PROMOTING SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS
What We Do
Education, Training & Best Practice Guidance
We are a project within the Family Resource Centres National Forum. Our project strives to use communities' strengths and resilience to create awareness, educate, break down barriers, and offer solutions to the complex issue of mental health.
What we do:
Our project collaborates with HSE Suicide Prevention Resource Officers nationally to support the implementation of Connecting for Life, Ireland's national strategy to reduce suicide 2015-2020 (extended 2024). We support suicide prevention through the provision of free education, training, and best practice guidance to 121 Family Resource Centres across Ireland. We also offer Taking Action for Whole Health & Wellbeing training and Workplace Wellbeing Training to the management, staff, and volunteers of 121 Family Resource Centres across Ireland.
We foster strong relationships and collaborate with other suicide prevention and mental health organisations to co-host information-sharing network events for Family Resource Centres (FRCs) and community organisations across Ireland, focusing on suicide prevention, health, and well-being. Additionally, we actively develop and participate in knowledge exchange events, aimed at advancing and strengthening the collective capacity of community-led organisations to address the urgent challenges of suicide prevention and pain support more effectively across the island of Ireland.
These events play a crucial role in building a robust mental health support network for FRCs by signposting valuable resources and services, while also facilitating connections at a local level. Through these collaborative efforts, we create opportunities for knowledge sharing, capacity building, and the development of strong, supportive networks that help address mental health challenges within communities.
We are the lead and support organisation for 10 Health and Wellbeing Community Referral sites in Cork and Kerry. The HSE funds this community-based Health and Wellbeing Community Referral Program through the Cork/Kerry HSE Health & Wellbeing. This project is a tremendous success due to the dedication of our Link Workers and the National FRC Mental Health Promotion Project's administrative effectiveness.
Problem Gambling Support:
The FRC National Forum is the lead and support organisation for the FRC Problem Gambling Support Service. This professional, confidential counselling service, funded by The Gambling Awareness Trust, is available to anyone experiencing harmful gambling, their families or friends.
As a mental health promotion organisation, we support and promote other mental health not-for-profit organisations and governmental agencies across Ireland that provide free mental health and wellbeing services, resources, training and awareness campaigns to the public.