Category Archives: Newsletters

Hillsborough Castle and Gardens free subsidised school trip

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Hillsborough Castle and Gardens,  has asked that we make you aware that they are launching a programme for all schoolchildren across Northern Ireland to visit Hillsborough Castle and Gardens for free on a completely subsidised school trip. Given education budgets are under pressure, they wanted to support schools to deliver out of the classroom learning experiences at no cost to them.

In the next few years, their ambition is to ensure that as many as 8,000 pupils per year have access to valuable education resources. We know that the cost of travelling on a school trip can also be prohibitive, so they’ve launched a complimentary Travel Bursary Scheme, that will also help support schools with travel costs.

Hillsborough Castle run facilitated sessions for all Primary, Secondary and SEN schools across the island of Ireland and GB. Their sessions support the local curriculum and explore Hillsborough Castle’s role as a family home, as well as in the political realm, from the 18th to the 21st centuries.

They cover Key Stage 2 with ‘Power and Politics’, Key Stage 3 with ‘The Origins of Northern Ireland’, Key Stage 4 and 5 with ‘Politics, Power and the Path to Peace’, plus Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) sessions on ‘A Working Home’.  There are also sessions on exploring life as a servant in an Anglo-Irish ‘big house’ getting ready for a Victorian wedding! We know how beneficial spending time outdoors is to the health and wellbeing of young people, and that’s why they are also delighted to be offering more schools free access to our gardens for programmes that explore nature, sustainability, and biodiversity.

They are committed to broadening access to Hillsborough Castle and to making sure it becomes a shared space for everyone. That’s why when they re-open the castle in March, they will also be offering £1 tickets for everyone in receipt of Universal Credit.

For more information contact Victoria Shaw Email: Victoria.Shaw@hrp.org.uk

Operations & Business Support Officer (Mon-Thurs), Historic Royal Palaces | Hillsborough Castle and Gardens, The Square | Royal Hillsborough | Co. Down | BT26 6AG

Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine catch up campaign

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Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine catch up campaign

You may be aware parts of the UK and Europe are seeing an increase in measles cases. Measles is highly infectious, can have serious complications and can be life threatening.  Evidence is clear that the MMR vaccine is the safest way to help protect your child against measles, mumps and rubella.  To help protect your child and others the Public Health Agency (PHA) advise ensuring you are fully vaccinated with MMR.

Measles can cause very serious illness

Measles usually causes a runny nose, red eyes, cough, high temperature and rash. It can also cause complications including ear infections, diarrhoea, pneumonia and convulsions. It is more likely to be serious in pregnant women, people whose immunity is not working properly and babies under a year of age. Very serious complications, such as inflammation of the brain (encephalitis) are rare, but can be fatal. 

Measles spreads very easily

Measles is one of the most infectious diseases known. You can catch measles if you spend 15 minutes in the same room with someone who has the disease, or even less time if you are in direct contact. The measles virus is spread through the air and in tiny droplets that come out of the nose and mouth of an infected person.

MMR Vaccine

The MMR vaccine is given in two doses as part of the childhood vaccination programme. The first dose is given just after your child’s first birthday and a second dose is given at 3 years and 4 months, before your child starts school

Two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine provides the best protection against measles.

Even if you may have previously declined vaccination we want to offer you the opportunity to get vaccinated to protect you against Measles infection.

MMR Catch up

Your GP will be running catch up for children aged 12 months to 5 years who have missed their vaccines. You will be contacted by your GP should your child be identified as requiring one or two doses of the MMR vaccine.

Your local Health and Social Care Trust is running an MMR vaccine catch up campaign for those aged 6 to 25 years of age.  The campaign will run from 5th February 2024 until 31st March 2024.  For further information go to www.nidirect.gov.uk/mmr-catch-up

Measles

Anyone can get measles if they haven’t been vaccinated or they haven’t had it before, although it’s most common in young children.

Adults and older children can be vaccinated at any age if they haven’t been fully vaccinated before.

Measles is very infectious so it is important that anyone with suspected measles avoids any situation where they can spread the disease, such as a GP’s waiting room or an emergency department waiting room. People should therefore phone there GP, out of hours service and phone first for A&E in advance and get advice rather than turning up to these venues Phone First FAQs – DOH/HSCNI Strategic Planning and Performance Group (SPPG).

 

Take a Healthy Selfie – Check in on Yourself

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Wednesday 7th February saw the online Launch of a new resource to support young people’s emotional wellbeing and mental health in the Southern Health & Social Care Trust Area. The “Take A Healthy Selfie” campaign includes 3 resources to signpost young people, parents/caregivers, school and youth work staff to support services in the Southern area. This resource was launched to coincide with Children’s Mental Health Week.

Originating from Banbridge Locality Planning Group (LPG) the aim was to work with young people to produce simple signposts to key quality-assured services and resources online. Young people from Futureproof, Crisis Café, New Bridge Integrated College and the Epicentre in the Southern area, advised on the themes, content and design for the resources.

The resources are available in electronic form (see links below) and paper copies. To order copies of this free resource, or to learn more of this campaign, contact Darren Curtis, Locality development Officer (Southern Area), at localityplanning@ci-ni.org.uk

 

Young Carers School Poster Launch

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ALL SCHOOLS IN NORTHERN IRELAND URGED TO HELP IDENTIFY AND
SUPPORT YOUNG CARERS

 

Pictured (L-R) Young carers Joel, Kesiah and Aaron with their poster (right)

The Department of Education has partnered with Action for Children Northern Ireland to distribute a poster designed by Young Carers to all primary and secondary schools in Northern Ireland.

Download Poster Here

The Initiative comes in response to a campaign started by a group of Young Carers who wanted to create more awareness within schools of what being in a caring role is like and the impact it can have on their educational and social experiences.

The poster was designed by three siblings – Aaron (13), Joel (10) and Kesiah (9) – who are young carers for their older brother Christian (14). It was launched at an event on Monday (January 29) at Action for Children’s Head Office, Loughshore House, alongside colleagues from Barnardo’s NI.

A young carer is someone 18 years old or under who helps look after a relative with a disability, illness, mental health condition, or drug or alcohol problem. Some children begin giving care from a very young age, and others become carers overnight. There are also many young adult carers that try to juggle a caring role with their own education and early employment journeys, that also often need some extra support.

There are currently over 17,500 unpaid carers aged under 25 in Northern Ireland that we know of, however there are likely to be more because they are often hard to identify. This figure makes up roughly 8% of Northern Ireland’s carer population and includes more than 2,500 carers aged under 15, and 550 carers under the age of 10 years old1.

Surveying young carers across the Belfast, South and South-Eastern Trust, Action for Children found that less than one in six (16%) of young people who take on a caring role feel that their schools support them2. Many of them feel that most teachers don’t know what a young carer does each day or how it impacts their ability to learn.

For most children, getting into school is a case of rolling out of bed and hoping to grab a slice of toast on the way out the door, but for a young carer their day often starts hours before the school bell rings.

But a young carer takes on an average of 25 hours of unpaid work per week to support their family through various duties and tasks that keep a household running. They often forgo extra-curricular activities, struggle to find time to do homework and carry worries and concerns many other children may not need to manage.

Aisling Reynolds, Services Manager for Action for Children Young Carers, has taken the lead in ensuring schools better understand and support the role of young carers. Aisling said: “It’s evident that a school’s awareness and level of support for a young carer can make a huge difference to not only their experience in education, but their confidence, self-esteem and ability to progress further.

“By launching this school poster, our hope is that young carers can recognise their caring role and see that there is support in the community for them. Educators can also access and receive information on how to support young carers in their classrooms, enhancing the experience of young people with caring responsibilities in schools across Northern Ireland.”

Welcoming the launch, Dr Mark Browne, Permanent Secretary for the Department of Education, said: “The challenges of balancing school with the demands of providing physical care, personal care and emotional support to family members on a daily basis cannot be underestimated.

“I hope that by providing this Young Carers in Education Digital Awareness Pack to educational settings and highlighting this issue, we can help to facilitate a better understanding around the role of young carers, the challenges they face and support available.”

Chloe, a Young Carer previously supported by Action for Children while still at school attended Monday’s launch. She was part of the original group that started the campaign and said: “If this poster was in school when I was in school, it would’ve made a difference for me”.

Eileen Maguire, Manager of Barnardo’s NI Young Carers service said: “Young people with caring responsibilities have all the challenges of being young, with all the responsibilities of being an adult, and they’re often left to face these alone.”

“The young carers we work with at Barnardo’s NI are an incredible bunch of people and I am reminded daily of their resilience and compassion. By getting this information into schools, we hope it will help identify more young carers who need support.”

ENDS

Youth Voice – Antrim and Newtownabbey

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Antrim and Newtownabbey is seeking YOUTH VOICE members to represent the voices of young people across the Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough.

Young People aged 16 – 21 years who live in the Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough are invited to apply to be part of the Youth Voice.

Watch video 

This 2-year programme will be delivered by the Education Authority Youth Service in Partnership with Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council along with other statutory bodies.

Antrim and Newtownabbey Youth Voice information and application form