Communities of Practice and Communities in Practice - A Case Study of the Co-Creation of an Adult Education Family Support Network Programme

Oct 15, 2026

The Faculty of Lifelong Learning at the Institute of Technology Carlow co-created a Level 8 Certificate in Prevention, Partnership and Family Support with Tusla, targeting Child and Family Support Network members in Co. Carlow. The part-time programme used specialist guest speakers and adult education principles, especially transformative learning and communities of practice, to strengthen social cohesion and practitioner commitment. The case study frames the PPFS approach for early intervention and prevention.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages21

Reading Time53 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Section One

1.1 Introduction

Glossary of Terms

Communities of Practice and Communities in Practice: A Case Study of the Co-Creation of an Adult Education Family Support Network Programme maeve dempsey, sandra collins, and lindsay malone Abstract The Faculty of Lifelong Learning at the Institute of Technology Carlow co-created a Level 8 Certificate in Prevention, Partnership and Family Support with Tusla, the national Child and Family Agency. The part time programme was aimed at Child and Family Support Network (CFSN) members in Co. Carlow. The overall approach taken throughout this programme involved the use of specialist guest speakers and was purposively framed around the adult education principles of transformative learning and communities of practice, recognising the social and group cohesion that exists through shared endeavours and commitments of practitioners within CFSNs. Keywords: Family Support, Prevention, Partnership, Social and Group Cohesion, Co-Creation in Higher Education, Community of Practice, Adult Education, Transformative Learning, Child and Family Agency. | Glossary of Terms | | | --- | --- | | Child and Family Support Networks (CFSNs): | Child and Family Support Networks help to support services engaged in family support through ensuring these services are easily accessible and integrated at the front line in their own communities. This is achieved through adopting a localised, areabased approach. CFSNs are also the unit building blocks ofthe National Service Delivery Framework (NSDF) and the frontline operational structure that ensures integrated service delivery. | | Commissioning: | The aim of Commissioning Guidance is to ensure that the total resources available to children and families are applied to improving outcomes for children and families in the most efficient, effective, equitable, proportionate and sustainable way. | | Communities of Practice (CoPs): | A community of practice is a group pf people who “share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly”. | | DCYA: | Formerly the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, now known as the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, their mission is to enhance the lives of children, young people, adults, families and communities, recognising diversity and promoting equality of opportunity. | | Meitheal: | Meitheal is an old Irish term that describes how neighbours would come together to assist in the saving of crops or in other tasks. In a Meitheal, a lead practitioner will identify a child’s and their family’s needs and strengths and then bring together a ‘team around the child’. | | National Service Delivery Framework (NSDF): | Tusla is supporting the development and implementation of a single, transparent, consistent and accountable National Service Delivery Framework (NSDF), focused on improving outcomes for children. An important part of this NSDF is the area-based approach which is most clearly seen in how CFSNs are being developed and how the Meitheal National Practice Model is being implemented. | | Prevention, Partnership and Family Support (PPFS): | This is a comprehensive suite of early intervention and preventative services being undertaken by Tusla and its partner agencies. The aim of the PPFS is to prevent risks to children and young people arising or escalating through early intervention and family support. The best way to improve outcomes for children is to intervene at an early stage to try to resolve problems and prevent harm. A way this can be done is by working with parents and communities to support children at the earliest possible stage. | Section One 1.1 Introduction The Faculty of Lifelong Learning at the Institute of Technology Carlow co-created a Level 8 Certificate in Prevention, Partnership and Family Support with Tusla, the national Child and Family Agency. Funded by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs under the ‘What Works Initiative’, the part time progr

FAQs

What programme did the Institute of Technology Carlow co-create with Tusla?

It co-created a Level 8 Certificate in Prevention, Partnership and Family Support with Tusla, aimed at Child and Family Support Network (CFSN) members in Co. Carlow.

What adult education principles shaped the programme approach?

The programme was framed around transformative learning and communities of practice, emphasizing social and group cohesion through shared endeavours and commitments of practitioners.

What outcomes were participants expected to achieve on completion?

Participants would develop theoretical knowledge of early intervention and prevention, create or enhance working relationships with community partners, reduce duplication of service delivery, and identify barriers to interagency engagement with strategies to overcome them.

Oct 15, 2026

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