The Greater Shankill Partnership Board's vision for the Greater Shankill into the new millennium is for "A thriving community with an age balanced population whose children and young people are allowed to realise their full potential and were a good quality of life is realised by all."

The Greater Shankill area has on average 400 births each year and the Early Years Project has trained and employed 50 people to work as project workers, who offer personal support to each of these parents on a voluntary and self-referral basis. By implementing a process of empowerment with the father and mother, particularly by nurturing their skills as parents, it is hoped not only to help equip the child for life, but to raise the self-confidence and esteem of the parents, and thus to open up pathways of opportunity in the areas of training, education, leisure and community involvement, leading to increased employability and employment, and so increasing the community's problem solving capacity. The twin targeted parent/child programme can transform short-term gains into long-term ones.

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