Save the Children

Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. In the UK and around the world, we give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We do whatever it takes for children – every day and in times of crisis

We've been working in Northern Ireland for over 60 years. We're determined to help the 112,000 children in Northern Ireland who are affected by poverty, going without essentials or living in homes which are cold or damp. We’re fighting to ensure no child is born without a chance.

More than a quarter of children in Northern Ireland live in poverty. Half of them have a parent who is working, yet low wages and increasing living costs are making life increasingly tough for the least well off families. 

One in five children leaves primary school unable to read well, and the poorest are less likely to achieve five good GCSEs.

We're working hard to change this. We want to ensure all children in Northern Ireland have the practical essentials they need and the chance to succeed at school.

Families and Schools Together

We introduced the award-winning early intervention programme Families and Schools Together (FAST) to schools in Northern Ireland in 2010.

FAST brings parents, children, schools and communities together, to help create opportunities for learning and development at home. Its aim is to ensure children get the support they need to fulfil their potential – both at school and in life.

Billy Macauley, Principal of Black Mountain School, has seen how the programme helps parents support their children.

He said, “In just eight weeks FAST achieved what the formal education system had failed to deliver for our parents in their school life — a feeling of self-worth and recognition that they can be masters of their own destiny.”

And mums, dads and carers agree. One parent in Belfast said: "FAST has been an excellent opportunity for my children and myself in getting to know the staff and other parents in the school.”

We have now delivered the FAST programme in more than 50 schools, reaching more over 1000 families.

Eat, Sleep, Learn, Play!

Our Eat, Sleep, Learn, Play! programme provides essential household items, such as beds, cookers and pushchairs, to families with young children living on a low income.

The programme helps families meet their children’s needs during the important early stages of development, improving the quality of their children’s lives and helping them fulfil their potential.

To ensure we reach the families that are most at risk, we work with local referral partners who know where the need is greatest.

We have awarded over 3,600 grants to families, helping nearly 7,700 children in Northern Ireland.

Journey of Hope

Our Journey of Hope programme aims to help children cope with stressful events and build their resilience. Through group sessions, it creates a supportive space for children to discuss difficult feelings, and develop coping strategies.

Journey of Hope can help children address bullying or difficult incidents, and develop stronger support networks. It can also build thier confidence, self-esteem and aspirations, improving their ability to learn.

We've so far piloted our Journey of Hope programme in two schools in Northern Ireland.

Our policy and campaign work

Our policy work focuses on the action that Northern Ireland Assembly needs to take to keep their promises to end child poverty in Northern Ireland. We also carry out research to help us better understand how poverty affects children and their families.


Save the Children's Content

Event
Conference

Save the Children

Children’s Potential is Our Brightest Hope for the Future Save the Children works with families to narrow the gap between children living in poverty and their better off peers. We focus on early learning to help children across NI to realise their full potential.
Dates:
06 November 2019
Belfast
New Report launch by Save the Children today on ‘Tackling the poverty-related gap in early childhood learning in Northern Ireland’
News

Save the Children

Children who live in poverty in Northern Ireland are already behind at the start of school, a new study has said.
News

Save the Children

Government figures released today show a rise in child poverty in Northern Ireland.

News

Save the Children

Sign our petition asking political parties to get all children reading well

News

Save the Children

One and a half million children will reach the age of 11 unable to ‘read well’ by 2025 unless urgent action is taken to tackle the reading crisis facing pupils across the UK, according to new research.

News

Save the Children

Sign our Mum's Manifesto calling on the Chancellor George Osbourne to make sure mums don't lose out in the new system.

News

Save the Children

The Ambassadors campaign seeks to give young people a voice in the education debate and calls for extra resources to be targeted at pupils living in poverty.

More Information

Type of Organisation

VCSE

Team

  • Corrine Heaney
  • David Mulholland
  • Fergus Cooper
  • Ronan O'Donnell
  • Alina Iluta