.
- Assisted families in understanding the implications of a diagnosis and providing education with my MDT colleagues.
- Discharge Planning and complex caseload management.
- Developing post rehabilitative patient care pathways with community agencies such as referrals to ABI Ireland.
- Assessment of risk and liaison with statutory services such as HSE Safeguarding and TUSLA.
- Development of the medical social work service, and the specialist MDT in the rehabilitation setting.
- Actively contributing to social work department projects, team development and bereavement service.
Medical Clerical Assistant
Midlands Regional Hospital Mullingar
Mullingar, Westmeath
2015.02 - 2015.09
- Scheduled patient appointments, tests, and procedures in computerized scheduling system.
- Answered telephone to give information to callers, take messages, or transfer calls to appropriate individuals.
- Developed and maintained effective relationships with healthcare staff, patients, and insurance providers.
- Handled daily office operations such as filing, data entry, and inventory management.
- Coordinated physician schedules and maintained patient flow by communicating patient arrivals or delays.
- Copied and charted patient information to create and prepare new patient charts.
- Processed patient registration, medical forms, and release of information requests.
Education
Master of Social Work - Awarded First Class Honours (1.1)
Trinity College Dublin
Dublin 2015.09 - 2017.06
BA - Social Science in Specialised in Social Work and Social Policy (2.1)
University College Dublin
Belfield, Dublin 4 2011.09 - 2014.06
Skills
- Psychosocial assessments
- Safeguarding and Safety Planning
- Individual counselling
- Clinical assessment
- Grief counselling
- Discharge planning
- Parenting education
- Supervisory skills
- Multidisciplinary collaboration
- Client advocacy
- Patient-centered intervention
- Clinical supervision
- Family centred practice
- Academic Research
- Crisis Intervention
Certification
CORU Registered Social Worker SW024463
PUBLICATIONS
‘Exploring the Direct and Indirect Exposure of Domestic Violence on the unborn, preschool and infant'. Presented this article at the EU Convention of Domestic Violence, 2017
Affiliations
- Crossfit
- Running
References
References available upon request.
Timeline
Social Work Team Leader
Avista Children's Disability Services
2025.08 - Current
Senior Social Worker
North Tipperary Children's Disability Network Team
2021.05 - 2025.08
Medical Social Worker
University Hospital Limerick
2019.06 - 2021.05
Social Worker (Children and Adults)
St. Michael's House
2018.08 - 2019.06
Medical Social Worker
Mater Misericordiae University Hospital
2017.10 - 2018.07
Medical Social Worker
Cappagh National Orthopaedic Hospital
2017.08 - 2017.10
Master of Social Work - Awarded First Class Honours (1.1)
Trinity College Dublin
2015.09 - 2017.06
Medical Clerical Assistant
Midlands Regional Hospital Mullingar
2015.02 - 2015.09
BA - Social Science in Specialised in Social Work and Social Policy (2.1)
University College Dublin
2011.09 - 2014.06