Niacro believes children and young people can be diverted from the criminal justice system through support designed to meet their needs and the needs of their families.
We aim to reduce anti-social and offending behaviour among those perceived to be vulnerable to offending, through our work with children, young people and their families.
CAPS is Niacro’s early intervention programme for 8–13-year-olds at risk of offending.
Caps intervenes at an early stage where children are at risk of offending and creates work programmes based on their individual and family needs. Along with the child and their family, programmes often include group work run by Caps such as social education and parenting programmes and participation in our family activities scheme. Once a programme has been agreed with the young person and their family, they meet with a Caps worker once a week to carry out the agreed work.
The project has been running since 2004 in the Southern Health and Social Care Trust area. Internal and external evaluations have repeatedly shown positive outcomes for the children and families taking part in the project.
The aim of the Early Intervention Support Service is to support families when difficulties arise, before they need involvement with statutory services.
The EISS delivers and coordinates person centred, evidence based early intervention for families with children 0-18 years old within Tier 2 of the Hardiker Model.
NIACRO delivers this service in the Belfast and Southern Health and Social Care Trust areas. It is part of the Early Intervention Transformation Programme (EITP), which is delivered as part of the Delivering Social Change agenda in partnership with Atlantic Philanthropies.
The Independent Visitor (IV) scheme is a volunteer-led independent befriending and support service to young people aged 11-18 years old with care experience in the Belfast and Southeastern Health and Social Care Trusts, who have infrequent or poor quality contact with a parent or person with parental responsibility for them.
A young person is matched with their volunteer for a minimum of one year, although this can be extended with the agreement of the young person and their volunteer.
The Independent Representation (IR) Scheme aims to ensure that the views, opinions, and concerns of young people in Lakewood Secure Care Centre are heard, receive serious consideration and are responded to in a considered way.
The IR team, which consists of the IR Project Worker and a volunteer Independent Representative, visit each unit within Lakewood on alternate weeks to meet with young people, listen to their concerns, and support young people who wish to raise issues in the Centre.
The IR Scheme complements and enhances the ethos of The Sanctuary Model which is adopted at the Centre. The Scheme reflects the Centre’s confidence and commitment to ensuring that the views, opinions and concerns of young people are heard and taken seriously.
Family Support Hubs are local groups of voluntary, community and statutory organisations who meet every month to match requests for family support to the most appropriate services. The organisations involved have good knowledge of the support services available to families in the local area and work together to identify what service is best suited to each family referred for support.
Each Hub is made up of different early intervention family support providers depending on the area, as it’s important that all members have a strong understanding of the local community and the services available.
NIACRO is represented on all Family Support Hubs in the Belfast and Southern Trust areas, and we are the host agency for the Craigavon and Banbridge Family Support Hub, which means we are responsible for accepting referrals and co-ordinating responses.
Referral – Email Address here
Scope is a NIACRO service that provides support to children (aged 0-18) living in the Greater Belfast area, who have a parent or sibling currently in prison.
SCOPE supports children to achieve 3 key outcomes:
SCOPE is funded by Children in Need.
