The Ballybunion Community Centre has formally applied to become a designated Family Resource Centre (FRC) under Ireland’s national FRC programme, supported by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. This significant development was officially announced by Minister for Education, Norma Foley, a strong advocate for community-based family support services across Kerry.
Family Resource Centres play a vital role in providing inclusive, community-based support, particularly in areas facing social or economic disadvantage. Typical services offered by FRCs include parenting programmes, youth support, mental health resources, community development initiatives, and inclusive events for families. Ballybunion Community Centre has already demonstrated a strong commitment to this mission through various initiatives, including inclusive events for families of children with additional needs and the delivery of parenting programmes such as the Non-Violent Resistance (NVR) course. These efforts reflect the Centre’s dedication to enhancing the well-being of families in the local area.
Community engagement has been instrumental throughout the application process.
The Board of Management of Ballybunion Community Centre would like to sincerely thank all members of the community who took the time to complete our recent survey. Your feedback and participation have been invaluable in supporting our application.
We also extend our heartfelt thanks to all stakeholders, NGOs, Local Schools who provided supporting documents, to our Ukrainian community for their strong engagement, and to our local politicians for their incredible support throughout this process.
As a community, we remain united and committed to advocating for this much-needed resource.
Together, we will continue to work towards securing Family Resource Centre status for Ballybunion a crucial step in ensuring long-term support and opportunity for all members of our community.
