FUNDING BOOST…Devenish Partership’s Laura Coalter (rear, left) with some of the Early Days staff, parents and children
AFTER securing a funding boost of over £264,000, Devenish Partnership has been given the opportunity to improve the lives of local children through knowledge and education.
The Devenish Partnership Forum will work in partnership with a number of organisations to provide early years Intervention services for the young children and their families across the entire Enniskillen Neighbourhood Renewal Area.
This project will co-ordinate services for children and families in the Neighbourhood Renewal Area and also create links to other initiatives such as health, youth, education and economic projects, with hard to reach families.
Laura Coalter, the Early Days co-ordinator who has been working within Devenish Forum for seven years, said: “This is a great programme for young children and their families as the programme will create opportunities so that all children will be at an advantage and will be able to achieve their full potential.
“Parents will also be empowered with knowledge about other agencies that would be of great benefit to them. The Early Days Project will also improve educational attainment in the area by these early intervention programmes.
“The money will be mainly spent in the Neighbourhood Renewal Project so it will benefit Kilmacormick and Westville. It’s being put into areas where there is a need for social education and educating young people and their families.
“It’s support to families and young people. We teach social skills and give them the opportunity to use our computer suites and try to teach them what will be going on in schools. Women’s Aid are offering one-to-one sessions to help children that are victims of domestic violence and also they will be delivering their Helping Hands programme to local community groups in the area.
“Kilmacormick Playgroup got 15 funded places which is brilliant for them and the community as we know how expensive child care can be so it’s giving families the opportunity to have the same as what anyone else would have.
“The launch day is a good opportunity for our partnerships and parents to get together to see what exactly is going on here. It’s a small community but this resource centre is the heart of the community. This is where it’s all happening.”
Some of the programmes on offer are the junior homework and activity club for 4 to 7-year-olds which will be based in the Kilmacormick Resource Centre.
Westville Family Resource Centre has funding to run their Families Together Project in the Westend Community Centre. This is a structured playgroup session to parents/carers of children aged 0-5 years.
They also have their Lifestart family Visitor programme available for children 0-5 years in the Westend end.
Social Development Minister Nelson McCausland said: “This is an investment in the next generation and ultimately Enniskillen’s future prospects. This programme will help to empower parents of young families in the Enniskillen area to meet their needs and ensure their children’s education potential is maximised.”
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