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A Child Centered Response to Domestic Abuse
Get PDFInformation sheetSix things Barnardos has learnt about children experiencing violence in their home
Barnardos Annual Report and Financial Statements 2018
No full textAnnual ReportThere is an often quoted phrase from Frederick Douglass, abolitionist and statesman, which has always resonated with me “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” This is at the heart of what Barnardos does - working with vulnerable children and families who have experienced or are at risk of adversity from a range of sources. In 2018, Barnardos helped 17,799 children and families. We have worked with children and families to build children’s resilience and strengthen parenting skills. We have worked in schools to develop social and emotional skills to support children’s learning, and we have worked within communities to connect families with local supports. We aim to protect childhood and help every child reach their full potential. It is estimated that 15-20% of children experience some degree of social and emotional difficulties that make them vulnerable. Based on the CSO’s figure for Ireland’s population, this means that approximately 180,000 children in Ireland could be experiencing difficulties at any point in time. I know that many of these children will not need Barnardos services as they have enough family and social support networks and resources to buffer the impact of adversity and access the help they require but Barnardos aims to provide services to those who do. These are children who are facing challenges in one, or maybe more, of the following: in their living situation (for example, through poverty, community crime and homelessness); in their families (maybe through family conflict or domestic abuse, bereavement or acrimonious separation); in parental wellbeing (including addictions, mental illness). In addition we know that children in lone parent families have been disproportionately impacted by the austerity policies implemented in recent years. Lone parent families are consistently among the worst off in society and children in these families are particularly vulnerable. The most effective and cost efficient way to protect childhood and to maximise children’s potential is to support their family. Ensuring all parents have the knowledge, skills and resources they need to best care for their children is the best (and evidenced) method to reduce the impact of adverse experiences on children and improve their resilience and outcomes. For a variety of reasons many families need more support than friends and family can offer – and they need to be able to access skilled family support services. Proper investment in skilled family support services based in all our communities will help us build strong children and break the cycles of adversity and should be a priority investment area for any new Government. Another year on and the housing crisis shows little signs of abating. Thousands of childhoods are being damaged by emergency accommodation or overcrowded or substandard housing. While there rightly has been much coverage of the child homelessness figures (3,559 at the end of 2018), there are thousands more who suffer hidden homelessness. These are children with no home of their own but who are not included in the Government figures and don’t qualify for support services because they are temporarily accommodated with extended family or friends, usually in overcrowded accommodation unsuitable for children. We continue to see the fallout from this in our services around the country. Against this backdrop of need, during 2018 Barnardos operated in a very competitive funding environment, both from statutory funding and fundraising perspectives. As a result we have increased concerns due to ongoing under-funding for our services by statutory funders. As a consequence of the statutory funding cuts imposed in 2009 and the fact that no cost of living increase has been applied since then, the gap between what our programmes are costing us to run and what we are receiving from Tusla and other statutory agencies has increased significantly. While we have managed to cover the increased costs of our services for children and families and avoid reducing service provision in line with the funding reductions by using voluntary fundraising, our ability to continue to do so has reached its limit and the gap is growing beyond our ability to cover it. As part of our ongoing review of the strategic plan for Barnardos, with a new CEO in place since October 2018, and conscious of the financial sustainability challenges, the Board of Barnardos have decided to revise the strategic plan for the period 2019-2021. While the progress against the objectives previously set has been largely on track, the Board felt that with the appointment of a new CEO allied with funding challenges, it is opportune to relook at the strategic direction of the organisation. A new strategic plan will be presented to the Board in 2019. Regretfully 2019 is my final year as Chair of Barnardos and I am both proud of the achievements of the organisation over the past six years of my tenure and sad at the thought of retiring as Chair. It has been my great privilege to work with a fantastic board and senior management team led by Fergus Finlay. Fergus’ retirement in 2018 after 13 years at the helm was a critical juncture for Barnardos. However, with the appointment of Suzanne Connolly to the role I am confident that the organisation is in safe hands
T is for Think Smart
No full textPresentationThis is about Thinking Smart about the information and people you meet on the internet So we know the internet can be so helpful when we are researching things for school, or if a friend moves away, we can still stay in contact with him/her. But, we also know that there are times when we need to be careful online. This lesson looks at fake news and how to help Tadhg figure out what to trust and what not to trust when it comes to information online. We will also be looking at people online just like in the real world there are lovely people, but unfortunately there are some people online who may not be who they say they are. They may have bad intentions like trying to scam you out of your money, or they might be an adult pretending to be a child trying to speak to you and maybe even meet up with you. This will give you top tips on how to recognise this and to know what to do if this happens to you
Early Years eNews: Issue 3
No full textNewsletterWhile the Government is still determining whether childcare workers will go into the home and mind the children of some healthcare workers, many organisation and agencies, including Barnardos, have been working on resources to support professionals and we look at some of these below. We also include info on FAQs published by DCYA on the Covid-19 measures introduced for Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare Services as well as information about Barnardos online training, mentoring support available and discounts on Barnardos publications
Programme for Government Recommendations
Get PDFPaperThe Covid19 crisis has had widespread implications for children and families in Ireland. Children are bearing an enormous burden placed on them by this pandemic. Vulnerable and at risk children, such as those Barnardos works with, have been particularly hard hit. These are the children who already experienced educational disadvantage prior to school closures, or who are dependent on school meals, or whose home is not a safe place, or who have no home at all. Barnardos has been at the forefront of national supports and services to at risk children and their families during the pandemic. In this context this document sets out Barnardos’ priority recommendations for the next Government
There's Nothing Normal About the New Normal
Get PDFPosterBarnardos’ new Covid-19 parent support line offers advice on everything from explaining Covid-19 to children, setting a routine, to managing your own anxieties. Call our trained experts today
Guidance for Childminders: Supporting Language Development
Get PDFBookletThe first three years of a child’s life are crucially important for their development, particularly their language development. Children’s language does not just develop on its own though. Babies and very young children need adults to encourage and support the development of their language and communication skills. As a childminder, it is important that you reflect on how your daily routines can be developed to help promote the speech, language and communication skills of the children in your care. The more stimulation babies and young children get, with you talking and reading with them, and listening and responding to their babbles, gestures and words, the better their language and literacy will be. This resource offers guidance on how you can ensure that children have the rich language experiences that they need in their earliest years
Children and Young Person's Survey - Online Safety (Infographic)
No full textInfographicSurvey: 84 children (65 primary, 19 secondary); Open for 2 weeks in June 202
Children and Young People’s Back to School Survey 2020
Get PDFReportA total of 255 children and young people responded to our Back to School Survey 2020, with a fairly even split between boys (42%) and girls (55%). Most respondents are going back to primary school in September (60%), with the remainder returning to secondary school, some for the first time