The question of whether Irish legislation is sufficiently robust to protect families will be one of the topics discussed by the chairman of the Adoption Authority, Geoffrey Shannon at the upcoming BPW National Conference on the Family.
Entitled “The Family in Ireland 2011, Challenge or Opportunity”, the conference in the Hotel Meyrick on Thursday September 22 will bring together leading national thought leaders on family issues, including Professor Pat Dolan from NUI Galway and Bernard Sheridan, Director of Consumer Protection, Central Bank of Ireland. A key focus of the conference will be an exploration of the rapidly changing dynamics of the family in the current society.
Geoffrey Shannon will share his extensive knowledge of family law and in particular, the law as it relates to children. With an increase in the ‘non-traditional’ family forms in Ireland, Mr Shannon will pose questions as to whether there is the proper legislation in place to cover the new family forms.
President of BPW Ireland Bernie Henry is delighted that BPW is bringing this national conference to Galway. She states that families are all different with different difficulties, different cultures, different resources and different expectations however most families share the one goal, to do what is best for the family and its members.
“We as a society have had to face rapid change in recent years; keeping up with the financial, technological, ideological and legislative changes pose great challenges and opportunities,” she concluded.
“It is our hope that this conference will be a forum for individuals to express their views, attain useful information and increase their awareness of how we as families can face today’s challenges by overcoming difficulties and making the most of the opportunities surrounding us.”.
The conference is sponsored by Costello and Tarpey Financial Services and will be officially opened by Mrs Fionnuala Kenny, wife of An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny.
Other keynote speakers joining Geoffrey Shannon, Professor Pat Dolan and Bernard Sheridan on the day include, Colm O’ Gorman, executive director of Amnesty Ireland, Robin Webster, chief executive of Age Action Ireland and Jennifer O’Connell founding editor of The Journal.ie As the conference has attracted much interest due to the high calibre of speakers, it is recommended for delegates to book their place as soon as possible – entrance to the conference (including lunch ) is €25 with a concession of €15 for students, seniors and the unwaged.
Bookings can be made by logging into www.bpwgalway.ie and downloading the booking form.
Email your booking enquiry to [email protected] or contact Maureen Mooney on 087-2843493.
