Sub-Groups

Cork CYPSC has established 5 Sub Groups with the aim of addressing issues that have significant impact on Children, young people and families.

1. Information and Research

Chair: Niamh Sheridan, Togher Family Centre

Achievements (supported by Researchers)

  • Socio-demographic profile of children and families in Cork and County completed

  • Literature review on the social and emotional wellbeing of children and young people completed with recommendations made to CYPSC for the 3 year Children and Young People's Plan

  • 'Each One Matters Survey'. A survey of 138 service providers in Cork City and County, carried out between June & September 2017

  • Overview of Services

  • Local Needs Analysis

  • Drafting of the Children & Young Peoples Plan.

Current Work:

  • Review of the Children and Young People's Plan.

2. Supporting Parents

Chair: Stephanie Whyte, Barnardos

The supporting Parents Sub group have identified the following actions:

  • Campaign to promote key messages to parents
  • Identifying and signposting of universal services for parents
  • Interagency appoach to co-ordinating evidence based programmes that support parents
  • Promotion of the parent champion role

Consultation document and a suite of action sheets 

A Consultation with Parents about their Children's Social and Emotional Well-being report 

Action 1: Spend Time With Your Child

Action 2: Help Your Child To Understand and Express Their Feelings 

Action 3: Help Your Child Adapt To Changes

Action 4: Help Yourself To Help You As A Parent 

Action 5: Help Your Child Stay Technology-Safe 

Action 6: Help Your Child Celebrate Difference So That Everyone Belongs 

3. Children and Young People's Participation

Under 12's Participation

Chair: Tracey Holt, CYPSC Co-ordinator

Vice Chair: Aoife Griffin

Priority 1: Give voice to the Under 12’s age group regarding their social and emotional  wellbeing.

A series of consultations to be held with different age groups (under age 12) using a variety of age appropriate methods, and guided by the Lundy model of Participation. 

Priority 2: Mapping of Participation Practice in Cork

Desk top research, using an online questionnaire was sent out to all organisations working with children and young people. The aim being to Map Participation Practice in Cork and to share this learning and any gaps with CYPSC to support their strategic planning for improving services responses to children’s participation practice

The above Actions were delayed due to Covid however a 100 completed surveys were returned with the findings collated and  presented by Aofie Griffin from the ISPCC to the sub group in September 2022. 

We are in the process of identifying recommendations and hope to work alongside a primary school to pilot participation training for teachers and implementation of the Lundy model with primary age students early in 2023

 

The Cork CYPSC Coordinator also  works closely with both the City and County Comhairla Na nOg and sits on the respective steering groups 

4. Keeping Young Travellers Well

Chair: Alison Aldred Good Shepherds Cork

Good Shepherd Cork received funding from the CYPSC strand of the Community Mental Health Healthy Ireland Fund  to deliver a programme of activities through partner agencies to support local level initiatives that promote and enhance mental health and wellbeing of people in the community and/or tackle loneliness and isolation. We set up a Steering group to focus on the Health onf young Travellers.

The programme of activities has involved three partner agencies:

  • Tusla’s Spring board project in partnership with Cork Midsummer Festival
  • Traveller Visibility Group (TVG)
  • the  Meelagh Community Development Project for Travellers (a project of the Cork Traveller Womens Network)

Each agency worked with young Travellers to deliver a range of interventions under the loose theme of ‘keeping young Travellers well’. Activities took place over 2021 and early 2022, some adjustments were made to these activities in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

TVG developed an animation on the Impact of Racism, Exclusion and Discrimination on young Travellers which can be accessed here https://youtu.be/1Uo2QjBP0Ww alongside this  they produced a practical report ‘ Measuring the Impact of Discrimination on Traveller Youth Mental Health. https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/17hcgruGgxI1T4OuBMvWZLsQQvluzNUFH

The sub group has now commissioned a research to complete a short evaluation assignment to assess the outcomes/impact of the funded activities.

Objectives of the assignment

  1. To review the inputs and outputs of the project activities funded through the Keeping Young Travellers Well programme under the CMHF grant funding scheme.
  2. To make an assessment of the outcomes/impacts of the project activities (ie changes experienced by project participants).
  3. To document learnings from the programme and projects to inform future activities of the  agencies involved.
  4. To ensure young Traveller voices are heard to support future service/project planning.                                                                              

5. Anti Racist

Co Chairs: Fionualla O'Connell Cork Migrant Centre and Tracey Holt CYPSC Coordinator

The Cork Migrant Centre Youth Initiative Against Racism in collaboration with Cork CYPSC held a webinar in June 2020. The webinar was organised in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, bringing the realities of racism and discrimination around the world and in Ireland to the forefront

The webinar was created to channel and amplify the voices of the youths, including those living in direct provision, freely and without fear, to give a voice to young people’s experiences of racism and for their voices to be heard by policymakers and service providers.

Panellists involved in the discussion included: Dr Niall Muldoon, Children’s Ombudsman; Bernard Gloster, CEO, Tusla; Cork Lord Mayor Joe Kavanagh; County Mayor Ian Doyle; Damien White, president of the Irish Primary Principals Network; and Paula Cogan, president of Cork Chamber of Commerce. Chief Superintendent Con Cadogan was represented by Ronan Kennelly, Inspector in Charge at Togher, Community Engagement South, and Sergeant Kay O’Donoghue, West Cork.

The webinar raised awareness about some of the ways in which racism exists in Ireland and specifically Cork.

Following the Webinar Cork CYPSC set up the Anti Racist Subgroup with the aim of:

Actively working towards the development and implementation of anti- racist policy and practice within our services and institutions

“For true change to happen, the people that are directly impacted by racism need to be directly included as part of the discussion, they need to be at the table where decisions are being made, and they need to be heard.” CMCYAR

Objectives 

  • To ensure young people’s voices are heard and their concerns bought to this group and responded to
  • To train together to come to a common understanding of anti- racist and inclusive practice, inclusive of the Traveller and Roma community
  • To Identify gaps and needs in relation to the impact of racism (include gathering of statistics/ data both qualitative ad quantative)
  • To promote positive stories to counteract stereotypes
  • To work with AGS and offer support/ input into their school’s programme
  • To contribute to Cork and County being a safe and inclusive County for BAME people
  • To confront and challenge all instances of racism in order that it becomes unacceptable
  • To highlight the work Nationally and as a potential model of practice for policing and community engagement

Membership

The sub group consists of service providers and organisations with a remit for working with children, young people and families

Membership comprises of people from diverse backgrounds, including those with lived experiences of racism.

Sub Group Members at the Anti Racist Cumbria Summit Meeting Nova Reid Author of 'The Good Ally'

November 2022

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