Dr Ciarán Murphy

My Care Story: ‘Social workers witnessed my isolation, documented it and did nothing’ - Community Care A care experienced woman recalls the emotional neglect and isolation she endured in foster care, and practitioners' failure to intervene

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Children in care should have choice of where and with whom they live, says MacAlister - Community Care Children's minister Josh MacAlister says giving children placement choice would require having 'lots of excess foster carers'

www.communitycare.co.uk/2025/10/02/c...

£500 million for first ever fair pay agreement for care workers Government invests £500 million into first ever fair pay agreement in major milestone for care worker pay.

£500 million for first ever fair pay agreement for care workers - GOV.UK share.google/tAIV3GsjMBKF...

The Guardian view on child poverty: the scrapping of the two-child benefit cap can’t come soon enough | Editorial Editorial: Extra services for poorer families are welcome, but real progress requires the raising of incomes

The Guardian view on child poverty: the scrapping of the two-child benefit cap can’t come soon enough | Editorial | The Guardian share.google/CeVJo6hjTzmM...

Covid school closures in UK damaged ‘very fabric of childhood’ Inquiry hears of children exposed to pornography and suffering ‘grievous’ harm without protection of schools

Covid school closures in UK damaged ‘very fabric of childhood’ | Covid inquiry | The Guardian share.google/8QIXieLTIxuZ...

Instagram still poses risk to children despite new safety tools, says Meta whistleblower Meta rejects review findings, which claim two-thirds of new features designed to protect young people are ‘woefully ineffective’

Instagram still poses risk to children despite new safety tools, says Meta whistleblower | Internet safety | The Guardian share.google/adtPoecvBt9I...

'The high death rate of mothers involved with children's social care shows we need a new approach' - Community Care

With a third of women who died during, or just after, pregnancy, known to social care, charity Birth Companions is looking to improve the care they get

Article published in Community Care magazine - Geese Theatre Company Our Artistic Director, Andy, discusses our training offer for social workers

If you are interested in #socialwork and #socialworkeducation then you might like to read this article we wrote, with @ciaranmmmurphy.bsky.social, which was published in Community Care this week: www.geese.co.uk/news/article...

Unforgettable Ricky Hatton turned boxing into a spectacle for his vast army of fans The ‘Hitman’ was extraordinary in his fleeting prime with his career bringing adoration and the demons of fame

Unforgettable Ricky Hatton turned boxing into a spectacle for his vast army of fans | Ricky Hatton | The Guardian share.google/fpy44gPT47BW...

'Bridging the theory-practice divide: how theatre can enhance social work education' - Community Care By enabling social workers and students to experience real-world scenarios, theatre-based learning can help prepare them for practice

'Bridging the theory-practice divide: how theatre can enhance social work education' - Community Care share.google/4qOlav4aF9HF...

Boxing champion Ricky Hatton found dead aged 46 Tributes pour in for the Stockport-born boxer.

Devestated to learn this. One of the greatest sportsman and Mancunians of my generation. The most popular British boxer ever. A gentleman and peoples champion. Rip Hitman
www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c2...
Ricky Hatton dead: Boxing champion Ricky Hatton found dead aged 46 - latest updates - BBC News

Nigel Farage faces questions over who funded £885,000 Clacton constituency home A BBC investigation raises questions about how the Reform UK leader's partner paid for a home in his constituency.

‘Five Houses’ Farage has a certain ring. And he owns, or has claimed to own, all of them. Which is four more than Angela Rayner does…
www.bbc.com/news/article...

Cost of children's homes doubles but care can be poor Huge sums spent on children's residential care in England do not represent value for money, says spending watchdog.

BBC News - Cost of children's homes doubles but care can be poor, says report
www.bbc.com/news/article...

Stretford Memorial Hospital, Seymour Grove, c.1930s (Trafford Local Studies). Originally a private house, became Red Cross hospital in WW1, then maternity hospital 1925. I was born there 30 years later (one year before Joy Division's Ian Curtis). Closed 2015.

Union group urges Rachel Reeves to consider wealth taxes TUC boss Paul Nowak says the chancellor should not take "anything off the table" ahead of November Budget.

BBC News - Union group urges Reeves to consider wealth taxes
www.bbc.com/news/article...

'How DfE reforms undermine independence of child protection conference chair role' - Community Care Plans for lead child protection practitioners to chair conferences blur the distinction between investigation and oversight, says Amy Eyers

'How DfE reforms undermine independence of child protection conference chair role' - Community Care share.google/2GAZmNbwsKS3...

Caps on agency social worker pay show significant regional variations - Community Care Highest paying areas have agency social work price caps up to 37% higher than lowest, show Department for Education figures

www.communitycare.co.uk/2025/08/28/c...

I am sickened by the relentless demonisation of refugees.

No refugee underfunded a school.

No refugee closed a hospital.

No refugee took away support from the sick and disabled.

We need solutions not scapegoats. Stop blaming refugees and tax the rich instead!

Corporal punishment carries ‘multiple risks’ to children’s health, says WHO An estimated 1.2bn children are subject to this ‘harmful practice’ each year, affecting physical and mental wellbeing, report finds

Corporal punishment carries ‘multiple risks’ to children’s health, says WHO | Global development | The Guardian share.google/yIHPxbjSWbOH...

Psychiatrists point to the ‘detrimental effects’ of smacking

Psychiatrists point to the ‘detrimental effects’ of smacking | The Independent share.google/TNvIYyUPtw1H...

‘Too hungry to think, too weak to sit upright. Concentration slips away’: the struggle to stay focused as an academic in Gaza It is hard to keep the mind sharp when the body is thin and dehydrated, but solidarity is teaching starving students their thoughts still matter

‘Too hungry to think, too weak to sit upright. Concentration slips away’: the struggle to stay focused as an academic in Gaza | Ahmed Kamal Junina | The Guardian share.google/TemB9d4qc1C5...

'Over ambitious and risk laden': social workers share concerns about children's social care reforms - Community Care

In response to Eileen Munro's critique of the government's children's social care reforms, a group of social workers and managers have their say

Safety and beyond? Exploring children's priorities for their participation in the child protection and welfare process Participation by children and young people is an increasingly important guiding principle in child protection policy and practice, thanks to the influ…

Safety and beyond? Exploring children's priorities for their participation in the child protection and welfare process www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Just 1.5% of Universal Credit claimants are refugees New government statistics have shown that just 1.5% of Universal Credit claimants in Great Britain were refugees.

Just 1.5% of Universal Credit claimants are refugees. Someone should let Nigel Farage and his party know

www.thelondoneconomic.com/politics/jus...

Sheffield campaigners launch bid to buy Moscar Moor for community Moscar Moor is not for sale, but the group hopes to secure it under new Community Right to Buy law.

Campaigners launch bid to buy Moscar Moor, near Sheffield, for community. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

FBI and NSPCC alarmed at ‘shocking’ rise in online sextortion of children Snapchat logged about 20,000 cases last year of adults grooming children online, more than other social media platforms combined

FBI and NSPCC alarmed at ‘shocking’ rise in online sextortion of children | Online abuse | The Guardian share.google/5u87MexJaMJL...

Tuition fees are rising again and nobody is happy – it’s time to actually fix our broken university sector | Zoe Williams The figures simply don’t add up for higher education in England and Wales. Yet delusional politicians from all parties seem intent on avoiding the issue, says Guardian columnist Zoe Williams

Tuition fees are rising again and nobody is happy – it’s time to actually fix our broken university sector | Zoe Williams www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Exploring the contrasting sources of stress and job satisfaction across three different areas of UK statutory social work The UK social work workforce is in a state of crisis, characterised by high vacancy and agency rates, staff sickness and turnover. As such, recent years have seen an increased focus on how the job ...

Full article: Exploring the contrasting sources of stress and job satisfaction across three different areas of UK statutory social work www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Workplace discrimination not handled well by employers, say social workers - Community Care

Despite social work bodies' commitments to equality, diversity and inclusion, practitioners say employers are failing to address discrimination