Ballymun Strengthening Families Goes International!

This has been a busy year so far for Strengthening Families and the team! From a new pilot Junior SFP project, to presenting Ballymun SFP at an international conference in Slovenia, to hiring a Parent Advocate Worker…the programme and the support for it gets stronger and stronger.

SFP in Slovenia - International Conference

Ballymun SFP received an invitation to attend the 1st International Family Based Prevention and Positive Parenting Conference in Slovenia. It was organised by Utrip, a non-profit organisation involved in addiction and family research and development and LutraGroup,  the evaluators and founders of  SFP in the United States. Cliodhna Mahony, SFP Manager and Marie Lawless, Evaluation Manager, attended and presented at the conference in June on behalf of Ballymun SFP. The conference brought together researchers, practitioners, and government representatives from across Europe to share learning and understanding in evidence based practice in family based prevention. SFP was prominently featured and covered the range of international evidence supporting its outcomes and approach. SFP is currently implemented in 27 countries in many different settings including schools, community organisations and clinics.  Ireland was held up as a model of best practice in its implementation – thanks to many individuals, agencies and families who have committed so much time to this practice! The evidence shows that evidence-based family based prevention models, like SFP, are 9 times more effective than universal child only interventions.
SFP is one of the most extensively evaluated family based prevention programmes in the world (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2009).

Slovenia conference Introduction slide	Marie Lawless (BLDTF), Henry O. Whiteside (Lutragroup) and Clíodhna Mahony (BLDTF)	Marie Lawless (BLDTF), Matej Košir (Utrip) and Clíodhna Mahony (BLDTF)	Ballymun SFP presentation by Clíodhna Mahony

Other updates and News 2012

First Junior SFP in Ballymun

Following 10 successful programmes for parents and teenagers (12-16) since 2008, a pilot project was set up in collaboration with the Aisling Project to implement the Junior SFP (for 6-12 year olds). Aisling staff and volunteers delivered the programme with support from Ballymun Local Drugs Task Force and the SFP Manager. Ten families graduated in June after completing 15 weeks of parent, child and family skills sessions! Well done to the Aisling Project for supporting this programme and to all the families who made history in Ballymun for being the first group to graduate!This programme ran concurrently with our 11th programme for the teens group, where 11 families graduated. It is only due to the support of all the agencies that this programme can continue to develop!

Parent Advocate Worker 

In February of this year, we hired an SFP Parent Advocate Worker – Mary Fitzpatrick – to develop a Parent Group and provide support to parents when needed. The aim of the group is to connect SFP parents together to review SFP skills and to learn about new topics to help with parenting and personal development. Mary is also available to provide brief intervention advocacy work with parent graduates where needed. This has been an exciting development and we look forward to working with Mary and parents graduates throughout the year.

For further information, please contact Cliodhna Mahony, SFP Manager, 01 8832142 or cliodhna@ballymundtf.ie