I have been researching the issue of adult disclosures of childhood sexual abuse since approximately 2011. What drew me to the issue was manifold. I grew up in the south of Ireland at a time when our first major clerical abuse scandals were becoming public knowledge. What struck me deeply at this time was how society, played out in my local town and community, tried to reckon with this shocking reality. Some were outspoken and campaigned for justice, some were in disbelief, some were silent. What stayed with me from this time is how we, as societies and communities, play a role in enabling people to come forward to share their experiences of abuse and to start their journey towards healing. Since then I have brought this frame of mind with me through my careers in law, child protection, and now academia.
As a professional social worker and academic I believe there is a strong responsibility to develop responsive research, generating knowledge that feeds back to relevant stakeholders and most importantly, to those impacted by the issues we research. My research culture encompasses a strong value-led approach to co-creation. Researching the issue of people’s experiences of disclosing childhood abuse and trauma is laden with value and ethical issues, primarily related to voice, agency, and representation. In such areas of research, I view research design as scaffolding, to hold and support individual voice and experience.
My area of research focuses on adult disclosures of childhood abuse. My previous work has gathered adults’ experiences of engaging with our state systems here in the Republic of Ireland when they come forward to disclose. An experience that is not always positive but is improving slowly. My current work is taking a focus on what a ‘social model’ of disclosure might look like in practice.
The social model itself arises out of advocacy movements in the areas of disability and mental health and it places focus on the barriers people face in their environments and communities as opposed to their mental health or disability. We now that adults who have experienced abuse in childhood, particularly sexual abuse, face any number of barriers and hurdles before coming forward to disclose – if in fact, they ever do.
A social model of disclosure considers the role of the state and closer communities in developing environments that facilitate, encourage, and support disclosure of childhood trauma. It also considers how best we can embed dialogical approaches to human rights and ethics in our everyday practices and services and finally, and most importantly, how we build relationships of co-production with those we are privileged to serve.
During a recent research trip to the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at University of Toronto in November 2023, I had the immense privilege of visiting The Gatehouse. There I met members of their inspiring team and also their founder, Arthur Lockhart. Our conversation during that visit has stayed with me and has found a place in my ongoing work. The message I took from this conversation was to always consider our underpinning philosophy – why are we doing this, what do we want to achieve, and how do we get there.
When considering how we encourage, facilitate, and support those impacted by childhood trauma - asking why, and working together are the best starting points.
New Publications:
Mooney, J., Wilson, E., and Kelleher, J. (2023) Pathways to Social Work, A report on behalf of the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration, and Youth
Harrikari, T., Mooney, J., Adusumalli, M.,, McFadden, P., and Leppiaho, T. (2023) Social Work During COVID-19: Glocal Perspectives and Implications for the Future of Social Work, Routledge. Use code: ESA31 for a 20% discount on this book.
Mooney, J., Coogan, D., McGregor, C., and Lyons, O. (2023) ‘And I Say, "Yes" Because I Want to Help’—Social Workers' Reflections on Practice in Ireland during COVID-19, IN Harrikari et al., Social Work During COVID-19: Glocal Perspectives and Implications for the Future of Social Work
Mooney, J., and O'Malley, A. (2023) Barnahus in Ireland: Problematizing power, culture and collaboration, IN Walsh, W., Herbert, J., Nadeau, D., Rimmer, P. and St-Amand (2023) Contemporary and Innovative Practices in Child and Youth Advocacy Centre Models, Presses de l’Université du Québec, Canada
Mooney, J. (2023) Book Review - "Child sexual abuse reported by adult survivors: Legal responses in England and Wales, Ireland, and Australia By Sinéad Ring, Kate Gleeson, and Kim Stevenson, Routledge, New York, 2022. Child Abuse Review
Mooney, J. (2023) Personal narratives, public risk: using Foucault’s ‘confessional’ to examine adult retrospective disclosures of childhood abuse, Health, Risk & Society
Wiley Top Cited Article 2021-2022: Mooney (2021) How Adults Tell: A study of Adults' Experiences of Disclosure to Child Protection Social Work Services, Child Abuse Review
More publications see below:
Profile: Joseph Mooney
Tweet: @joe0712
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