Parenting NI Celebrate 40 Years of Supporting Parents in Northern Ireland
10 October 2019
Local parenting support charity invite parents to join them to mark the special anniversary in Strabane.
Forty years ago Parenting NI (formerly Parents Advice Centre) was established by a group of dedicated volunteers to support parents in Northern Ireland. The charity has continued to grow over the years, delivering a range of high quality services which have been specifically developed and tailored to meet the needs of parents.
Parenting NI continue to advocate for parents and the need for more support for families in order to ensure the best outcomes for children. The charity say that given the number of challenges many families are facing throughout Northern Ireland there is a continued demand for support services for parents.
Muriel Bailey, Director for Family Support Services, said
“Research Parenting NI carried out last year found that 82% of survey participants said they do not feel parents get enough support. Parents’ answers indicated that they felt that society was not very supportive of those in a parenting role; so during our 40th year celebrations, and upcoming Parenting Week, we want to highlight the important role parents play in their children’s lives and celebrating the wonderful job parents do on a daily basis. Parenting isn’t always easy, and all too often we can focus on the times when things ‘go wrong’ so we want to focus on the positives and celebrate parenting.
We are delighted to be holding a celebration event in The Parlor with Strabane Community Project on Friday 11th October from 11:30am – 12:30pm. We are incredibly grateful to North West Regional College, who have got their students involved in baking birthday cakes that we can enjoy along with parents at the event.”
Encouraging local parents to come along to the event the Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council Cllr Michaela Boyle praised the work of Parenting NI in providing support and advice to parents. “As a parent myself I know how challenging it can be and I would encourage any parents in the Strabane area to come along and be part of this event. Not only will they find out about the support services that are available but it’s a chance to meet up with other parents, share experiences and celebrate all that is good about being a parent,” she said.
You can find out more information about Parenting NI and the services they offer at www.parentingni.org or call the Support Line for free on 0808 8010 722.