Declan Coogan

Dr Declan Coogan is a registered social worker and family therapist, who joined the University of Galway as a lecturer and researcher in social work in 2009, following practice experience in child protection and welfare and CAMHS teams.

He is a Research Fellow with the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre. He was the Ireland lead for the 5 nation EU co-funded Responding to Child to Parent Violence Project which aimed to develop awareness of child to parent violence and to carry out action research on intervention programmes for child to parent violence.

The RCPV project successfully concluded in 2015 (see www.nvrireland.ie  ). He was awarded a PhD through NUI Galway in 2016. In 2018, his book Child to Parent Violence and Abuse – Family Intervention with Non Violent Resistance was published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers and is available in paperback from www.jkp.com Declan continues to enjoy working with families and practitioners, especially using Non Violent Resistance. He is the chairperson of NVR Ireland, a network of practitioners and researcher committed to using Non Violent Resistance in practice and research.

Keynote: 'Ending Fear and Finding Fun in Families after Child to Parent Violence and Abuse

Child to parent violence and abuse brings fear and hopelessness into the lives of families, practitioners and researchers. We will begin this session with a clear definition of the problem which can help us make a difference between the usual stresses and strains of family life and abusive and violent behaviour that concerns us all.

The session shares insights from practice and research to suggest creative ways of working with families to end abusive and violent behaviour with Non Violent Resistance. There will be stories and strategies for hope that suggest how we can stand strong together with parents and children to end the trauma of abusive/ violent behaviour within families.

There will also be a focus on human rights and on involving men and boys in ending abusive and violent behaviour.

Further information about Declan is available at: www.universityofgalway.ie