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In this episode, Niamh talks to Dr Majella Mulkeen of Atlantic Technological University about her research on the framing of care within the Standards of Proficiency for Social Care Workers (SOPs) in Ireland. As Majella explains, the SOPs are set down by the Social Care Workers Registration Board.

They detail the skills and abilities that individuals must possess in order to enter the register of social care workers, i.e. to be able to legally practise in Ireland using the protected title of ‘social care worker’. Drawing on research outlined in her 2020 paper in the Irish Journal of Applied Social Studies, Majella explains the background to these developments and offers a critical yet constructive reading of the SOPs.

This is a timely interview, not only because the Social Care Workers Register opened in November 2023, but also because how care is understood, practised and valued in Irish society is a pressing concern, whose significance extends far beyond one sector.

The latest report from the West Bank with Hannah McCarty is out now here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-98331907