McCausland awards £85,000 funding boost to primary schools in Colin
Social Development Minister, Nelson McCausland, has awarded a total of £85,000 to two primary schools in the Colin area of West Belfast.
~ Monday, 9 January 2012
The Neighbourhood Renewal funding will allow the schools to continue running their nurture units for those children and families with specific social and emotional development needs. £46,000 has been awarded to the Good Shepherd P.S. and £39,000 has been awarded to St Kieran’s P.S.
Minister McCausland said: “This is good news for the children of the Colin area. I have seen for myself the invaluable services offered to children and their families at both the St. Kieran’s and Good Shepherd Primary School Nurture Units. Providing a child with a nurturing and supportive upbringing has an impact well beyond the life chances and wellbeing of that one child. Many of the most costly and damaging social problems in society have their roots in children not being given the right type of support in their earliest years - the time when they experience their most rapid development. That development does not stop at age three and it is important that support continues throughout childhood to help children reach the key milestones of social and emotional development throughout their school lives.
“The economic benefits of early intervention are clear and consistently demonstrate good returns on investment, as I witnessed firsthand during my visit to Ballysally nurture unit in Coleraine. Trying to resolve problems later is more costly, and often cannot achieve the results that early intervention is able to deliver.
“I recently announced funding of £222,000 for the Colin Early Intervention Community programme in which these two schools are key stakeholders. This funding for the nurture units will further support the objectives of the Colin programme.
“The services offered by the nurture units support my Department’s strategic objectives of community, social and economic renewal. These objectives aim to improve the quality of life for people in some of our most deprived neighbourhoods. The mid-term review of the Neighbourhood Renewal programme has shown that services such as these can make life changing differences to individuals and so are worthy of our support.”
Notes to editors:
- DSD is contributing funding of £85,000 to cover the costs of the schools nurture units for the 2011/12 academic year.
- The Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy “People and Places” which was published in June 2003 sets out governments proposals for closing the gap between the quality of life for people in the most deprived neighbourhoods and the rest of society.
The Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy has four interlinking strategic objectives:
Community Renewal – to develop confident communities that are able and committed to improving the quality of life in the areas
Economic Renewal – to develop economic activity in the most deprived neighbourhoods and connect them to the wider urban economy;
Social Renewal – to improve social conditions for the people who live in the most deprived neighbourhoods through better co-ordinated public services and the creation of safer environments; and
Physical Renewal – to help create attractive, safe, and sustainable environments in the most deprived neighbourhoods. - Media enquires to DSD Communications Team on 028 9082 9078. Out of hours, please contact the Duty Press Office via pager number 07699 715 440 and your call will be returned.
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