Tag Archives: news/events

New Guide on Setting Up a Peer Support Group

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Following on from Parentline NI’s recent school avoidance event held in Lisburn, it was evident that peer support groups can play an important role in supporting parents and carers.  

The Parent Participation Service at Children in NI have developed a new guide to support parents in setting up peer support groups.

Peer support can play a powerful role in building connection, resilience and shared learning within communities and we hope this guide can be used to help facilitate the development of new peer support groups across Northern Ireland.

Image depicting group of parents sitting around a table chatting, promoting a new guide – Parents Supportiong Parents: A Guide to Starting a Peer Support Group

Download Guide

 

 

Focusing on Families Survey

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The Focusing on Families survey is your chance to share your views on how family support services in Northern Ireland can best meet the needs of children, young people and families.

If you are a child, young person, parent/carer or practitioner who cares about family support services in Northern Ireland, we want to hear your views!

This short survey is being conducted by Stats & Stories for the Children’s Social Care Reform Programme and covers five key themes:

  1. The purpose of family support services
  2. The values that should guide them
  3. The types of support that matter most
  4. Ideas for a future family support model
  5. How support services can make a difference to families

The Focusing on Families survey should take less than 10 minutes to complete. We encourage you to provide honest feedback. Your feedback will help shape the Family Support Strategy for Northern Ireland, ensuring that services focus on the needs of families.

Please click on the link for the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FocusingonFamilies25

If you have any questions about the survey, please contact Dr. Donna Kernaghan at donna@statsandstories.co.uk.

Western Area FYI – Issue 19 – June 2025

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Your FYI is a monthly round up of all things family support and early intervention / prevention across the Western trust and beyond.

Image with text promoting Western Area FYI (For Your Information)

Image with text promoting Western Area FYI (For Your Information)

Download Issue 19

(Note: Newsletter will download directly to your device.  Look out for the pop-up box and click on open file when it appears)

If you would like to contribute upcoming consultations, training, articles, or events that practitioners from the community, voluntary or statutory sectors within the Western Trust will find useful please contact:

Dr Priscilla Magee – Mobile  07880723076     priscilla.magee@westerntrust.hscni.net

Paul Sweeney – Mobile  07387259117     paul.sweeney@westerntrust.hscni.net

Infant Mental Health Week-Southern Trust events for practitioners

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Infant Mental Health Week takes place this year between the 9th-15th June 2025  The theme is  ‘Who is holding the baby’  IMHAW – Parent-Infant Foundation

Each year in the Southern Trust Area we use Infant Mental Health Week as opportunity to highlight some of the fantastic work going on in our area to support the early critical relationships in a baby’s life.  We are hosting a series of short videos each day over the week across our Social Media platforms, with representation from colleagues across a range of sectors.  

Our iCAMHS service will also host a workshop for family support practitioners in the Southern Trust area on Wednesday 11th June relating to the theme of Infant Mental Health Week. Details in terms of time, application etc are included on the flyer (view flyer). The closing date for receipt of applications is next Wednesday 4th June.

 

Issue 149 – Southern Area FYI – 29th May 2025

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Welcome to Issue 149 of our fortnightly newsletter, ‘FYI’ (For Your Information).

Image with text promoting Southern Area Locality Planning Groups FYI (For Your Information)

Image with text promoting Southern Area Locality Planning Groups FYI (For Your Information)

Download Issue 149

(Note: Newsletter will download directly to your device.  Look out for the pop-up box and click on open file when it appears)

This is the first of 3 special editions to promote upcoming summer activities for children and young people in the Southern Area. You will see a call for submissions on Page 4 and we are very keen to also take ideas for no / very low cost activities that families can do over the summer months with their children.

We have also included our School Uniform Toolkit again on Page 3 – A free practical resource for use by any group who want to set up and run a recycling scheme in their area.  

Stay connected!

Locality Development Team, Southern Area