Children and Families

 

Empower adopts a holistic approach to the welfare of Children and Families who live in Fingal. There are many challenges, complex problems and issues such as unemployment and related childcare, social, cultural, health and economic disadvantages. Our vision is to make social inclusion and financial security a lived experience for children, families, individuals and communities.

 

We campaign for Social Inclusion and to improve the quality of life and opportunities of children and families by:

  • Supporting individuals on their journey to financial independence by providing access to jobs, education, training and self-employment
  • Strengthening community-based organizations to provide anti-poverty and social-inclusion services and supports at a local level
  • Empowering individuals and communities to become central to the policies and decisions that affect life opportunities in their own communities
  • Leading coordinating and working in partnership with community organizations, service providers, statutory agencies and stakeholders to instigate and implement social inclusion and all other anti-poverty plans and projects across the Fingal area.

 

We work to identify needs and gaps in service provision, in line with the “Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures” National Framework for Children and Young People. Implementing this governmental policy allows for interagency collaboration, the connection of infrastructure, guaranteed standards and the best possible use of public money in the service of the state, it’s children and families.

 

Empower continues to work to ensure that children and young people are active and healthy, have positive physical and mental wellbeing and are achieving their full potential in all areas of learning and development. That they are safe and protected from harm, have economic security and opportunity and are connected, respected and contributing to their world.

 

In line with national priorities, we endeavor to continue to provide better support for parents and families, focus more on children’s early years, work with other agencies in the community protect people at risk, enhance job opportunities for young people and improve their overall health and wellbeing. Empower responds to these priorities by:

  • Providing Better Support for Children and Families
  • Providing access to affordable quality childcare as well as targeted, evidence-based supports to those parents identified with the greatest needs
  • Delivering evidence-based programmes to families in disadvantaged communities across Fingal

 

Empowers strategy is to focus more on children’s early years:

  • Recognizing that early intervention such as supporting children’s cognitive, social and emotional development, enhances school readiness and generates longer-term returns to families, communities, the State and wider society.
  • Leveraging community childcare provisions into Fingal will work to reduce barriers to employment and integrate children and families to a greater extent into areas with large populations of new communities.
  • Working together to protect young people at risk
  • Implementing the National Youth Strategy to enable all young people to realize their maximum potential across the following areas; mental health and inclusion, access to services, employment, education, youth work and youth organization's

 

We work in focus groups with local providers and Support Committees to further review emerging needs as they arise in these areas and this shapes ongoing supports and actions to be developed with Youth Service partners. While undertaking this work, there is an emphasis on integration, ensuring the composition of any group includes people from diverse backgrounds who can fully address how best to:

  • Tackle the isolation and exclusion of young people from minority backgrounds.
  • Learn and educate about different cultures through Youth Work activities
  • Advocate for fair and equitable treatment for all young people in the wider community
  • Provide sports, music and drama activities and encourage involvement
  • Provide drop-in services and Team Building training to Youth Workers to promote including integration strategies into their work
  • Enhancing job opportunities for young people
  • Tailoring employment and enterprise supports specifically for young people
  • Enhancing their employability skills
  • Promoting work experience and entrepreneurship

All of these approaches and  measures will allow young people to access good-quality job opportunities.

 

Our focus is also on improving childhood health and wellbeing by:

  • Promoting healthier lifestyles
  • Improving mental health, literacy and early intervention services
  • Increasing the number of children and young people with a healthier weight and encouraging more active lifestyles
  • Providing supports to parents regarding food and nutrition and advice and Smoking-cessation programmes across Fingal

 

Empower endorses the benefits of positive parenting and supportive home environments as being crucial to the development and future prospects of young people. We seek to ensure that all parents in Fingal are equipped and supported to raise their families, to play their roles as primary carers for their children, be equipped to meet challenges as they arise, and continue promote the best possible outcomes for their children. We are committed to collaborating with national organizations such as Barnardos and other local groups like Aster Family Support to deliver targeted and evidence-based supports to those parents with the greatest needs.