Families Reaching Out Group
Shared Island Cross-Border Collaboration for Inclusion
7 May 2025
Spraoi agus Spórt was proud to host the closing event of the Families Reaching Out Group, a cross-border project funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs Shared Island Civic Society Fund, on Tuesday 7th May at White Oaks, Muff, Co. Donegal.
Attendees at Shared Island Disability and Inclusion Event Wednesday 7th May 2025
Project funded through the Shared Island Civic Society Fund.
Joan Henderson CEO and Co-Founder of Sólás BT7 with Helen Nolan CEO and Co-Founder of Spraoi agus Spórt
This project has brought together organisations from Inishowen and South Belfast, with a shared goal of improving supports for families of children with disabilities.
Over the past year, the initiative focused on three core areas:
Professional development for staff working directly with children with additional needs
Training and peer support for families
Strategic collaboration between the boards of Spraoi agus Spórt and Sólás BT7 to share approaches on sustainable service delivery
What We Achieved
The project delivered practical outcomes across all areas:
Staff training sessions in Carndonagh and Belfast on ASD, communication, and emotional support
Parent workshops on autism and visual strategies delivered by Sólás professionals
A joint family activity day at Far and Wild, where families from both regions could connect
Exchange visits between staff and boards to discuss models of inclusion and sustainability
Closing Event Highlights
The final event celebrated the shared learning from the project and brought together over 30 attendees from across the North West, including representatives from:
The morning featured powerful contributions, including:
A keynote workshop from Dr. Emma Craig on behavioural support and moving “From Escalation to Empathy”
Presentations by Carol Anne McKinney on the SLÍ WorkAbility programme and Caoimhe Gill on inclusive practice at Spraoi
Reflections from the CEOs of Spraoi agus Spórt and Sólás BT7 on the value of cross-border learning
What’s Next?
This project has shown the power of collaboration in creating inclusive, responsive services — and laid the foundation for future joint work between communities North and South.