youngballymun Christmas Conference – A Child Is Born
Thursday December 10th
youngballymun Christmas Conference – A Child Is Born
Axis Arts Centre
9.00am – 1.30pm
President Mary McAleese will join us at our ‘A Child Is Born’ Conference on Thursday December 10th in the Axis Arts Centre, Ballymun.
The focus of our Christmas Conference is the importance of the earliest years of life in establishing a firm foundation for wellbeing and learning. This is an opportunity to showcase how international research and proven practice are being applied with babies and toddlers and their parents here in youngballymun. We will be celebrating the opening of Ready, Steady, Grow in partnership with the public health nurse team, the primary care team, the Ballymun Home and Family Support Service and other services in Ballymun.
The conference keynote speakers are Dr. Stuart Shanker, Canada and Professor Angeles Cerezo, Spain.
Dr. Shanker will map the processes of infant brain development and underline the importance of the vital first years of life. Professor Cerezo will share with us how the programme that she pioneered initially in Valencia in Spain for infants, toddlers and their parents is now thriving in Ireland, in both Jobstown, Tallaght and now in Ballymun.
From 1.30 onwards we will enjoy general Christmas festivities and celebrations!
For further information on Conference registration please contact Addie McDonald – addie@youngballymun.org
Incredible Years Shines Through for youngballymun
Carolyn Webster-Stratton celebrates with incredible parents, incredible children and incredible teachers in Ballymun!
Carolyn Webster-Stratton was ‘incredibly moved and somewhat overwhelmed’ to see the Incredible Years programme which she has designed and worked on for over thirty years in action in Ballymun.
Carolyn spent three memorable hours in Ballymun on Tuesday September 22nd exploring with parents how and why she developed her basic parents programme and with teachers all the different elements that can make an Incredible Years school. More than an hundred people active in Incredible Years - families, teachers and community organisations - joined to celebrate the launch of an incredibly successful programme that had initially been introduced to Ballymun through the Ballymun and Whitehall Area Partnership in and is now one of the six key services delivered through youngballymun.
Incredible Years focuses on all the things that children get right – the positives - rather than just relying on criticism and sanctions for bad behaviour. In the classroom and at home, it teaches adults how to support children’s positive behaviour, their problem solving and their social skills. It also teaches children how to cope with their own feelings and interactions with the help of three giant puppets, Molly, Wally and Dina Dinosaur.
“Ballymun is the first community in Ireland to adopt Incredible Years as a community-wide initiative across schools, community organisations and families,” explained Eleanor McClorey of youngballymun. “Groundbreaking research in Ireland by an evaluation team led by Dr. McGilloway of NUIM shows that Incredible Years crosses cultures and continents with outstanding benefits for parents, teachers and particularly children.”
Four schools are currently participating in the Ballymun programme with a further two signed up for this school year. Over 30 teachers and nearly 100 parents have either completed or are currently enrolled in the programme. So far, 117 young children have benefited from the support of Dina Dinosaur and her classroom curriculum.
Dr. McGilloway’s research established that when parents complete the IY Basic Parent Programme which is delivered by Ballymun’s Community and Family Training Agency (CAFTA)
• Children have fewer temper tantrums.
• Children are less likely to be hyperactive.
• Children are more likely to carry out tasks or obey instructions when asked.
• Parents are less critical and need fewer and less reactive discipline strategies.
• Parents have a more positive outlook on life and are more confident.
- Speech & Language Theraphy Students from Trinity College
Oral Language Assessments in Ballymun Primary Schools
Oral language development was identified by Ballymun schools as a key priority in the Write-Minded service design. There is a strong link between language and literacy, academic achievement, social skills, behaviour, and emotional development. At present there is no formal record of oral language abilities/standardised test results of pupils at all age ranges. Therefore, it was agreed as part of the development of Write-Minded’s oral language strategy to assess abilities across the age levels (junior infants/2nd class/5th class). The assessment results will serve as a baseline for measuring progress and for planning appropriate and specific classroom-based and home interventions.
All 11 primary schools in Ballymun participated in the oral language assessment process. youngballymun’s Oral Language Development Officer Duana Quigley and a HSE Speech and Language Therapist supervised 10 student speech and language therapists from Trinity College, Dublin over a two week period. 269, individual formal, standardised assessments were administered (94 Junior Infants, 88 2nd class, 87 5th class) in the school setting. The main tool used was the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals - 4 which provides a comprehensive assessment of skills in general language ability, receptive language ability, expressive language ability and language content. Speech (pronunciation) was also tested.
The assessment results gathered will be analysed and compiled and a strategy for dissemination of the findings will be developed. It is planned to feedback the findings to parents and engage with them for supporting intervention in the area of oral language development.
Changes to the youngballymun Board
Noel Mulvihill resigned from the Board of youngballymun in October – he has held the HSE seat on our Board since early 2007 and was a key founder member of youngballymun. Noel played an active role in building the links between youngballymun and health services in Ballymun. Noel has left his post in Ballymun to take up new responsibilities in the provision of services to the elderly. At our October Board meeting, John Dunne expressed the appreciation of the Board and staff for Noel’s work as a Board member and we send him our warmest good wishes in his new position.
However, all is not lost as our HSE colleague Mary Maguire who has also been a friend to youngballymun in its set-up phase is our new HSE representative and we look forward to Mary’s contribution to our work as a member of our Board.
There has also been a change in our DCC representative. Martin Kavanagh has resigned and the DCC representative is now Mary Taylor. Mary is very active as the local area manager and had her first experience of a youngballymun Board meeting in October! So welcome to Mary Taylor and Mary Maguire and good wishes to Noel and to Martin.
youngballymun’s Learning Community Fund
The youngballymun Learning Community Fund (LCF) was launched in September 09. The 300k fund (2009-12) is administered by the Ballymun Job Centre. The LCF Management Committee members are: Paddy White (yb, Chair), Gemma Cox (yb), Sandra Forbes (Ballymun Job Centre), Sabrina Staunton (Ballymun Job Centre), and three members with experience in support services to children and young people: Mary Brady (Tir Na Og early care and education centre), Michael Clear (Aisling after-school programme) and Michelle Murphy (BITE - Ballymun Initiative for Third Level Education).
The Fund supports training and professional development for local people who work or volunteer in services for children and young people in Ballymun across the age range pre-birth to early adulthood.
For further information on the Fund contact Sandra Forbes forbess@bmunjob.ie / 8667030
