Service providers and practitioners who are working with families in International Protection, Emergency accommodation and with families displaced from Ukraine are invited to attend My Place to Play Baby and Toddler Briefing Sessions.
My Place to Play is a programme that aims to enhance parent-child interactions and the physical, emotional, cognitive and language development of infants and toddlers living in international protection and emergency accommodation services. The programme is designed to be an interagency response to support families experiencing those living situations.
Due to the success of the original My Place to Play Baby Mat, a Toddler Pack has been developed using play to promote language, communication, literacy, social and emotional development as well as fine and gross motor development for children.
Combined briefing sessions are now being delivered for My Place to Play Baby Mat and the My Place to Play Toddler Pack. These sessions are open to staff who offer direct services within the International Protection Accommodation Service, particularly those responding to the Ukrainian crisis, within Homeless services, as well as those who may want to know more about the My Place to Play Initiative, including service managers and policy makers.
The Early Learning Initiative, National College of Ireland (ELI) has been commissioned by the Children and Young Peolple's Services Committees initaitve (CYPSC) and Tusla Prevention Partnership and Family Support (PPFS) to provide briefing sessions for organisations who are interested in delivering the programmes within the International Protection Accommodation Service system and across Homeless services.
ELI invite you to participate in the My Place to Play briefing session if your organisation would benefit from information regarding supporting families living in homelessness, international protection or other confined housing conditions with infants aged 0-12 months and toddlers aged 12-36 months.
In this two-hour briefing session, you will hear about:
- The background and theoretical underpinnings of My Place to Play Baby and Toddler progammes.
- The benefits of the My Place to Play resources for infants, toddlers and their families.
- Tips and hints on how to engage families in the use of the resource.
- Question and answer session.
Information on how to register and attend these Briefing sessions is here:
My Place To Play (MPTP) Combined briefing sessions – Baby & Toddler
You can also contact the Early Learning Initiative to find out more by emailing eli@ncirl.ie
Or take a look at the My Place to Play Baby Mat resources by visting our Resources page and clicking on the My Place to Play tab.
You can read more CYPSC News here.