Priorities

Active and Healthy, Physical and Mental Wellbeing (Outcome 1):

  • Physical Activity – (a) improving and maintaining recreational infrastructure, ensuring provision is inclusive and promoting the use of community spaces for outdoor play (b) increasing participation in physical activity by identified target groups including young people from new communities (c) promoting physical activity and health and nutrition through a range of programmes funded under Healthy Ireland Round 3.
  • Physical Health – (a) promoting vaccination (b) Nurture Programme 0-3 years (c) promoting healthy eating through the delivery of programmes/events to target groups.
  • Disability – (a) monitoring impact of new disability networks and liaising with relevant stakeholders to address challenges (b) training frontline workers and volunteers in inclusive practice and provising inclusive events.
  • Youth Mental Health and Emotional Well-being – (a) improving information on services available in Co. Wicklow (b) promoting positive mental health and emotional well-being through a range of national and local campaigns (c) supporting the operation of the Jigsaw service in Co. Wicklow (d) exploring a Junior REACH programme for Wicklow (e) promoting uptake of training to promote positive mental health (f) to gather information on services for those with ASD in the county (g) to work with stakeholders in KIldare/West Wicklow to ensure that gaps in services are addressed (h) to promote the Social Prescribing services in the county (I) to raise awareness of Perinatal Mental Health and available services and (j) to support partners in the delivery of four Community Mental Health actions.
  • Drugs and Alcohol - (a) promoting the enhanced Barnardos services in Bray to address the issue of Hidden Harm in the area (b) to promote the YODA services for under 18s including family therapy service (c) to explore with young people and across three subgroups appropriate resources/methods for increasing awareness and understanding of drug related harms.

Achieving full potential in all areas of Learning and Development (Outcome 2):

  • Literacy and Numeracy Campaign – (a) extending learning from SPECS vocabulary programme (b) support 'My First Library Card' (c) promoting the use of TTRS and Alexia in the county.
  • Transitions -  improving transition from (a) pre-school to primary school and (b) primary to secondary school and (c) to continue to offer the adapted transition programme for young people with ASD in West Wicklow, developed under Quality Capacity Building Initiative funding.
  • Creative Learning - delivering I Am BABA workshops in Co. Wicklow for children under 12 months (subject to COVID restrictions being lifted)
  • School Refusal - developing a guidance document to support schools, parents and students on the issue of school refusal and working with partners to promote the use of the guidance.
  • Progression Pathways - to map progression pathways for those excluded from mainstream education. 

Safe and Protected from Harm (Outcome 3):

  • Prevention, Partnership and Family Support Programme and Meitheal - maintaining the PPFS Steering Committee, Child and Family Support Networks and implementation of Meitheal.  Advocating for the provision of resources to allow the implementation of Meitheal in West Wicklow.
  • PPFS Public Awareness – supporting the planning and delivery of annual Public Awareness
  • Commissioning - Supporting the implementation of the commissioning plan for the area.
  • Hidden Harm - supporting the implementation of the Hidden Harm Strategy through the Meitheal framework of family support
  • Training - identifying and addressing training needs using an interagency approach.
  • Parenting Support, Parental Participation and Parent Support Champions - co-ordinating and planning parenting supports including Parental Participation Projects and seeking support from the PSCs for the area (b) continuing to support the Parent Hub in Dunlavin and look to expanding to other parts of West Wicklow and (c) to maintain the ASD support group and look to exploring its expansion to Blessington (d) the co-ordination of an Non Violent Resistance [NVR] network in the area and the delivery of SPACE training to further enhance the skills of the interagency practitioners in the area.
  • Domestic Violence - to increase awareness raising and training on DV and explore continuation of Joint Garda/Social Worker training.
  • Early Intervention and Prevention: To co-ordinate /maintain an Infant Mental Health Network in the area.
  • Housing/Homelessness - To monitor the impact of homelessness in Co. Wicklow particularly on children.
  • Online Safety - promoting online safety to parents and young people.
  • New Communities - To assess/address emergent family support needs within new communities.
  • Cannabis Use - To explore with relevant partners and across three subgroups how we can respond to the issues arising.

Economic Security and Opportunity (Outcome 4):

  • Youth Unemployment - using learning from pilot interagency youth employment initiative in Kildare to inform the delivery of two similar projects in Wicklow.
  • Local Economic and Community Plan - make a submission to the LECP relating to issues impacting children, young people in Co. Wicklow.
  • Disability Unemployment - to promote pathways for education, training and employment for those with disabilities.
  • Refugee Families in Arklow - to proivde a point of contact for the Somali families in Arklow to engage with the members of the Refugee Integration Subgroup.
  • Disadvantaged youth in West Wicklow - to support target young people in West Wicklow through the delivery of Kickboxing Courses and Summer Activites.
  • Food Poverty - to work with relevant structures in Wicklow to raise awareness of the issue of food poverty in the county which received significant attention during the COVID 19 crisis but is an ongoing concern.

Connected, Respected and Contributing to their world (Outcome 5):

  • Active Participation of Children and Young People - (a) maintain engagement of two young adult representatives  18 to 24 years onto Co. Wicklow CYPSC (b) participation of young people 12 to 17 years and (c) supporting the Tusla Children's Participation Project including the participation of young people in Meitheal.
  • Gaps in Youth Work services - highlight the gaps in services in the county informed by Kildare and Wicklow ETB profile and to maintain formal links with the Wicklow Youth Work Committee.
  • LGBTQi - to improve awareness of LGBTQI issues through training and other events. 
  • Healthy Relationships - to use research undertakent to idetify topics for further development.
  • Refugee Integration Subgoup - to build relationships with Somali families and young people linked to action under Outcome 4 i.e. securing resources for a Point of Contact person.
  • Garda Youth Awards - to build positive relationships between young people and Gardai.
  • Drug/Cannabis Use - cross subgroup action to work with young people and seek their views and support on raising awareness and understanding of drug related harms.

Change Management:

  • This priority area focuses on a range of issues or matters arising that may require a high level response and ensures that the six Transformational Goals are reflected in the Co. Wicklow CYPP and the work of all subgroups.  These include:  providing youth participation training for CYPSC members; aligning CYPSC work and partner ageny plans; continuing to raise awareness of Wicklow CYPSC and mainting a Facebook and Twitter presence; strengthening links between and across CYPSC subgroups; raising with relevant structures/agencies issues that are impacting negatively on the lives of childrena and young people in the county e.g. waiting lists for therapeutic services, inadequate service provision or gaps.  The work also involves: participation by the Co-ordinator in relevant structures and adhering to the Planning and Reporting Framework; maintining the Wicklow CYPSC website page; promoting the use of the Tusla Data Hub and; maintaining a Critical Incident Protocol and ensuring it is up to date.
  • West Wicklow - A separate Interagency Committee was established during the lifetime of the last CYPP to to look at the West Wicklow area specifically and to address emerging priorities.  The work of this group is included under the five outcome areas.  The group meets regularly and continues to bring a focus to an area of Wicklow that is under-resourced and to work with partners to develop creative solutions to inadequate service provision.

 

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