Rainbows Ireland, One Family & Ozanam House working to support children and parents with an experience of loss through separation or bereavement in group-based supports.
This one-year pilot funded by the Toy Show 2021 will be based in Ozanam House, Dublin 1 (SVP) and will offer group-based support to a child/ren and their parent(s) to support them through the family changes that a loss through bereavement and separation can cause.
The project will be offered to families in the local community and will have a national reach. The project aims to work closely with all community partners ensuring that children and parents have timely access to group-based support. It will also aim to increase referral pathways across the sector supporting the ease of access to appropriate services for families experiencing loss.
The project will be jointly managed by Rainbows Ireland (CEO, Anne Staunton); One Family (Director of Parenting and Professional Development, Geraldine Kelly); and Ozanam House (Manager, Geraldine O Driscoll). There will be three part time staff engaged on the project, supported by trained volunteers. They will deliver a scheduled calendar of Rainbows Ireland group-based programmes to children aged 7+ in person in Ozanam House. One Family parenting courses will be delivered to parents both in person and via remote platforms.
Attending a Rainbows Programme can offer the following support to a child/young person:
- Support a child to engage with their own individual grief– to identify, name, understand, express and share their feelings.
- Provide a safe setting to tell and retell feelings and thoughts with trained listeners.
- Support children to have a shared experience and identification with others’ feelings… “I’m not the only one”
- Acknowledge a child’s grief and loss.
- Support a child’s self-esteem, trust, confidence and resilience.
- Support emotional growth and a pathway to positive mental health.
- Provide a model of coping and support.
A Rainbows Programme cannot do the following for a child/young person:
- Analyse or diagnose emotional or behavioural problems.
- Give advice or attempt to solve problems.
- Give opinions, pass comment, make judgements, take sides or criticise.
- Give reports, take notes, give feedback or evidence.
Contact the Project Coordinator to express an interest in attending with your child or to find out more about how the Pillar Project can support you, your child and the other parent.
Project Coordinator: Roisin Sarsfield
Telephone: 089 9407519
Email: roisin@pillarproject.ie