ANNUAL BRANCH REPORT (presented to the AGM 2007)
by Dr Blanaid Gavin, Chair, Ireland Branch

ACAMH Ireland branch has been delighted to welcome many new members over the course of 2006/2007 and we have enjoyed an active and diverse programme. The large attendance at all our conferences has been very encouraging as has the wide multidisciplinary mix of the delegates. We were particularly pleased that our 'student discount' proved effective in attracting increased numbers of trainees to our events. The positive feedback on all conferences reflected the high calibre of the speakers on each occasion and was indicative of the fact that there was 'something for everyone' on the day. The committee are very appreciative of the large number of speakers, many of whom travelled some distance, who have contributed to our programme.

Our inaugural Research Day in September was a particularly worthwhile new departure for the Branch highlighting the vibrant research activity in Child and Adolescent Mental Health that is taking place in multiple centres across Ireland. There was a very high standard of both poster and oral presentations with participants again representing a wide multidisciplinary mix. We were very pleased to be able to provide a forum for different disciplines to come together to see the diversity of the research currently being undertaken. The winner of the oral presentation was Claire Griffin of the Department of Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Mater Hospital, Dublin. Dr John Fagan of the National Drug Treatment Centre won the poster section. Both winners received an expenses paid trip to an ACAMH national conference.

We were eager to involve as many members as possible in our 50th Anniversary Celebrations and consequently held two events, a 'Cheese and Wine' at the close of our Research Day and a (very large) Birthday Cake following our AGM. Both events proved very enjoyable and succeeded in drawing attention to the considerable history of the organisation.
Our 2007 programme began in Belfast with a conference on 'Mental Health and Sexual Minority Youth' which set out to highlight the mental health needs of a frequently marginalised group. Our programme for the rest of the year includes conferences on 'Neurodevelopmental Difficulties in school settings' and Professor Mary Dozier speaking on 'Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up'. The latter is a collaborative venture with the Scottish and Welsh branch which we have found to be a very helpful way of planning and organizing events. Our Research Day will be held in September and we are looking forward to building on the success of last year. We are currently putting the finishing touches on our 2008 programme, which promises to focus on an exciting array of topics.

Our membership drive is proving effective and we are very pleased to see the significant increase in the Irish Branch. We plan to continue to focus on expanding the membership across as wide a range of disciplines and regions as possible. The Branch Committee was delighted to welcome a number of new disciplines: Ms Lisa Corrigan, Occupational Therapy; Ms Maire Begley, Speech and Language Therapy and Ms Eithne Shalloo, Educational Psychology. We are very keen to continue to encourage new members to join the committee to ensure the input of as broad a disciplinary mix as possible.

Finally, the activity of the last year reflects the very significant commitment and input of all our committee members and the impressive back-up from Head-Office. Many thanks to all concerned.
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For all enquiries please contact Jacqui Colgate at the ACAMH Head Office, St Saviours House, 39-41 Union Street on 020 7403 7458 or by
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