Launch of new community directory for  Child, Youth and Family Services

The North Central Child and Family Support Network launched its brand new Community Directory for child, youth and family services in the North Central Donegal area.

It was launched by Amanda and Danny O’Carroll, aka Buster and Betty Brown from Mrs Brown's Boys at an event in Dillions Hotel, Letterkenny on Tuesday evening.

It is the third of its kind to be produced in the county following on from similar directories for the Inishowen area and the north-west of the county back in 2020.

The directory will ensure access to information about child, youth, and family services and supports in the area, in addition to information on any of the services that families might need to use across their life-course.

The directory will be a one-stop-shop resource for both members of the public and practitioners. It covers the North Central area of Donegal covering the Letterkenny and Milford Municipal District.

The directory originated from a need to condense and simplify the enormous range of information about statutory, community, voluntary, family support, and wellbeing services operating in the area.

Accessing information about services, knowing where they are, and how to get to them, is a fundamental need when support is sought for children and young people.

Likewise, it is important that service providers are supported in their work by sign-posting their services to practitioners, and other local services and resources.

The network itself was established in 2018 with the support of the Prevention, Partnership, and Family Support Department in the Child and Family Agency, Tusla.

It is one of five similar networks across the county. These networks bring together all community and statutory services in a geographic area that work with children, young people, and their families.

In each network you have representatives from schools, youth services, health services, family support services, childcare services, Tusla, as well as many of the locally-based community groups in the area.

The purpose of the network is to ensure that all members have a good understanding of the services that are available in their area to support children, young people, and families.

One of the main aims of establishing the Networks was to ensure that there is “no wrong door” when families go looking for support and this is achieved through each
member’s awareness of the support that is available from being part of the Network.

The Directory takes a cradle to the grave approach covering a range of key service categories from preschools to supports for older people and includes information about HSE services, GPs, gardaí, schools, churches, library services, as well as financial support.

Local community organisations and centres are included as well as recreational services, Men’s Groups, Women’s Groups, Walking Groups and Community Gardens.

Counselling services, social prescribing, family support, and youth support are also referenced in addition to information central areas.

It is hoped that hard copies of the directory will be available through health centres and other community buildings in the coming months.

In the meantime virtual copies of the directory can be downloaded from
www.parenthubdonegal.ie and www.cypsc.ie