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Claire said “It’s been so good! I am delighted to have worked with you to build collaboration and together make a difference in this community. Fantastic to be around wonderful children, young people and parents as well as dedicated community workers, school staff and statutory services – I have loved working with you all. An opportunity now to use the learning from THRiVE to extend the impact for many other children and young people across NI through RAISE. Thank you all for your craic and hard work and massive commitment to helping kids thrive. Keep up the good work”

We wish Claire every success in leading the RAISE Programme (Department of Education).

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Paul Johnston (Monkstown Boxing Club ), Claire Humphrey, Hugh Nelson (NHSCT and  Co-Chair for THRiVE)

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“If I make a mistake my BOOST teacher will help me understand it and learn from my mistakes”(P5 pupil)

“I believe getting the opportunity to join your child in school shows them that you are interested in what they are learning, that you can help them and that you are willing to take time out to help at schools and at home” (Parent)

“The children returned from BOOST sessions excited to show off their work. It was easy to see strategies being taught in BOOST then being used independently in the classroom setting” (P5 teacher)

Click the link to the 23/24 BOOST Impact Report to read more. 23 24 BOOST Impact Report

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THRiVE and their Learning Partner Stranmillis University College at Learning Events held in 2023 were asked to share their learning on key themes – collective impact, voice and influence, implementation,  evidence and learning and collaborative investment. Throughout the conference we invited delegates to consider how individuals, organisations and systems can better collaborate in order to improve the lives and outcomes of children, young people and their wider communities. The conference explored place-based collaboration, drawing on three key themes (place, people, and processes).

PLACE Throughout the conference, the idea that ‘Place Matters’ will be central.  It is proposed that place-based change in communities entrenched in complex and intergenerational inequality (social, educational, health etc.) is made possible by harnessing the collective impact of all agencies (statutory and non) and stakeholders (including children, young people, parents) via equitable collaborative infrastructures.

PEOPLE Building on the concept of PLACE, it is imperative that the PEOPLE within the place are central to the change processes.  The conference pointed to the importance of bottom-up community driven and co-designed agendas, with the voice and influence of young people (and community stakeholders more broadly) central to place-based change agendas.  The conference unpacked HOW to achieve this, with a focus on the relational aspects of this work, the importance of considering power dynamics, trust, competition, and the necessity for challenging mindsets and ‘silo’ mentalities.

PROCESS Finally, within and around both PLACE and PEOPLE are the processes and wider systems that facilitate and inhibit impact and change.  For example, strategies and policies (e.g., NI Children’s Services Co-operation Act 2015) and administrative/governance systems, finance systems and funding models that underpin statutory and non-statutory service provision.  Additionally, within the processes, the conference will point to the necessity for impact and implementation infrastructures, that is, the space, data and evidence to learn about HOW processes are implemented, as well as WHAT DIFFERENCE they have made.

Day One: The conference opened with two local young people talking about the issues that matter to young people in this area and how important it is to listen and act on the young peoples perspectives on decisions that directly affect their lives.

Chris Quinn, the NI Children’s Commissioner spoke of the Children’s Services Co-operation Act NI 2015 which mandates collaboration across government and the pooling of resources to improve outcomes for children and young people. Chris welcomed the participation of local young people and stressed the importance of engaging with them within the context of the rights of the child (UNCRC).

Delegates heard from Claire Humphrey, Dr Karen Orr and Prof Noel Purdy who introduced the key themes and shared their learning from THRiVE. Prof Purdy presented on the alignment of place-based collaboration with policy, including Fair Start.

Whitehouse PS choir inspired us with songs about working together and reminded delegates, with bright beaming singing and smiles, that ‘When we work together, we get things done’

Professor Allison Metz shared her expertise on Implementation science and practice, explaining to delegates the importance of not only thinking about interventions (what we do) but also implementation (how we do it). She spoke of the importance of advancing equity by paying attention to power balances and ensuring the lived experience of people in communities is central. The evidence clearly demonstrates the importance of taking time to foster trusted relationships in effective collaborations.

Day Two : The conference was opened on the second day by two local Parent Champions Mary Dripps and Lorna Allison who told of a recent parent survey the Parent Champions group carried out highlighting key areas of concern to parents and the types of supports they need. They explained what Parent Champions do, how they work together for the good of children and families in the area and the importance of parents voice in THRiVE.

We were delighted to be joined by Junior Ministers Pam Cameron and Aisling Reilly. They met with three P5 pupils involved in the BOOST programme (an educational intervention funded by THRiVE) and other THRiVE partners. They both spoke to the conference about the importance of collaborating and the work ongoing within the Executive on children’s issues.

Justice Minister Naomi Long praised the three girls from Abbotts Cross PS, who spoke to her of their aspirations for the future and the value of the BOOST programme for their literacy and numeracy. Minister Long made the links between the young adults involved with the criminal justice system and their early childhood experiences and stressed the importance of early intervention.

Other Ministers – Paul Givan, Education; Mike Nesbitt, Health; and Gordon Lyons, Communities, via video shared their support for the place-based collaboration model and the need for government and other sectors to work together.

Jo Blundell from Place Matters presented online about the support for place-based work their organisation offers. They told of the place-based change movement globally and gave examples from the Tamarak Institute in Canada of the impact of this approach in reducing poverty. Jo shared from their experience the importance of funding for place and system level activity and learning.

Finance Minister Caoimhe Archibold shared via video the Department of Finance support for cross-departmental programmes and encouraged the development of bids within the existing legislative framework. She expressed her interest in learning more about the outworkings of this conference.

Dorrinnia Carville, NI Comptroller General, talked of the recent NI Audit Office report on the creation of an NI Anti-Poverty Strategy and re-iterated the need for a comprehensive cross- governmental approach to addressing the impact of poverty on children’s outcomes, as well as the need for efficient use of the stretched NI budget in collaborative ways.

Hugh Nelson Co-Chair THRiVE led a panel discussion with Collaborative Investors from THRiVE – representatives from the Education Authority, The Executive Office, Antrim & Newtownabbey Borough Council, and the Executive Programme on Criminality and Organised Crime shared their experience of pooling budgets and the permissions and governance required to make this effective.

The conference got on the move to hear from other place-based collaborations – list them and heard of the recently formed Co-ordinating Organisations Network which recognises the importance of the backbone support needed for collective impact. Delegates had a café conversation with two different collaborations and learnt about important principles to make collaborations effective.

Dr Karen Orr and Claire Humphrey called the conference to a close with the Conference Calls to Action – asking for visibility of place-based approaches in the Programme for Government, equitable engagement of those who live and work in communities and investment in the systems needed for place-based change – funding, impact and implementation.

Useful links for further reading on the issues discussed at the THRiVE Collaborating for Impact Conference below

THRiVE Conference Deck – Day One 4th June 2024

THRiVE Conference Deck- Day Two 5th June

Place Matters | Place-based change

Liberating Structures – Introduction

The CES Guide to Implementation | Implementation (effectiveservices.org)

Implementation Science and Practice

Policy Alignment Prof N. Purdy

The Role of Implementation Practice in Advancing Equity – Prof Metz

THRiVECollab4Impact- learning partnership

THRiVE Conference – Conference Call to Action slide

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Until now, the likes of The Bridge Youth Centre, Monkstown Village Initiatives, Rathcoole Football Club (in conjunction with Listening Ear), Rathcoole Youth Centre and Monkstown Boxing Club have been working independently with their own young people but it was always intended that individual groups would be brought together to share their experiences, learn from each other and plan how THRiVE might best listen to the voice of children and young people moving forward.

So, early on Saturday 20^th April 24 young people and their youth leaders gathered at the Dunanney Centre before heading north to the Manor House Residential Centre in Moneymore.

Having quickly found their rooms and settled in, the group were transported to The Jungle NI where, after a delicious lunch they set about completing the 3-hour Team Building ‘Crystal Challenge.’

Returning to the Manor House after another meal at The Lazy Lama the focus shifted to group work sessions across the rest of Saturday evening and Sunday morning. Facilitated by Jim Peacock, Senior Voice and Influence Worker for Barnardo’s NI, and Claire Humphrey, Project Co-ordinator, THRIVE Newtownabbey, the young people on sharing their experiences of the process so far, before looking forward: coming up with ideas for developing the capacity of individual groups to work together and how this might impact within THRiVE and across Newtownabbey.

Thanks to Eurospar Rathcoole for donating the items for our lunch on the Sunday, and Belfast Mini-Coaches for getting us safely to and from the residential.

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“Shoot for the moon and you might land on a star”.

THRiVE:
To aspire;
‘Do well’
Find out who YOU are.

Every child,
every young person,
every adult
Everyone!
WE CAN…
learn things that will help
As we grow…

Open your eyes
Look around.
Take notice.
Breathe in the air!
“WE CAN… be connected, healthy and well!”

For each is important;
they increase our chances…
that things go well as we make advances…
through life;
taking risks,
learning lessons,
making choices…
Building our confidence to
Speak up
Speak out,
‘Raise our voices’

WE CAN…
influence this place
We’ve no need to roam
All that far from the streets …
We grow up in,
which shape us…
The place we call ‘home.’

Bright futures.
Hope.
WE CAN… go anywhere.
With determination
and drive…
Making the best of our lives.

Be proud.
Stand together.
A community…
Home!

Remember,
This journey
We don’t make on our own,
(Though sometimes we may feel
No-one else gets our tone).
The truth is
That help and support
Is always there.
Family,
Friends,
Teachers
And more…
They all keep an eye out
Ready to help,
Guide,
or step in.
Help us to grow:
Working together –
A community wins!

“Shoot for the moon…
You might land on a star…”
Remember,
THRiVE
WE CAN… ASPIRE;
WE CAN… ‘do well’
Celebrate who WE are!

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The report highlights the positive impact THRiVE has had in the lives of children and young people and their families, over the latest reporting period and is split into the four main core priority areas: Aspiration, Attainment, Well-being, and Collaboration.

You can download a copy of the Impact report below:

THRiVE Impact Report 2022-23

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