A LOCALLY-based early intervention project for families has welcomed a delegation from the Oireachtas Committee on the Good Friday Agreement to its main Northern project office in Poleglass.  

The delegation which included TDs, Senators and MPs arrived on Tuesday to learn more about the work of The Changing Lives Initiative: Flourish & Thrive and to meet some of the families who have benefitted so far.

The project, funded via PEACEPLUS, is managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) and provides a range of early intervention supports to families of children with queried neurodevelopmental conditions such as ADHD and autism. 

The early intervention project offers a range of supports including online and in-person workshops and evidence-based programmes. The project is open to all families who think they might benefit from the project’s services. No diagnosis is required and parents can sign up themselves, or any practitioner can link parents in with the project.

Speaking about the visit, David Simpson, Regional Manager, said: “We are delighted to have the work of The Changing Lives Initiative: Flourish & Thrive project recognised with a visit from the Oireachtas Committee.

“Early intervention is crucial in supporting families, helping to reduce long-term challenges, and improving outcomes for children with ADHD and autism. 

“The driving ambition of The Changing Lives Initiative: Flourish & Thrive is to develop a regionally consistent model of early support to families dealing with neurodiverse behaviours in their children, that can be adopted North and South as a sustainable and highly effective approach after PEACEPLUS funding ends in 2028.”

The Changing Lives Initiative: Flourish & Thrive is delivered in the North by Colin Neighbourhood Partnership, with partners in the South, Archways and Dundalk Institute of Technology. The Flourish & Thrive project, builds on an earlier project by the Changing Lives Initiative which ran from 2017 – 2021.

The Changing Lives Initiative: Flourish & Thrive project, which launched last September will work with 8,700 parents and children in the Belfast, South-Eastern and Northern Trusts as well as border counties Louth, Cavan, Monaghan.

Further information on how families can avail of the programme is available at www.changinglivesinitiative.com