Established in 2015, Barnardos Lucan Family Support Service was set up a satellite service operating from a Ballyfermot location. Since 2015 the service has been funded by temporary funding from Tusla- the Child and Family Agency. – the charity is now calling on the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth for a longer term funding commitment to fund a permanent Family support Service located in Lucan so children and families can avail of supports in their own area.
Since it’s fruition, 75 individuals from 25 families have benefited from the service. The charity revealed findings from an external evaluation at a recent event. The evaluation, which was carried out by Quality Matters and funded by the RTÉ Late Late Toy Show Appeal interviewed 18 participants, made up of parents, external stakeholders, staff members and children. The findings were presented at a coffee morning in Adamstown Community Centre on Friday 23rd. The event was attended by members of the local community politicians and stakeholders.
Some of the key findings from the evaluation were:
- All respondents said the service improved the quality of family life with significant improvements to parent – child communication and routines within the home.
- Children reported – “I like having a place to freely talk about what’s on my mind, knowing I won’t be judged.”
- Social workers reported that they have seen a “direct benefit in terms of improved school attendance, quality of family relationship, children’s presentation and parents having more confidence in their parenting role.”
Patricia Maguire Barnardos Project Leader said that due to the population growth in the area, the need for a dedicated service is more important than ever. ‘The findings of the evaluation shows the positive impact of Barnardos Lucan Family Support Service. However, existing and future challenges exist around lack of permanent funding, increasing rate of social work referrals and rising demand for services. With additional and more secure resources, Barnardos could reach more families living in Lucan who need help and support. Barnardos would like families living in the Lucan area to be able to directly access support from a project based in their own community.’
Parent using Barnardos Lucan Family Support Service; ‘We are very happy to tell them about our problems. They listened and supported us. I feel calm when I am here. I don’t feel alone. We are very happy to have Barnardos support us.’
Barnardos Lucan Family Support Service Staff member; ‘We’re only beginning to see the post COVID impact, and experience is showing that for families a lot of concerns and worries that have built up over time. Children and parents are under a lot of pressure. Parents who might never have suffered from mental health difficulties are experiencing them now. There are higher rates of family breakdown than we would have seen… there is definitely a need for extra services in Lucan to support families.”
The Barnardos Lucan Family Support Service provides support to parents children and families as a whole, to improve children’s social and emotional wellbeing and development.
ENDS
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