Psychotherapist Noel McDermott lectures at Trinity College

This week psychotherapist Noel McDermott has been invited as a guest lecturer on Trinity College’s MA social work course, he has over 30 years experience and will be using first hand experience to present a series of case histories from across the fields of health, social care, mental health and addiction to enable a discussion of the impact of social policy, politics and economics on service delivery.

He will look at the adoption of equalities into service provision as well as human rights. Also covering issues of child protection and adult protection.

He will show from his professional experience the tensions between private and public sector provision, especially in the equalities and human rights areas. Also looking at the increasing use of the private sector for public sector provision.

He will bring his experience from health provision and social care providing insight into how his company manages these tensions. 

Noel began work in the arts moving into community development in the 90’s working on resettlement programs with community care legislation in the 90’s. He qualified as a psychotherapist in ’96. He worked with Lothian Primary Care, Edinburgh Social Services, Lothian Social Services during this time. Working in learning disabilities, mental health, forensic in patient and medium secure community facilities. Also working across the health and social care sectors as they became increasingly integrated through community care legislation and practice. 

He moved into social services provision in London as a manger of services for refugees for Haringey SSD, Enfield SSD and Islington. During that time he was involved in the fast evolving sector around refugees and people subject to immigration control and legal rights to social care support through the National Assistance Act and the Children Act and well as age determinations of minors and Human Rights assessments. 

He worked on developing procedures for trafficked children having identified and trafficking ring in Enfield. At Islington he pioneered a brand new service called PWAF for those subject to immigration control who had no recourse to public funds and were in need of service due to destitution. He worked extensively in child protection issues present i these highly marginalised and traumatised communities. He worked in Haringey during the second phase of the inquiry into the death of Victoria Climbie and has therefore direct experience of working under special measures

He alo worked on developing services and access to services for victims of torture, liaising with the then Medical Foundation for Victims of Torture (Freedom From Torture) and Camden and Islington’s mental health trust (CANDI) and it’s specialist trauma service. This during very fraught times politically when refugees were a scapegoat community for the public and professionals alike. 

He began to work across the public, third sector and private sectors at this time. Working with organisations such as Kids Company developing programs to reach highly traumatised and marginalised children and young people in London’s sub cultures of poverty, drug abuse, gangs and crime. 

He increasingly moved into the addiction recovery sector developing his current companies utilising his knowledge and experience over many years. Currently his companies liaise across the private and public sector in mental health and addiction. They have contracts with Islington Mental Health Trust (CANDI) as well a private sector care providers and private individuals. They deliver complex care plans and packages, psychological therapies, addiction recovery services, dealing with mental health, families, addiction, child protection, adult protection.”