A dramatic rise in child welfare referrals from the NSPCC helpline to external agencies, such as the police or children’s services in Northern Ireland, in the last year, has been revealed by the child protection charity. The NSPCC has two helpline bases in the UK – one is in Belfast. There were 1192 […]
Economy Minister Diane Dodds has announced the contract for the delivery of a pilot online cybersecurity skills development platform has been awarded to Capita and Immersive Labs. The unique platform will use gamification to meet skills objectives relevant to cybersecurity roles chosen by the candidate. Upon completion of training, users will […]
Suicide prevention charity, PIPS Hope and Support, has officially launched a new pilot WELL-bean Café project to support the mental health and wellbeing of local individuals. The project, which is the first of its kind in Northern Ireland is funded by the Southern Health and Social Care Trust initially for a six-month period. […]
Health Minister Robin Swann has announced a further expansion to the current asymptomatic testing programme for workforces. All organisations with 10 or more employees or volunteers, who cannot work from home, can now access the workforce asymptomatic testing programme. Previously this was open to organisations with more than 50 employees. Minister […]
Individuals and communities vulnerable to paramilitary control and violence are set to receive continued support through new funding and support, as part of a package of initiatives announced by Justice Minister, Naomi Long. Announcing a mix of immediate and longer-term funding to extend the cross-Executive Tackling Paramilitarism, Criminality and Organised Crime Programme, Justice […]
Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey is changing legislation to enable local voluntary groups and clubs to raise vital funds by selling tickets online. Current gambling legislation predates the introduction of the internet so organisations wishing to raise funds through online raffles/prize draws (known as lotteries) are restricted from doing so. The move […]
Education Minister, Peter Weir, has welcomed the signing of the Commencement Order in relation to the Addressing Bullying in Schools Act. The Act will start on 1 September 2021 to allow schools some time to update their policies to align with necessary requirements. It will also enable schools to consult with […]
Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey has announced the allocation of £18.06 million to projects being delivered under “People and Place – a Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal” in the 2021/22 financial year. The funded projects seek to improve key outcomes in areas such as health and wellbeing, community development, education, skills and employability. […]
Sinn Féin MP Chris Hazzard has said the British government must now immediately set about implementing the Irish protocol. Chris Hazzard said, “Now that the European Parliament has ratified the Withdrawal Agreement and Irish Protocol, it is high time the British government got on with implementing it in full. “Businesses manufacturers, […]
A charity originally established in 2002 to fund research into hip and knee joint replacements, Belfast Arthroplasty Research Trust (BART), is relaunching as Trauma and Orthopaedics Research Charity (TORC). The rebrand represents a new broader spectrum of work in all aspects of Trauma and Orthopaedics, across Northern Ireland. TORC aims to […]
