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The project operates
from five operational bases at present. Four units of the Argyle
Business Centre house the head office and the clerical and administrative
team. The Martin Centre in the Ballygomartin area, the only permanent
outreach/drop-in centre, was opened in July 1996 by
Lady Mayhew and houses the Ballygomartin team.
The
Shankill team operates from a temporary base at 145 Shankill Road.
The Ballysillan base are also operating from a temporary base in
Legann Street. Unfortunately a lack of space has not allowed the
drop-in team to provide a facility for parents and children in the
building, but to the teams credit this has not prevented them from
developing the project in their area.
In
March 1997 last year we found it necessary due to the growth of
the project, to acquire further temporary premises on the Woodvale
road. This property has been leased by Bryson House and will temporarily
house the Child Development Officer, the teams for Infrastructure,
Young Parents and Male Parents.
As is apparent,
the first year of the Project's operation was spent putting our
management structures into place, building up our staff quota, developing
relationships with families, the community, and relevant statutory
and voluntary agencies in the area.
By this time
next year we plan to be settled into two new operational bases.
The one in the Ballysillan area due to be completed in December
1998 will house the team on a more permanent basis and will also
provide their long awaited drop-in facility. In addition these will
provide 16 flexible day-care places for the area. The second base
in the Shankill area, due to be completed in Spring 1999 will house
the Shankill team and their drop-in facility, offices for the Infrastructure,
the Young Parents and the Male Parents team, all the management
and support staff and a further 32 day-care places.
However the
major visible emphasis for the Project's development over the next
year, will be the development for the greater Shankill area, of
a plethora of child centered services which will allow all the children
of the are to move forward the next millennium prepared and confident
to deal with whatever the future holds for them.
Maureen Dunwoody
Project Director.
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