This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentially libelous. Find sources: "Shane Dunphy" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (November 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Shane Dunphy (born 18 January 1973) is a British author, journalist, and child protection advocate. He is known for a series of books detailing cases he worked on as a social care worker and journalist.^[1]

Dunphy was born on 18 January 1973 in Brighton, England.^[2]

Dunphy began his career as a volunteer in a daycare unit for adults with intellectual disabilities before completing secondary school. While studying at college, he worked in a residential care unit for teenagers and a psychiatric outpatient unit. After qualifying, Dunphy worked in residential care and various sectors, including early childhood education, community childcare, arts, and youth work.^[3][4]

Dunphy's journalism covers many topics, though he is best known for analyzing child protection issues. He has contributed to several newspapers, including the Irish Independent, where he has written on government policies and the childcare industry. His investigative work has also appeared in the Sunday World under the banner "Stories From the Peripheries", covering issues like people trafficking, child prostitution, and elder abuse.

Dunphy has written about the Travelling community in Ireland, which has led to public discussions and controversies, particularly after his 2009 article suggesting that the community should address its internal issues. Despite receiving criticism, Dunphy has maintained his stance on these issues.^[5]

Dunphy is the author of several memoirs and crime novels. His first book, Wednesday's Child, a memoir of his time as a child protection worker, became a number-one Irish bestseller and was adapted into a short film. The adaptation won the Tiernan McBride Award at the Galway Film Fleadh in 2022 and was long-listed for the Oscars. Dunphy's other works include crime novels.^[1][6]

In 2020, Dunphy publicly disclosed his experiences as a survivor of clerical sexual abuse during an interview on The Ryan Tubridy Show. He shared his journey of coming to terms with the trauma through therapy, emphasizing the importance of addressing such experiences.^[7]

In 2015, Dunphy was invited to join the Irish political party Renua Ireland. He ultimately left the party due to ideological differences.^[8]

As of 2017, Dunphy is the head of the social care department at Waterford College of Further Education.^[1]