A message from The Wheel   “Budget 2023 provides an opportunity to build a future shaped by community; one in which charities, community groups, and social enterprises can efficiently and effectively work with those they serve. #FutureIsCommunity We made our Pre-Budget Submission to Government earlier this year.  You can read it in full here. Our  recommendations for Budget 2023  focus on enabling organisations to continue to provide stable, much-needed services in the uncertain economic period ahead. These recommendations include calls on government to: Increase funding for services and supports provided by community and voluntary organisations to enable them to address the […]

Parental Engagement and Relationships (PEAR) Training CDI’s ‘Parental Engagement and Relationships’ (PEAR) training supports Early Learning and Care (ELC) practitioners to develop and maintain strong relationships with parents. It is interactive, based on reflective practice and delivered through six 2-hour sessions. The training and accompanying toolkit are based on CDI’s experience providing effective support to parents through ELC services in Tallaght. It has been designed by: Professor Emer Ring, Dean of Early Childhood and Teacher Education at Mary Immaculate College (MIC) Dr Lisha O’Sullivan, Head of the Department of Reflective Pedagogy and Early Childhood Studies, MIC Shirley Heaney, National Programme […]

The Wheel invites you to Introduction to Engaged Research on Tuesday, 27 September at 10am. Join to explore how the community and voluntary sector can benefit from engaged research and to learn about the supports available to your organisation.  Also referred to as citizen science or participatory action research, “engaged research” can be summed up as research that is advanced with community partners rather than for them. Engaged research projects therefore provide an excellent opportunity for civil society groups to influence and shape research in their field, access data to inform their work, and participate in a wide range of funding […]

Residents living in smaller, community-based homes experience a better quality of life, live in safer services and are more likely to experience better personal outcomes. 8 August 2022: The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has  published an overview of its inspection and regulation of designated centres for people with disabilities in 2021. HIQA carried out 1,220 inspections in disability services last year. Inspections found that the majority of centres provided a good standard of care and support to people with disabilities. However, the report also outlines concerns over poor findings in relation to governance and management in a number of […]

Strategic Plan for Residential Care Services for Children and Young People 2022-2025    

Fern Higgins Atkinson has been appointed programme manager of Relationships in Practice, an evidence-based programme run under SHEP (Social and Health Education Project), in collaboration with the Ag Eisteacht Foundation. Fern has now joined the team at the SHEP offices in Ardfolye Avenue, Cork where she is responsible for the management and development of the Relationships in Practice Programme which supports quality relationships in frontline practice through training, advocacy, collaboration and evaluation. An experienced trainer/facilitator, a registered health promotion practitioner and a Youth Mental Health First Aid associate instructor, Fern is also a part-time lecturer at UCC in BSocSc Youth & […]

Oireachtas Monitor 406 Published: 18 July 2022 Last week’s Oireachtas Questions and Debates (11 July – 15 July) 1. Asylum and Immigration 2. Child Protection/ Children in Care/ Child and Youth Services 3. Disability and Special Educational Needs 4. Early Childhood Education and Care 5. Education 6. Health and Mental Health 7. Justice/ Human Rights/ Equality 8. Social Welfare/ Poverty / Housing   1. Asylum and Immigration Parliamentary Questions – Written Answers Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth Immigration Policy, Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent) Debates Dáil Debate, Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund: Motion 2. Child Protection/ Children in Care/ Child and Youth Services Parliamentary Questions – Written Answers Department of Children, Equality, […]