BALLINASLOE SOCIAL SERVICES

ANNUAL REPORTS2018/19

www.ballinasloesocialservices.ie

INDEX

Organisational Structure 1

Focal ón gCathaoirleach 3

Social Services 5

Day Centre 7

Meals on Wheels 11

Chiropody 11

Care & Repair 12

Preschool 14

Therapeutic Learning Centre 15

Extract from Audited Accounts 2018 16

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ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE

Ballinasloe Social Services is a Company Limited by Guarantee. It is managed by a Board of 12 people, of which 6 are Company Directors, with the day to day running being delegated to the Manager of the organisation. Board meetings take place once per month (excluding July and August) and there was 76% attendance in 2018. Sub-committees operate in the following areas:

Governance/Strategy, Audit, Vetting, Staff

The composition of the Board is as follows:

CHAIRPERSON:

Padraig O’Ceithearnaigh – Padraig is from Ballinasloe and has been involved in the Irish language all his life in the areas of teaching, youth and community development and finally as Assistant Director of Comhdháil Náisiunta na Gaeilge, the umbrella body of Irish Language voluntary organisations. He is now retired and has been a Board member since 2012. He is a Company Director and a member of the Governance/Strategy sub-committee

VICE-CHAIRPERSON:

Regina Power – Regina is Ballinasloe native and a National School teacher and has been a member of the Board since 2009. She is a Company Director.

TREASURER:

Jenny O’Sullivan – Jenny is originally from Mayo and has lived in Ballinasloe for over 40 years. Her professional expertise comes from the banking sector and she has been a member of the Ballinasloe Social Services Board since 2003. Jenny is Company Treasurer, chair of the Audit sub-committee and a member of the Governance/Strategy sub-committee. She is also a volunteer in our Day Services

COMPANY SECRETARY:

Michael Lally – Michael is a long-standing member of the Board who became involved in the services in 1980 and was Chairperson for the period 1984 –1986. He is a retired Secondary School teacher and qualified Counsellor. He is a member of the Vetting and Staff sub-committees. He is Company Secretary

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BOARD MEMBERS:

Sr. Alacoque Gleeson – Sr. Alacoque is a Mercy Sister, who was Director of our Day Care Centre from 1982 – 2009 when she retired from her nursing post with the HSE. She has been on the Board since 1982 and was Chairperson from 2003 – 2006. She has just retired from the HR department of Mercy Sisters Western Province and is an active member of the local community.

Ann Kenny – Ann is a native of Ballygar and a retired Public Health Nurse, having been based in Ballinasloe for most of her professional life. She is a member of the Board since 1976 and was Chairperson from 1993 to 1996.

Annette Lynagh – Annette is a native of Cork and has lived in Ballinasloe for 45 years. Her professional background is in education as a Home Economics teacher and she is a member of the Board for over 20 years. She has been Chairperson for two periods from 1998 – 2000 and 2012 – 2016. Annette is a Company Director, a member of the Vetting and Governance/Strategy sub-committees.

Margaret Oliver – Margaret is a retired National School teacher and has been a Board member since 2005. She is a Company Director and also a volunteer in our Day Centre.

Tess Raftery – Tess is originally from Tuam and is a retired Civil and Public Servant, having worked in Revenue and the Road Safety Authority. She has been a Board member since 2011, is a volunteer in our Day Centre and a member of the Governance/Strategy and Audit sub-committees.

Padraic Walsh – Padraic is a native of Portumna, Co. Galway and has lived in Ballinasloe since 1997. He is a retired Garda Sergeant and was elected to the Board in 2014. He is a member of the Governance/Strategy Sub-Committee.

Stephen Kerr – Stephen is a native of Clones, Co. Monaghan and a former Bank Manager, who has lived in Ballinasloe since 1993. He joined the Board in 2016.

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Focal ón gCathaoirleach 2019As my term as Cathaoirleach comes to an end this year I feel that it is apt and opportune, rather than concentrating on just this past year, to have a look over the changes that have occurred over the past three years.Firstly, because of the plethora of changes and increases in the law surrounding organisations be they voluntary or large companies the onus on directors and management is becoming almost unbearable. In many ways it is so onerous that it is preventing good, highly qualified people from giving of their time as volunteers.Data Protection, Employment Law, Corporate Governance, Finance Control and many other areas of management at this stage would warrant the appointment of a fulltime staff member as would happen in companies which would have the finance to do so. Unfortunately we are not in a position to do so as of now. A return to our original grant as it was before the collapse of 10 years ago would go a long way towards appointing a senior staff member, or buying in professional advice. Our Manager, Teresa Coughlan, who does unbelievable work, is literally making bits of her work time in trying to keep apace of the above changes. She needs more time to manage the centre as a whole. It is testimony to her skills that we provide services to such a high degree. The context of the Meals on Wheels service has become an area of scrutiny in the past few years due to the supply or availability of meals from many other private services. However, having done an analysis on this service our clients report that it is as much the visits as the meals that are important to them. We thank Kay Cunningham and her team, including the volunteer team, for their wonderful work. Our TLC centre, under the watchful eye of Elaine Murphy and her staff, now runs two sessions a day, and is regarded as a model of its kind and as a result we are being asked to take on more and more by National bodies. We are most grateful to Tríona Corry for her ongoing advice to the Board in the work of the Centre. We built an extension on to the centre thus enabling the holding of private meetings with parents. As part of this project there was also an upgrading of the garden which has proved to be a major success.Our new dining room, which we opened this time last year, is a wonderful success and we have upgraded the toilet and bathroom facilities since. We have a wonderful nursing staff under the guidance of Claire Tangney. Our kitchen staff,assisted by a team of volunteers, take care of the meals and the work that needs to be done in this area. They are invaluable. Thankfully we were in a position to put a completely new apex roof over the kitchen. While this work was being carried out it was noticed that the roof of the main building was in need of repair and we had the

4whole roof re-slated ensuring preservation of the house for the foreseeable future. This year the external walls were painted.Finally as I mentioned above, finance is central to the future of our work and we are grateful to the bodies who part fund our work i.e. HSE, Tusla, Department of Children and Pobal but without the help of generous benefactors, Creagh National School, The Sisters of Mercy of the Western Province, The Vincent de Paul Organisation, Ballinasloe Credit Union, Frs. Garvey and Costelloe and all who support our fundraising events we would be unable to continue. Many challenges lie ahead but I have no doubt that they will be faced and overcome and that our services will continue to be delivered and expanded until there is no need for them.I wish to thank my fellow Board members, Teresa and her staff, and the wonderful supporters of BSS for all their help during the past 3 years. I wish everyone involved in BSS continued success and rest assured that the work you do is very much appreciated.Pádraig Ó Ceithearnaigh

Chairman

5SOCIAL SERVICES

Once again, we welcome the opportunity to thank everyone who has assisted our services in any way during the past year.

We are deeply indebted to the Mercy Sisters for their generous support throughout the years and to other local organisations and individuals for their support and assistance, because without it, we would be unable to continue providing our services.

Our total budget for 2018 was €386,756 broken down as follows:Statutory Bodies: 68% Service Charges: 18%Fundraising & Donations: 14%

We gratefully received funding from HSE under the Section 39 grant, which enabled us, along with fundraising, donations and service charges, to continue providing Day Care and Meals on Wheels services to our elderly citizens. We continue to seek additional grant aid under this category to meet the growing needs of our ageing population. We were also granted some funding under the National Lottery scheme to purchase new items of kitchen equipment. We thank Tusla for its grant towards the Therapeutic Learning Centre.We were involved in various fundraising events during the year – Christmas Sale of Work, Progressive 25 card game, raffle of 6 Nations Rugby tickets (donated by Ballinasloe Rugby Club), St. Brigid’s crosses (made by Creagh National School), raffle of bike (donated by Barry Taylor), Golf Classic fundraiser, Tesco blue tokens, Limited Draw and Membership schemes. Our gratitude is extended to everyone who supported these fundraisers and gave donations during the year.

We completed the refurbishment work on our bathrooms – thanks to Ballinasloe Credit Union and Galway County Council for their financial support in this project.

We welcome back Claire Tangney, our HSE nurse, who returned to work after maternity leave in mid-July. Nora Callaghy, who replaced Claire while she was on maternity leave, continues to work with us, covering parental leave and replacing Eilish Brennan, who retired from her post as Staff Nurse at the end of October. Thanks to Eilish for her fantastic input and best wishes to her in this new phase of her life. I wish to recognise and show appreciation to all our staff and volunteers for their continued commitment and energy. In particular, I wish to extend our very best wishes to Brendan Canney, who retired from his post as Driver/Caretaker in May after 20 years’ service. Thank you, Brendan, for your commitment and dedication to the job and best wishes into the future. We welcome Mary Egan, who has taken over the role since May.

Art classes were held this year in May and October for our service users. Thanks to GRETB for its financial support in this venture and art teacher, Lily Kelly, for her immense input and enthusiasm. Community Cookery & Baking classes in our kitchen began in October, as a joint initiative between GRD and GRETB. We welcome the participants and tutor to our Centre.

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A CVRT inspection on our minibus and MOW van was carried out by the AA in August, which we passed.

We are part of the East Galway Older Person’s Interagency Group, which met 3 times in the past year to address issues that affect older people in the area. This is an energetic group, comprising of representatives from statutory and voluntary groups, who share their knowledge and expertise in achieving better outcomes for our elderly citizens.

The Strategic Plan for 2019 -2021 was devised to lead and direct us for this 3 year period. It was presented to the Board and ratified in March 2019. Many thanks to committee member, Padraic Walsh, for his work in this area.

The Audit Sub-Committee performed an internal audit in October, to which they testified that all financial procedures are being adhered to. Thanks were expressed to our Auditors, Duffy, Burke & Co, and our accountants, Fred Beckwith & Co, for their assistance in this area. The Company AGM was held on 29 th May, where the Audited Accounts were signed off.

The Staffing Sub-Committee met on a regular basis during the year to deal with various staff related issues. Annual Reports were presented by all sub-committees to the Board at its October meeting.The Charities Regulator Annual Report was submitted online in October.

Training:I attended a PPN funding workshop in February and National Childcare Programme training (along with Elaine Murphy) in April and September, a HSE Compliance event and an Irish Rural Link information session on Sláintecare in September, a Charities Regulator Governance Code training session and a Galway Age Friendly Programme information session in October. Manual Handling training was provided to staff, as required.

I wish to express my gratitude to Chairperson Padraig O’Ceithearnaigh for his assistance in his final year as Chairperson and to the Social Services Committee for its continued support. On a personal note, I wish to bid a fond farewell to Sr. Alacoque, who is resigning from the committee this year. She has been a fantastic servant to Ballinasloe Social Services, both as Day Care Director and committee member. We journeyed together for many years and I will miss her enormously, but recognise that her contribution to Ballinasloe Social Services is unparalleled. Best wishes in the future Alacoque!I also wish to thank Jenny Callaghan for her work with me in the office in the past year. Thanks to Patricia Tierney, Training for Employment, for her assistance in this ongoing placement.

Finally, thanks to all my work colleagues, members, volunteers, service users and Social Services’ supporters for your assistance during the past year.

Teresa Coughlan,Manager

7DAY CENTRE

The Social Services Day Centre provides a home away from home environment supporting those who attend; it is conducive to their physical, emotional, spiritual and psycho-social wellbeing. Our main aim is to facilitate older people living independently in their own homes within the wider community, and to provide a little respite for the carer. Each client has a tailor-made care plan, which identifies risk and assesses where gaps lie, in relation to their needs, and we aim to lessen these gaps, where possible, using resources available to us. We also liaise and collaborate with other healthcare professionals to ensure care received by clients is delivered in an efficient manner. The centre is currently operating at full capacity with a waiting list of new referrals at 8. We would like to sympathise with the families and friends of those who passed away during the year, Ar dheis Dé go raibh siad.

Each day clients have various activities available to them to participate in, if they so wish. These include reading newspapers and magazines, reminiscence, board games, puzzles/jigsaws, word wheel, bingo, card playing, crosswords, exercises, Angelus and Rosary. Máire Hughes our volunteer entertains our clients each Monday with poetry readings and by telling incredibly compelling stories.   We were very fortunate to have Artist Lily Kelly give two workshops this year promoting activity through art. Our knitting group have moved to bigger and better, they are knitting patchwork blankets this winter. We also facilitate movement therapy using the Motomed leg and arm trainer which provides a means to people with little or no movement to regularly exercise in the active or passive mode using either their arms or legs. Chiropody is also available for clients when required.

Thankfully our Lead Nurse Claire Tangney returned from maternity leave in July, in her absence I covered her duty alongside Nurse Ann-Marie Moran and Nurse Eilish Brennan who are committed to providing an excellent service. We are very lucky to have a wonderful team of staff and volunteers who work together to make the Centre an enjoyable experience for clients to visit. I would like to thank Teresa Coughlan for her hard work, collaboration and support to us all in the Centre throughout the year. Jenny who works alongside Teresa is most helpful on all administrative matters. Diana Walsh efficiently maintains and oversees all operations in the kitchen including mealtimes and other areas in the Day Centre. I wish to congratulate Diana on completing and achieving a pass with distinction in her Fetac Level 5 examination earlier this year. We bade a fond farewell to Brendan Canney last springtime as he retired from his position as BSS bus driver. Thank you to Declan Clogher, who was our temporary driver from October to January. Mary Egan took up the post as our new driver in May and she is ably assisted by her transport assistants, Ann Tully and Richard Greene, Chloe Harwood has now replaced Richard as his term as assistant is complete. We give thanks to GRD for their support throughout the year. Second and third level education students are facilitated here for placements at various times of the year. Earlier this year we were fortunate to welcome Amy onto our team, she is a highly motivated young lady and an excellent worker provided to us by Tus, I would like to thank Kay Cunningham, Meals on Wheels Co-Ordinator, for the hearty and nutritious meals that are enjoyed by the clients each day. During the year Kay liaised with our entire group of clients to discuss the menu and choice of meals. Our clients requested a dessert instead of soup for the summer months, Kay was only too happy to provide a nutritious variety of desserts.

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Kay continues to avail of the food initiative via the Food Cloud and the FEAD programme which entitles those over 65 years of age to free food items. Through 2019 we have continued to distribute food parcels to our older adults. They have loved receiving these parcels as they contain staples like tea, sugar, coffee, peas, biscuits etc. Last December we hosted a Christmas party for our clients and musicians and Santa made a special appearance with presents for all! The annual Sale of Work also took place on the premises in December and was very successful indeed. The clients helped with knitting cotton dish cloths in the months leading up to the sale.Next in our busy programme of events we celebrated Tom Quinn’s 100 th Birthday. This day will be truly remembered where family and friends gathered in music and song to celebrate a lifetime of good health and achievements and a willingness to keep on giving of his talents for the enjoyment of others. On that day, one moment in time was Máire Hughes reciting “A Touch of the Masters Hand” with Tom playing a few sweets notes on the violin. It was magical.

A Volunteer Appreciation morning was held in February for our fantastic volunteers and they were treated to lots of tea, nibbles and home baking and it allowed them to interact with each other as they don’t often get that opportunity. The service is very appreciative of the input of each and every volunteer.Many thanks to Cupán Tae Art Group for its presentation, in March of a beautiful painting to our new dining room. It enhances the colour scheme and takes pride of place there.St Patrick’s Day was marked by an Intergenerational event with our pre-school children. They entertained us to a traditional St Patrick’s Day march, storytelling and song.In preparation for Easter Nurse Eilish thought it fitting to pray the “Way of the Cross “during Lent in our Prayer Room. This was a solemn prayer each morning, with 12 to 14 clients participating. On Ash Wednesday, Sr. Helena brought blessed ashes to the clients and staff and led some meaningful prayers with us.Bealtaine FestivalTo celebrate the ancient festival of Bealtaine, Máire ensured meaningful engagement with our older adults, with a very powerful poetry reading, storytelling and song. Much to the delight of our clients we were joined by local poet Sr. Alacoque Gleeson who recited her own appealing poetry. This recital has since been compiled in booklet form.In June, Gerry Devlin presented a slide show on the “History of Ballinasloe “ this showing proved so popular that he has been invited back to repeat the presentation.

At the end of June, 55 day care attendees, with staff and volunteers visited Esker Monastery in Esker Athenry. While there, we received a delicious lunch. Central to the visit was the celebration of Mass by Fr. Luddy, with the choir being provided by Social Services. Before leaving this magnificent setting, they were treated to tea and hot scones. A truly enjoyable day was had by all.

Positive Ageing.

On the 1st of October, with an emphasis on positive ageing, a workshop was given in conjunction with Haven Pharmacy Ballinasloe. Topics covered were Falls Prevention, First

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Aid treatment for Burns and Scalds, and How to Save a Life with Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation and how to use an AED machine.

Care & Repair.

We benefit from being co-located with Care & Repair upstairs as we can refer clients to Francis Healy for their services which have proven to be very useful for our clients.Care and MaintenanceOn the topic of repair, a major refurbishment took place over the winter months. A high quality shower suite and wet room, ultra-modern sanitary facilities, storage presses, hand railing, non-slip flooring throughout, and new lighting were installed, an alarm bell is located in all shower and toilet areas. All of which meet health and safety standards for our clients.Ceol agus craicOf course, we are so lucky to have music and dancing sessions here every Tuesday voluntarily provided by the wonderful musicians and singers from the talented Tom Quinn & his equally talented comrades. It proves to be a lively affair each week! We are delighted to welcome our friends from the Brothers of Charity to this weekly music session. We also give thanks to Paddy Monaghan and all the Loughrea musicians who give so generously of their time to provide another music session. We try to celebrate all significant birthdays on Tuesday so that we can invite families and friends to join in the music and fun.

Exercise programme Claire Gibbons provides energy exercises which run over a series of two blocks of 8 weeks, this provides clients with coping strategies and approaches so they can apply them to their daily lives minimising stress and anxiety. Feedback from clients is positive and they say the techniques shown to them are very helpful in their personal lives. In Claire’s absence Nurse Anne Maria and Eilish do gentle exercises to music and song, this is a rather lively event, well worth dropping in to! We have so much to celebrate and be proud of here in the centre, for me it has been an immensely enjoyable and rewarding experience to try and fill Claire’s shoes.Last but not least, I wish to thank all the ladies and gents that attend our Day Centre each week. It has been a pleasure welcoming you into our service.

As you can see it has been a very busy and successful year and we look forward to another positive year ahead.

Nora CallaghyR.G.N. Day Centre

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Many thanks to Nora for her comprehensive report above and for providing cover while I was out on maternity leave. Since returning I can see the Day Centre is life and soul to so many of our clients and we endeavour to maintain and improve this all the time. I welcome the positive changes that took place during my absence for example the new bathrooms which are user-friendly and the feedback from our clients is only positive. In September, we had Lily Kelly, artist, come for an art session with clients to celebrate Culture Night Exhibition and Lily is now with us until December and they are working on a lovely Christmas themed project using a recycling ethos. Claire Gibbons is with us until Christmas also as Nora outlined above and our clients love Claire’s addition to their day.

Accessibility Ballinasloe presented a lunchtime concert in the town library to celebrate Social Inclusion Week. Clients, volunteers and staff attended and thoroughly enjoyed it. I attended one East Galway Older Persons Interagency meeting and this informs us what kind of access our older people have to services within their community endeavouring to facilitate them living at home independently. This forum allows us to meet face to face with other healthcare professionals and link in with them afterwards keeping our clients at the heart of services we can provide.

We celebrated Halloween last week by inviting Elaine and all pre-school children over to see our spooky decorations and some spooky treats! This allowed for a lovely inter-generational fun meeting for young and old. It was easy to see how this visit brightened up the day for our clients.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Teresa for her ongoing support and collaboration at the centre. Since joining Ballinasloe Social Services I have happily worked alongside two lovely nurses Ann-Marie Moran and Eilish Brennan. Eilish retired at the end of October and we wish her much health and happiness in the next chapter of her life. Eilish was a wonderful colleague and nurse and will be greatly missed by staff, volunteers and clients. We welcome Nora Callaghy as our new nurse to the Day Centre in the past week and look forward to working alongside her in her new role. We thank Diana Walsh for her daily contribution to the centre and congratulate her on her recent graduation. Mary Egan has been a welcome addition to our team this year and I can see that she offers our clients all the fun and entertainment they need on the bus and at the centre whilst maintaining safe transport for them when travelling to and from the centre. Mary has Ann Tully and Chloe Harewood assisting her in her role and also providing assistance to us in the centre each day and we give thanks to them for this.

I look forward to another busy year ahead providing our clients with an environment that assists them with living at home independently and brightening up their days with all we have to offer at our Centre.

Claire TangneyR.G.N. Day Centre.

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MEALS ON WHEELS

In 2018, we delivered 10,700 meals.

The areas we deliver to are from Ahascragh in the north to Laurencetown in the south, across to Cappatagle and Mullagh in the east, up to Kilconnell and Fohenagh and anywhere within this catchment area.

The aim of the service is to support independent living through nutritional and social support. Referrals come mainly from PHNs, health care professionals in the acute setting, older people and family members.

I wish to thank all our volunteer drivers (11 in all), all whom are Garda Vetted. I can say with conviction that our service would not function without them.

I express my gratitude to Mary and Martina for their invaluable work in the kitchen. Thanks to Terry in the Community Information Centre for her assistance with the Fás placement. We are currently awaiting the filling of this work placement.

We supplied desserts, rather than soup, to the day centre service users this summer, at their request. It was a pilot scheme, which will be assessed in the coming months.

We are participants in the Food Cloud and FEAD programmes. I wish to thank Alan, Manager in the food depot for his assistance and support in this project. While these programmes are of major benefit to us and our service users, they require additional manpower for delivery. To this end, we work in conjunction with Ballinasloe Lions Club to facilitate distribution.

We received an EHAI John Shelley bursary of €2,500 in December, which was presented to us at a ceremony in Dublin. This enabled us to purchase a blast chiller, which has been cost effective for the service. It is used every day in the preparation of the meals. We thank the Western branch of the EHAI for its support in this project.

I attended meetings during the year of the East Galway Older Persons Interagency Group on behalf of Meals on Wheels. The contacts and networking gained from this group have been beneficial to the service.

We wish to thank Fr. John Garvey and Fr. Bernie Costello, for their support in the use of the Social Centre’s facilities.

Kay Cunningham,MOW Co-Ordinator.

CHIROPODY

November 2018 – October 2019

135 treatments provided

Bridget Byrne,Chiropodist

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CARE & REPAIR SERVICE

Ballinasloe Care and Repair was set up in April 2010. It is under the umbrella of Age Action Ireland, and was established to improve the quality of life of older people by helping them to live a fully independent and satisfactory life for as long as they wish in their own homes.

Locally, the service was instigated by people who recognized the need for this service and also felt that there would be people in the community willing to provide, on a voluntary basis, the skills and commitment needed to provide this help.

Our volunteers are fully Garda Vetted and carry Identification badges.

At present we have 5 active volunteers and 4 BTFE CE participants with a range of skills to provide these services. We hope in the coming year to recruit new active members. The work in most demand varies with the seasons i.e. in summer grass cutting, hedge trimming, minor painting etc and later in the year the emphasis is on security, lighting, central heating etc. In every instance, we check smoke alarms are in working order and offer advice in that area.

The funding for Care and Repair was initially given a major donation from the Mercy Sisters Western Province. We have received ongoing donations from various community organizations e.g. St. Vincent de Paul and Ballinasloe Credit Union. We also received, on two occasions, a major contribution from Ballinasloe Folk Choir, following the carol singing collection on Christmas Eve. Clients also on occasion give donations although they are not obliged to do so. To all who have supported and kindly given donations to Care and Repair, we are extremely grateful.

In addition to our repair service, we have set up three additional services.

Trade Referral Service:

If the service required exceeds the capacity of our volunteers, we have a list of competent and trustworthy contractors available for the client to make contact with.

Quote Check:

The quote checking service is where experienced volunteers can visit the client and give an informed opinion as to whether a quotation received represents reasonable value or is in the rip off category.

Befriending/Caring:

Our befriending service has dropped off but recently we have been receiving phone calls for this service. In the past month, the group has met with Bernadette Moran from the group Alone, who provide befriending services around the country and discussed how they organise this service. The hope is in the coming year to recruit volunteers who would be willing to visit the people who request this service.

The service we provide is confidential and free of charge. The client donates a fee only for the cost of materials used if needed. A job can take up to three hours to complete depending on the job and the service is available within a 10 mile radius of Ballinasloe. Our office is

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based in Ballinasloe Social Services, where we have an Administrator provided by BTFE who receives the calls from clients and arranges a suitable volunteer to carry out the request.

At present there are 200 clients availing of the service. With repeat interaction between client and volunteers, you build high levels of trust and friendships are indeed formed. Our volunteers work in pairs, and feel it is important not to rush away when work is carried out for the client.

Care and Repair is a sustainable organisation with jobs carried out for clients in 2010 averaged at 10 jobs per month. These numbers have increased to 249 jobs at present for the year and over 86 hour per month in 2019. The number of clients availing of our service has grown significantly, we now have 200 clients availing of our service and this number is continuing to grow. The feedback we receive is positive, clients are extremely grateful for work carried out. Social Workers who have recently become involved through our befriending service have also given us positive feedback and find our service beneficial for the elderly, those with mental and/or physical health issues or suffer from social isolation.

Care and Repair liaise with other organisations and community groups such as:

St. Vincent de Paul Social Workers

Home Help St. Brendan’s Hospital in Loughrea

Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe Galway Rural Development

Health Centre in Ballinasloe Social Services

Occupational Therapist Ballinasloe Credit Union

East Galway Older People Interagency Group

DEASP (Ballinasloe Training for Employment Community Employment Project)

Francis Healy,Office AdministratorCare & RepairEmail: bsloecarerepair@gmail.comPhone Number: 090-9630630

14RE-SCHOOL REPORTSEPT 2018 – JUNE 2019

Each year comes a little faster but on reflection, each year is different. The children who come from a variety of social, economic, ethnic and cultural backgrounds present with unique personalities, temperaments and needs. Children’s needs may range from development of independence skills, communication, interaction, fine and gross motor, developing spontaneity or initiative skills. Some children are supported by Early Intervention professionals, who in turn provide appropriate training to staff which supports our unique delivery of service.

Parents play an active role within the school, participating within the curriculum, during individual and monthly parent meetings and within seasonal outings and activities. This supports understanding of the educational role within their children’s lives.

Thank you to Carmel Phelan from Better Start who supported the staff in the service by mentoring, providing suggestions and training within specific areas of our work.

Thank you to all our students throughout the year, bringing with each of them, a richness, new ideas, thoughts and approaches towards the children who benefitted greatly.

Thank you to Paul Doherty, Tusla, who during the year facilitated Incredible Years training for two separate groups of parents whose children attended the centre and to the staff of the centre. All benefitted greatly, I hope.

Thank you to Paul Kelly, Tusla Family Support Manager, for supporting two separate outings by acquiring funding to pay for a bus. At Christmas, we went to Jump for Joy in Athlone and our summer trip was to Sea World and the beach in Galway. Both were great days.

Children are only developing their immune systems so I would like to thank Celina and Amy for helping the centre stay clean and keep bugs at bay. Thank you to their Tus supervisor, Linda Cummins, also.

Our big project this year was the garden, which has been transformed into an educational sensory garden, catering for all our children’s needs. Though we still have work to do, I would like to thank everybody’s ideas and involvement – children, parents, staff, Teresa and Jenny, Dillon’s Tyre Centre, Tusla, Galway Rural Development, Cllr Dermot Connolly, Canal House, Past Parents, Brothers of Charity, Barry’s Cycles (donated a bike for raffle), Barrett’s Hardware, Paul Doherty, Jack Coughlan, Whyte’s Concrete, Angelika’s family, Mary Egan, my own family. On behalf of every child, a big thank you!

Our centre would not run without the input and goodwill from the Social Services Committee, the Steering Committee, Teresa and Jenny in Admin, Diana and the volunteers who always have a smile and feed me when I forget my lunch! From all the children, parents and staff, we thank you, because without you, it just wouldn’t happen.

Thank you to the Vincent de Paul for providing funding which supports healthy eating and drinking each day in the centre, thus providing modelling for children and parents.

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Finally, a special thanks to the staff Lina, Fiona, Angelika and Ashley who work hard and are dedicated to our children’s education. Also thank you to Trina Corry for providing supervision to us on an ongoing basis.

Elaine Murphy,Childcare Manager

THERAPEUTIC LEARNING CENTRE (TLC) REPORT

The TLC is privileged to have its home within the preschool. It is a neutral and informal space for our parents and caregivers to bring their babies and young toddlers to learn how to play, engage, interact and communicate, support development of attachment to their child in a non-threatening, non-judgemental and safe environment.

We all need help at times that targets our specific needs, while at the same time, provides appropriate equipment, modelling, reassurance and encouragement. Evidence based research shows that circumstances and environment can impact on our abilities to parent and the child’s ability to thrive and grow. It also shows the importance of recognising the baby’s ability to engage positively and see small developmental achievements.

By developing strong consistent relationships with parents/caregivers, we promote self-learning, confidence, understanding about our role as a parent. In order for this work to happen, it takes a team spirit and contribution in this unique venture. I would like to thank the Social Services for the facilities and use of equipment and thank Teresa for supporting the programme and administration of the funding. Gratitude is extended to Susan Forde, Tusla, for supporting our grant aid – otherwise we would have no TLC. Ensuring that the work is carefully monitored, I would like to thank Family Support Manager, Jason Levy, who has since taken up a new post in Loughrea and welcome Paul Kelly, the new Manager of Family Support. I would like to thank Orla Curran, Tusla, who has supported one of our families, through regular Meitheal meeting and for Parent Support Champion Funding.

I engage regularly with Tusla social workers and it is always a positive experience to see how they carefully and thoughtfully support families’ needs, forming a team with the TLC, which hopefully benefits our families.

Finally, I would like to thank our Public Health Nurses who often meet our families first and quickly seek help for them. They recognise the work within the TLC and see how families can benefit in a voluntary capacity, alongside professional referrals.

Elaine MurphyTLC Leader

16

Extracts from Audited Accounts at 31st December 2018

Balance Sheet as at 31st December 2018

€ €

Fixed AssetsTangible Assets 263,889

263,889

Current AssetsDebtors 1,006Cash at bank and in hand 32,966

33,972

Creditors: amounts falling due within one year (39,823)

Net current assets/(liabilities) 5,851

Total assets less current liabilities 258,038

Creditors: amounts falling due (33,098) after more than one year

Net assets 229,940

Capital and reservesRevaluation reserve 51,049Profit and loss account 173,891

Members’ Funds 224,940

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Detailed Trading Profit & Loss and Expenses Schedulefor the year ended 31 December 2018

Turnover €

Fund Raising 24,075Income from House 3,360Grants & Donations 20,903Membership 3,580 Miscellaneous Income 2,117Preschool Fees 2,768Day Care Income 24,017MOW Income 42,764Chiropody Income

_______ 123,584

_______Gross profit 123,584

Other operating incomeHSE grant – Section 39 131,000Early Childhood Care and Education Grant 93,028Tusla Grant – Section 10 9,500Community Childcare Subvention Grant 7,674Dept of Children – Access & Inclusion Model 11,267 Government Grants Amortised 3,000Lottery Grants 3,000

_______ 263,172

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Expenditure €

Preschool Wages 91,292Transport Wages 26,306Transport Expenses 3,937Administration Wages 55,106Administration Expenses 3,795Day Centre Wages 47,607Day Centre Expenses 10,071Insurance 6,143Playschool Expenses 5,503Light & Heat 7,533 Meals on Wheels Wages 50,448Meals on Wheels Expenses 24,751Repairs & Maintenance 4,622Telephone 3,980Therapeutic Wages 8,623KHF Wages 5,177Legal and Professional 4,912Audit 1,619Bank Charges 1,098Sundry Expenses 9,205Depreciation on Buildings 9,604Depreciation on Fixtures 1,467Depreciation on Motor Vehicles 3,400

___________ 386,199

Operating Profit 557

Operating Loss percentage 0.5%

Profit before taxation 557