Loughrea Family & Community Resource Centre

About Us

Vision Statement
“People’s lives are better”.

Mission Statement
To provide supports and services that meet the needs of local people.
 
Guiding Principles / Statement of Values
The work of Loughrea Family and Community Resource Centre is informed by a community development approach that proactively encourages and supports participation for all.
Specifically, Loughrea Family and Community Resource Centre will:

• treat people with respect
• maintain a focus on equality and advocacy
• be an open, friendly and welcoming space for all members of the community
• be respectful, non-judgemental and inclusive of all people
• ensure that all our work is conducted in a safe, professional and confidential manner
• be an accessible, independent, informative and creative organisation
• adopt a flexible and positive approach to our work
• value partnership

OUTLINE OF WORK
 
Loughrea FRC aims to be a project that is innovative and focused, in all areas of its work. The work that we have been doing and the support that we receive locally has enabled us to become deeply embedded in the community and become a key hub; recognised as a place that offers independent, impartial, non-judgemental, confidential support, information, advice and development opportunities to members of the community in Loughrea, and surrounding areas, at vulnerable times in their lives. The work of Loughrea FRC is characterised by a professional and constructive approach and the organisation has built excellent relationships with other service providers and community/voluntary initiatives in Loughrea town and across south-east Galway. The organisation has a clear vision to make people’s lives better and this is underpinned by a cohesive family support and community development focus and approach.
 
The organisation purchased and moved into a new, larger premises in 2017 and this has allowed for the growth and development of all of the areas of work initiated prior to this move.
 
The work being undertaken by the staff, management and other volunteers of Loughrea Resource Centre includes:

Family Support:

• Full-time Community-based Family Support Worker employed by Loughrea Family & Community Resource Centre
• Family Support Drop-in. Family Support drop in clinic twicw weekly facilitated by a family support worker form the local TUSLA Family Support Service.
• Play Therapy: A pilot play therapy programme on Wednesday afternoons being delivered free of charge to parents by a trainee play therapist.
• “Super-mummies” Group:  A mothers' support and activity group that meets weekly.
• The Rainbows separation support programme for primary school children  is delivered annually. We have a pool of up to 8 trained volunteer facilitators that we can call on when needed.

Community Supports:

• The establishment of a small Community Library within the FRC where members of the public can donate, swap or borrow books.
• A weekly drop-in coffee morning for members of the local community to become familiar with the FRC, meet the staff and volunteers and share information.
• The positive working relationships established with Waterside House Galway, Outwest, shOUT and Amach have enabled Loughrea FRC to promote the Centre as a safe, non-judgemental, confidential space that can easily be accessed by victims of Domestic Violence or by members of the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgendered community.
• Access to a public computer and free wifi by members of the public whenever requested.
• The use of meeting rooms within the FRC by a range of community groups and other organisations and individuals including:

• Loughrea Play Therapy Service
• Youthwork Ireland- Youth Counselling Service.
• Domestic Violence Response Counselling Service
• Galway Traveller Movement Counselling Service
• Áthas Chernobyl Group.
• Epilepsy Ireland.
• Tusla – social work
• Tusla – fostering service
• Tusla – National gender-based violence unit.
• “The Ladies Craft Group”.
• ISPCC (Irish Society for the prevention of cruelty to children)
• Maureen Fynes Wellness.
• Women’s support group.
• Loughrea ICA
• Adult Yoga.
• Galway Rural Development Local Development Company (various sections)
• Set and sean nós dancing
• Children’s Yoga
• Chamber of Commerce
• Galway County Council
• Brothers of Charity
• Calvary Church Loughrea
• Loughrea Active Retirement Activities Committee
• AIDS West
• “Cuidiú” Breastfeeding Support Group
• East Galway for Choice Group.
• Family History Group
• Louise Hay Workshops.
• LARC (Loughrea Arts, Recreation and Culture) Group.
• Career Guidance and Advice.
• SIMON Community worker.
• Education and Welfare service
• Reflexology
• Homeopathy
• Private Counsellors
• Chair Yoga

Other Development Work

• Bridge Programme (Building a Receptive, Integrated and Diverse Galway of Equals): Galway City Partnership continues to provide a monthly outreach service to support migrants, in the County.
• Transition Year Students and third level placement students: We regularly have local Transition Year students with us on work placements. We also facilitate placement students from third level institutions and have built up excellent relationships with Maynooth University and Athlone and Limerick Institutes of Technology
• Syrian Families in Loughrea: Galway Co. Council has requested to continue to use the Community space on an ongoing basis to offer supports to the Syrian families in Loughrea.

Information dissemination and PR:

• The ongoing publication and distribution by the PR subgroup and staff an 8 page community Newsletter, twice per year.
• Development and maintenance of Loughrea FRC Facebook page.
• Development and maintenance of Loughrea Family Resource Centre’s Website.
• The availability of a range of information leaflets, brochures, application and referral forms from a broad cross section of local, regional and national agencies and organisations.

Counselling:

• The in-house Counselling Service is available from the Centre on a permanent basis. Loughrea Family Resource Centre continues to offer six weekly sessions of affordable counselling and can pay the counsellor for her time.
• The counselling room in Loughrea FRC is now used by a variety of external agencies and organisations that offer counselling and related services including:
  • Youthwork Ireland Youth Counselling Service,
  • Galway Traveller Movement Traveller specific counselling service,
  • “Féileacáin” (stillbirth and neonatal death association of Ireland) counselling and support service,
  • Domestic Violence Response (DVR) counselling service,
  • Private counselling.

 Older people:

• Loughrea FRC strives to be an older person friendly Resource Centre
• The rollout of basic Computer Classes for older learners in Loughrea continues to be an ongoing part of the work of the Centre.
• The Computer Club for older learner runs over two mornings per week, has over 30 current members and is facilitated by a pool of 5 volunteers.

Outreach Services, Supports and Clinics

• Citizen’s Information - Weekly clinic.
• Welfare Rights - Weekly clinic
• Legal Clinic – in collaboration with local solicitor we offer a monthly Legal Clinic.
• Employability Galway - client meetings as required.
• Waterside House, support service for domestic violence, the outreach worker meets clients as and when needed in Loughrea FRC.
• Cuidiú – breastfeeding support group, meets monthly.
• SHINE – supporting people affected by mental ill health meets monthly.
• AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) has three sessions weekly in the FRC.
• Al Anon meets weekly.

Regional and National work.

• Loughrea FRC is actively involved with a number of Regional Networks, including the LGBT Network and the Community Response to Domestic Violence Network. Through this involvement Loughrea FRC actively participates in the “16 days of Action against Violence against Women” Campaign as well as raising awareness of issues impacting on the LGBT community during “Pride Week” and IDAHO T (International Day against Homophobic and Transphobic bullying) Day.
• Loughrea FRC is an active member the Western Regional Forum of Family Resource Centres and sends two reps to the monthly meetings.
• Loughrea FRC has been active in the adoption and rollout of the Western Region of Family Resource Centres “Suicide Prevention Code of Practice” for Family Resource Centres.