Mayo student honoured with prestigious Social Care Ireland Award
Social Care Ireland has recognised the exceptional commitment, innovation and professional excellence of Atlantic Technological University (ATU) student Rhona Kavanagh, awarding her the prestigious Social Care Ireland Student Award.
Rhona, a fouth year Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Applied Social Care student from Ballinrobe, received the award at the Social Care Ireland Conference gala dinner, where practitioners from across the sector gathered to celebrate excellence in practice, education and research.
Rhona was nominated by Teresa Fahy, Programme Chair and Lecturer in Applied Social Care at ATU, who praised her as “an exemplar of what this profession is all about.”
Teresa highlighted Rhona’s dedication, academic excellence and commitment to compassionate, evidence-based practice in supporting individuals and communities.
“Rhona’s achievement stands out in her exceptional ability to translate cutting-edge theory into accessible, practical tools that genuinely enhance service delivery.
"This is an extraordinary skill: to take something intricate and scientific, and shape it into something that brings clarity, support, and empowerment to families and professionals”, Teresa said.
She also praised Rhona’s innovative children’s resource, My Brain, describing it as “a tool that supports co-regulation and emotional literacy in a way that is both developmentally sensitive and deeply compassionate.”
The Social Care Ireland Student Award not only recognises Rhona’s outstanding achievements but also highlights the many ATU Social Care students who continue to excel while overcoming personal challenges.
These students demonstrate resilience, leadership, and a deep commitment to social justice- qualities that enrich communities and strengthen the social care profession.
The Applied Social Care programme at ATU’s Mayo Campus prepares students for professional practice across community, residential, justice, disability and youth services, highlighting ethical care, reflective practice and social justice.
The main CAO code for Applied Social Care at ATU (Mayo Campus, Castlebar) is AU593 (Level 7, three years).
For the Level 8 Honours degree (four years), the code is AU696.
Read more here.