Mick Finnegan
@Mick_Finnegan
Student Social Worker. Mental Health Advocate and Campaigner.
Hardest interview I've done and for a long time I never wanted to speak about it because I was ashamed and nobody believed me. I bottled it all up and never dealt with it and that nearly killed me irishtimes.com/news/social-af…
Troubled Ground exposes the harrowing truth of Tuam’s mass grave where up to 796 babies & children were buried in a sewage tank. Denied for years, their stories can’t be ignored. A must-listen on Ireland’s dark past from @AlisonMaryORE irishexaminer.com/opinion/commen…
We share the frustration felt across the social work profession about the sharp increase in renewal fees announced by Social Work England. The decision to implement the full rise, without modification or meaningful concession, fails to reflect the scale of concern expressed.
Tune into @TheHardShoulder at 4:30 to hear me talk about abolishing means testing has!
Another gaslighting response from @NormaFoleyTD1's office today. They KNOW the difference between "outreach" & real therapy. But they'll keep playing dumb, dismissing survivors & dodging accountability. This isn't just incompetence it's institutional cruelty 🤬

Over 100 humanitarian groups warn of mass starvation in Gaza World Health Organization says a quarter of the population facing famine-like conditions. Almost 100 k women & children suffering “severe acute malnutrition” requiring urgent treatment - BBC bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…
Official Ireland is an #Ableist Misogynistic State - Niamh loses her financial autonomy & independence as a proud #Disabled woman because of marriage status - This is 1950s Ireland for #Disabled Citizens - End Means Testing Now for #Disability & #Carers Allowance
Got a letter saying my Disability Allowance is being stopped because my husband and I earn less than €80 over the weekly threshold, so I no longer qualify. Happy Wednesday.
Social Work England (justifying the now confirmed fee increase) revert to their usual refrain that silly social workers just don't understand their remit. Making it worse, they say this, and then immediately list a load of ways they step outside that remit when it suits them!
SWE also note that despite a massive response rate for a consultation like this (8,000) that is not a big enough % of the SW population. Of course, they had no problem relying on positive feedback from a much smaller % of social workers in previous consultations when it suited.
To the surprise of no one, Social Work England have confirmed they are increasing social worker fees to £120. Remind me what was the purpose of the consultation, and the 8,000 respondents who took the time, 96% of whom were against the increase?? socialworkengland.org.uk/about/publicat…
Incarcerated people should not have to pay for using the phone. All calls should be free.
If we want our trauma or addiction recovery to be sustainable, we need to realistically meet the anxiety that comes w/ actual improvement-- that voice in our head telling us not to get too happy or comfortable, because it'll surely get ripped away & we'll be punished for it.
For years it’s been clear to me that Israel would commit crimes this horrific for the sake of killing off every trace of Palestinian life. You only had to pay attention, and believe what Israelis said. But I wouldn’t have believed the world would watch and let them do it.
Frontpage of the Daily Express shows Muhammad Zakariya Ayyob al-Matouq, one, who weighs the same as a three-month old baby. Israel is blocking aid into Gaza and using starvation as a weapon of war.
The State doing what it does best consistently & historically and to the present day , simply failing victims time and time again and then covering it up !
A shocking indictment on the moral backbone of government officials 😢
FOIs into St John Ambulance are being redacted. Funding for the safeguarding officer’s role ended last month so where’s their report? The Irish government says recommendations in progress but no update since June 2024. 2 years on & we still have no transparency or accountability
FOIs into St John Ambulance are being redacted. Funding for the safeguarding officer’s role ended last month so where’s their report? The Irish government says recommendations in progress but no update since June 2024. 2 years on & we still have no transparency or accountability


Thank you. Some days the frustration is overwhelming, but survivors keep pushing because we have to. The positives come from refusing to let them bury the truth. Solidarity like yours means everything.
I honestly don't know how you and other survivors cope with this treatment Mick I feel like banging my head off the wall in frustration just following your story (I should say this part of your story not all of it, you have so many positives it's unreal and hugely admirable)
I honestly don't know how you and other survivors cope with this treatment Mick I feel like banging my head off the wall in frustration just following your story (I should say this part of your story not all of it, you have so many positives it's unreal and hugely admirable)
Then the report should already exist. The funding period is over there’s no excuse for withholding findings. ‘Common governance’ doesn’t mean endless delays and zero accountability. Two years of silence is a choice. They should do the right thing and publish the audits findings
But usually what happens is the designated person makes their observations over the time frame and then report thus follows - It's common governance standards.
The funding was for a set period, so the audit should have been completed within that timeframe. Delays now suggest poor planning or a lack of urgency. Two years without transparency is unacceptable. Survivors need answers, not excuses.
Understand your frustration Mick, but we're only 3 weeks into July and if they are to provide a report you want it done right