‘Future is bright’ at Silver Arch

Community involvement in family resource centre’s mid-term review

Looking forward to the future while honouring achievements of the past was a key theme at last week’s ‘Company Day’ for the Silver Arch Family Resource Centre in Nenagh.

The annual event – which also saw the launch of Silver Arch’s 2023 report, as well as the retirement of two prominent members of the board – was attended by a wide cross-section of invited guests from the local community. Education, health, voluntary organisations, gardaí, community development and childcare were among the sectors represented, as well as the core funders of Silver Arch - Tusla, the HSE and Pobal. Current and previous users of Silver Arch services were also among the attendance.

Those present were asked to form into groups and spend 10 minutes sitting at each of eight tables to discuss areas where Silver Arch FRC might better meet the needs of the community.

The areas included Advocacy and Development, Community Connections, Services for Seniors, Therapeutic Services – Supporting Families, Parental/Caregiver Information & Training Support, Inclusivity & Accessibility, Youth Engagement & Empowerment, and Interagency Collaboration.

The insights provided were recorded and are to be integrated into Silver Arch’s five-year strategic plan. Some common themes emerged from the group discussions, among them concern over young people’s engagement with social media and the evermore young age that children are exposed to the online world. A need for greater collaboration with groups working in fields similar to that of Silver Arch was also established, as well as a need to generate greater general awareness about the work the centre is doing.

CEO Maedhbh Gordon described the event as a day of celebration and an opportunity to share experience with a view to better supporting the local community.

Addressing those gathered at the Abbey Court Hotel, Ms Gordon said their input would help charter the way forward for the relatively recently-formed family resource centre.

A YEAR OF SUCCESS

Silver Arch FRC made great strides in 2023, the 50th anniversary of the organisation formerly known as (and continuing to trade as) North Tipperary Community Services and, before that, Nenagh Social Services. It continued to play an important role in supporting the community through its four key service areas of family, wellbeing and preschool services, as well as the Thrift Shop in Nenagh.

Last year Silver Arch FRC responded to the needs of Ukrainian children and families living in the local community. Outreach activity at its centres in Borrisokane and Newport was increased in response to community needs, and the Community Mothers Programme became a pilot for the Community Families National Implementation Programme.

A total of 870 individuals were supported by the Silver Arch in 2023. There were 1,089 attendances to the parent, baby and toddler groups. Other performance indicators for the year include 197 attended sessions of adolescent psychotherapy, while 81 referrals were received for social prescribing services.

Engagement with the Silver Arch’s social media increased dramatically in 2023 with 12,800 Facebook visits, an increase of more than 500% on 2022.

Claire Gill, Team Leader, Wellbeing Services, said Silver Arch achieved all of the goals set last year and exceeded many of them. The 2023 annual report contained stories of individuals and families that have been positively impacted by the local service-provider.

In spite of financial challenges, Silver Arch responded with resilience, creativity and unwavering commitment to its foundational vision of respect, trust, empowerment and quality. This, Ms Gill said, was the measure of a successful year and the report made a “roadmap for the future”.

‘TWO EXCEPTIONAL INDIVIDUALS’

New chairperson of Silver Arch FRC Noel Power made presentations to “two exceptional individuals”, Carmel Toohey and Gregory Whelan on their retirement from the board.

Carmel, his predecessor, joined the board six years ago. The organisation was at the time going through a “transformative journey”, moving to Silver St and relaunching as a Tusla-funded family resource centre.

Carmel steered it through what Mr Power termed “a period of immense growth and change”. She was instrumental in ensuring the needs of service-users were continually met, and in the adding of new services such as adolescent psychotherapy.

Greg played a pivotal role in finalising ownership of the Thrift Shop in 2018, and in managing the Silver Arch budgets through some difficult years, particularly those of the covid pandemic. He and Carmel did a lot of important work during the pandemic, helping staff adjust to working remotely, and ensuring that services were not only maintained but actually expanded during this time.

“Carmel and Gregory's tenure has been marked by innovation and progress,” Mr Power told the retirees. “Your leadership, wisdom and dedication has left an indelible mark on Silver Arch Family Resource Centre.”

Thanking all present for their input to what he described as a mid-term review of the Silver Arch strategic plan, the new chairman mentioned a number of exciting developments, including the replacement of the Community Mothers Programme with a Community Families Programme, with expanded reach for more targeted support for local families.

He also looked forward to the opening this week of a new Thrift Shop at the outreach centre in Newport.

“The future is bright and I’m excited about what we will achieve as we build on the strong foundation that we have laid together,” Mr Power concluded.