”Explore, Play, Learn” is an interactive play based showcase for parents and their children, guided by Aistear, the National Curriculum Framework for children 0-6 years old. The event was designed to promote parent participation in their children’s learning and development. The event was coordinated by the Clare Children and Young People’s Services Committee in partnership with the Clare County Childcare Committee and Clare County Library Service as part of Tusla Public Awareness Week 2018.
In November 2021 the Clare CYPSC launched their post-primary school avoidance toolkit.
Throughout 2021, frontline work with children and young people was significantly curtailed due to the Covid pandemic. This was happening at a time that children needed an outlet more than ever. A host of local agencies came together to develop clarecamps.ie, an online platform whereby agencies uploaded videos of summer and easter camp activities for both primary and secondary school age children. The online camps were widely advertised through schools and with a poster and social media campaign and funded by the Clare CYPSC.
In 2021, the Clare Children and Young People’s Services Committee is delighted to share a brand-new online resource designed for young people in Clare aged 12-24 years.
In February 2021, the Clare CYPSC was delighted to invite international author and psychologist, Mr. Steve Biddulph to deliver two online master classes to parents and practitioners on the topics of Raising Boys and Raising Girls.
Launched in 2021, the Limerick and Clare CYPSC collaborated on the development of two new Irish animations targetting children aged 6 - 9 years old. The aim of the animations is to explain complex issues such as children's rights and safety planning, to young children. The scripts were written by Clare CYPSC Coordinator Sinéad Collopy, after extensive collaboration with children through story boarding exercises.
When schools and pre-schools closed in March 2020 due to the Covid-19 emergency, children and young people missed out vital transition preparation they may have received during the last academic term.
National Play Day is held every year on the 4th July. This year the Clare CYPSC in partnership with the HSE Children's Services, Clare Sports Partnership and Clare County Council came together to design a range of sensory/motor play kits for children with additional needs. The resources were specifically chosen by the Children's Services O.T to meet the specific abilities of each child. 50 families participated in the project whereby the kits were posted to their homes.
The Connected Respected and Engaged subgroup identified retorative proactices as one of it's key actions to be contained in the Children and Young People's Plan. The aim was to support practitioners across sectors to manage conflict situations, either in the workplace or with clients, in a restorative fashion. Restorative Practices (RP) are an evidence-based set of skills that help develop and sustain strong and happy organisations and communities by actively developing good relationships, preventing the escalation of conflict and handling conflict and wrongdoing in a creative and healthy manner.
The Imagination Playground, a modern resource that assists in the development of children’s motor and cognitive skills, has been introduced to Co. Clare schools.This Heathy Ireland funded initiative has been introduced in response to concerning trends in childhood obesity and cognitive development. A recent DCU study entitled “Moving Well Being Well”, reported that a large proportion of children under ten had not mastered essential fundamental movement skills. Ireland also has significantly fewer high-achieving students in maths and science compared to other developed countries, according to Pisa (Programme for International Student Assessment). In an age of childhood obesity and children tethered to electronic consoles, playgrounds have rarely been more important.
Following on from an extensive consultation process a needs analysis report was commissioned in 2017/2018. This report identifies key priority areas for the CYPSC to focus on in the coming years.
In 2017, the Clare Children and Young People's Services Committee commissioned the All Ireland Research Observatory (AIRO) NUI Maynooth, to compile a baseline report using 2016 CSO data available. Our Report contains data pertaining to children and young people aged 0-24 years old living in Co. Clare. This report assisted in developing an evidence base for the identification of Clare CYPSC's key priority areas.