Senior Lecturer

Email: jennifer.mcgarr@tudublin.ie

Tel: +35312207542

I am an experienced Social Care Worker and Educator, and current Programme Coordinator of the Applied Social Care programme on the Tallaght Campus. In 2019 I took a lead role in preparing the programme documentation for evaluation by CORU, the Health and Social Care Regulator. In this process we demonstrated adherence to the CORU criteria and quality standards and were the second programme in the country to be approved by the regulatory body.

My research interests include trauma-informed approaches within social care, pedagogical approaches to practice teaching, and migrant integration. I am currently completing a PhD on migrant integration within an Irish context, with a particular focus on the lived experience of African women adapting to life in Ireland.

In conjunction with my colleague Dr. Margaret Fingleton, I developed the Integrative Framework for Social Care, a practice education tool which can be used to bridge the gap between theory and practice, and recognises the multiple sources of knowledge (including experiential and situated knowledge) that Social Care Workers draw on in their everyday work. More details on the framework can be found in the publication list below or at this link to our interactive website: https://www.socialcareframework.com

Areas of Professional Expertise

• 15 years’ experience in social care work: individual and group work interventions; interdisciplinary work; working with individuals with complex needs; team leadership and management.
• Practice education: development and delivery of applied modules, supervision of students on placement, member of the Practice Education Team
• Application of trauma informed approaches within social care practice
• Quality assurance, inspection, and regulation

Publications

McGarr, J. (2023). Adopting a trauma-informed approach, skills and strategies for social care intervention. In K. Lalor, P. Share and T. Brown (Eds.), Social Care Work: An Introduction for Students in Ireland. Institute of Public Administration.

McGarr, J. & Fingleton, M. (2023). Evaluating the Integrative Framework for Practice Teaching with social care educators and students. The Journal of Practice Teaching and Education, 20(1), pp. 67-89. https://doi.org/10.1921/jpts.v21i2.2131

McGarr, J. (2021). Chapter 21. In: T. Brown & D. Lyons (Eds.), Guide to the Standards of Standards of Proficiency for Social Care Workers, Domain 1 (pp. 179-188). https://socialcareireland.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Guide-to-Domain01v3.pdf

McGarr, J., Fingleton, M., Molloy, N., Larkin, G., Connell, M., Jameson, A. & Shier, A.M. (2021). Every day is a school day: Educators experiences of utilising an integrative framework within social care education in Ireland. Irish Journal of Academic Practice, 9(2), pp. 1-23. https://doi.org/10.21427/4K1Q-2J33

McGarr, J. & Fingleton, M. (2020). Reframing social care within the context of professional regulation: Towards an integrative framework for practice teaching within social care education. Irish Journal of Applied Social Studies, 20(2), pp. 27-42 https://doi.org/10.21427/jwzt-v004

McGarr, J. (2013). Early school leaving: an exploration of the factors contributing to school non-completion. In: Bowden, M., Gallagher, G. & Lalor, K. (Eds.), Booklet of selected theses from the MA in Criminology, MA in Law, MA in Child, Family and Community Studies and the International Masters in Early Childhood Education, 2010-2012 (p.19). http://doi.org.10.21427/D7ZZ0J

Conference Presentations

Connell, M. & McGarr, J. (2024, 10-11 April). Soothing the nervous system: art and somatic exercises to counteract stress and adversity in the lives of Social Care Workers [Experiential Workshop]. Social Care Ireland Annual Conference 2024, Cork, Ireland.

Fingleton, M., McGarr, J, McHugh, J and Mulkeen, M. (2022, 6-7 April). Professional Identity Formation and the Standards of Proficiency for Social Care Workers [Experiential Workshop]. Social Care Ireland Annual Conference 2022, Sligo, Ireland.

Fingleton, M and McGarr, J. (2022, 6/7 April). To infinity and beyond: Reconnecting through an integrative framework for social care. Results of a pilot study on using the framework in social care education [Paper presentation]. Social Care Ireland Annual Conference 2022, Sligo, Ireland.

McGarr, J. (2021, 12/13/14 Oct). Adopting a trauma informed approach: Skills, strategies and self-regulation in social care practice [Paper presentation]. Social Care Ireland Annual Conference 2021, Online.

McGarr, J. (2019, 5 Nov). Lessons from a refugee camp: implementing trauma informed strategies with children in displacement. National Trauma Informed Care in Practice Conference 2019, Dublin, Ireland.

Academic Activities and Awards

• Member of the Faculty Academic Quality Enhancement Committee
• Programme Coordinator, Applied Social Care programme (2022-present)
• Programme Coordinator, Social Care Practice (2017-2019)
• Programme External Examiner for TUS, Athlone (2021-2024)
• Member of the Strategic Development Team for the emerging school in 2022
• Member of the IT Tallaght Research Ethics and Integrity Committee (from 2018 until restructuring in 2021).
• Peer reviewer and member of the Editorial Board, Journal of Social Care
• Recipient of the Authentic Assessment Scholarship by the TU Dublin Impact Project, 2021
• Selected to participate in the Aurora Women’s Leadership Programme in 2019/2020
• Awarded the Academic Excellence Award in 2008 by DIT

Community Engagement and Membership of Professional Bodies

• Board Member of Social Care Ireland (2023-present)
• Member of the Education Advisory Group, Social Care Ireland (2021-present)
• Member of the Irish Association of Social Care Educators (2017-present)
• Board Member of Association of Guardianship Providers Ireland (2019-2024)
• Lead Inspector, Association of Guardianship Providers Ireland (2019-2024)
• Evaluator, CORU Health and Social Care Regulator (2022-23)
• Trainer, Tusla Child and Youth Participation Project (2017-2020)

ORCID iD

0000-0001-7906-7539