Mountjoy Prison Governor John Lonergan today called for greater recognition for those who provide care services in Ireland.
Mr Lonergan was speaking at the launch of a text book entitled "Applied Social Care: An Introduction for Irish Students" at the Institute of Technology Blanchardstown.
He said: "It is amazing that we, as a society, continue to seriously under-estimate the importance of the caring services and to under-value those who provide them. In our modern society, carers are placed very low on our list of 'high flyers' and we must urgently redress this imbalance."
Today’s launch, organized by the Irish Association of Social Care Educators, was notable as it is the first Irish text book published in the field of Social Care.
The launch was also attended by Dr Celesta McCann James, President of the Irish Association of Social Care Educators and Head of Department of Humanities at ITB, and Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, Brian Lenihan.