Looked After Children in Education Workshop

The Health and Social Care Board and Education Authority jointly hosted a workshop to review how Looked After Children are supported to achieve educational attainment and economic well being in Northern Ireland. The workshop took place in September 2018 and was attended by over 70 delegates representing departments, statutory services, academia and community and voluntary sector service providers.

The presentations from the workshop can be accessed via the links below:

 

For any further information please contact Deirdre Coyle, Regional Commissioning Lead, Health and Social Care Board by email at deirdre.coyle@hscni.net 

 

Celebrating 10 years of the Fostering Achievement Scheme in Northern Ireland

 

The Fostering Achievement Project recently hosted the Aspire, Achieve, Succeed Outcomes Seminar to promote and support educational achievement of children in foster care in Northern Ireland . Fionnuala McAndrew, Director of Social Care and Children from the Health and Social Care Board was in attendance at the event.

The scheme which is commission by the HSCB and delivered on behalf of the Board by The Fostering Network supports and promotes the educational attainment of children in foster care. This year’s theme; “Aspire, Achieve, Succeed” reiterated the importance and relevance of this Scheme which benefits both children and their foster carers.

A detailed report from the seminar will be available soon.

 

For more information about Fostering Achievement please click here www.fosteringachievement.net

 

Photograph Caption:

Karen Sharkey, (foster carer), Fionnuala McAndrew (HSCB), Dr Karen Winter (QUB), Brendan Whittle, (SEHSCT), Angela Burns, Kathleen Toner (The Fostering Network), Eilis McDaniel (DoH)

Department of Health Minister welcomes EITP EDGES Service showcase at Stormont

The Department of Health Minister, Michelle O’Neill addressed Health and Social Care providers at a recent Long Gallery showcase of the EITP EDGES Service. The EDGES Service is one of the projects funded through the Early Intervention Transformation Programme.

The Programme is funded jointly by five government Departments (Department of Health, Department of Education, Department of Justice, Department for Communities and Department for Employment and Learning), Delivering Social Change and Atlantic Philanthropies.  Department of Health leads the implementation of this cross-government initiative.The aim of the service is to provide an evidence informed, specialist ‘earlier intervention’ service for young people primarily between the ages of 12 to 17 years, who are on the ‘edge of care’, custody and or education.

One parent who has three children who have benefitted from accessing the EDGES Service has said “EDGES is a totally fantastic group to be involved with and if I ever slip back I know for a fact they would be the first people that I would contact.”

To read more about the EDGES Service and the showcase event in the Long Gallery at Stormont click here

For further information about the service contact Helen Dunn, Health and Social Care Board at Helen.Dunn@hscni.net

New Business to Support Young People Leaving Care

A new business venture has been launched to help support young people who have been cared for, by health and social care services across the Southern area, to seek employment when they leave care.

This new Social Enterprise Business will aim to enhance the life and wellbeing of young people who have come through the care system and provide them with new opportunities to become self-sufficient through self-employment opportunities. The scheme will also directly and indirectly increase employment opportunities for these young people. Read more…

Improving pathways and interventions for homeless young people in Northern Ireland

Improving pathways and interventions for homeless young people in Northern Ireland

October 2013

The Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE), Health and Social Care Board (HSCB) and Supporting People (SP) recently co-hosted a regional seminar on youth homelessness.
The seminar facilitators, Anna Whalen and Andy Gale, two leading specialist advisors on homelessness, housing and vulnerable young people shared their extensive experience from across Local Authorities in England and Wales.
The event drew attention to early identification of predictive factors leading to young people becoming homeless.

Read more …….

For more information contact; Deirdre Coyle, Commissioning Lead for Social Services, Health and Social Care Board on;

Telephone: 02871860086

Email: Deirdre.coyle@hscni.net