A warm welcome to all our New Visitors and a Big Hello to all our "Regulars". Child Care is more and more in the Spot light these days and the Internet has become a must in the field of Resource Information.

Introduction to the Dry Arch Centre

The aim of the Dry Arch Centre's Good Practice Website is to bring to you 24 hour, reliable, easily accessible, information on Child Care related topics and issues.

Bear in mind however that we are novices at this type of thing and will get better with age (you hope!).

Now hop aboard and let us take you on a whistlestop tour of the Dry Arch Centre.....

The Dry Arch Centre has evolved since 1995 from its initial format as the Dungiven/Burnfoot Family Support Initiative. The Centre has been in operation since June 1997. The project has been the result of committed involvement from a group of people who were concerned about a lack of services available to an economically deprived and socially depressed area. A key emphasis of the project has been the inclusion of a cross community dimension to address underlying sectarian tensions which exist in the local community and surrounding rural area.

The main aim of the project is to "re-establish the family as the cornerstone of our society through the provision of quality support services which will empower all family members to an enrichment of family life."

Associated aims have been:

• To re-establish the family as the cornerstone of society.
  
  
• To establish close one-to-one personal relationships and trusting bonds with our children, adolescents, and parents.
  
  
• To encourage children at the earliest possible age to avoid high-risk behaviour, and to moderate and overcome physical, mental, emotional, educational or motivational barriers to improve self-esteem and personal development.
  
  
• To promote and support the parenting role and by doing so, parents maintain their physical and mental health, enrich their community life and relationships, and achieve a heightened sense of fulfilment and self-actualisation.

In pursuit of these aims the project has established various strands which include:

• Child Care and Education
  
• Pre-school Education
  
• Out-of-Schools Service
  
• Youth Support Services
  
• Parenting Education and Support
  
• Outreach Family Support
  
• Surestart ( 0-3 years & their families)
  
• Transport Facilitation
  
• Good Practice Network ( Centre of excellence)
  
• DELTA
  
• Adult Education

A salient feature of all the childcare provision is that it is fully integrated and non-stigmatising for children and parents.

This is an extremely important factor as it:

• Encourages self-referral
  
  
• Ensures families do not feel stigmatised
  
  
• Supports and encourages commitment

This support also allows parents with children to work or return to training. It is therefore closely aligned to job opportunities as it allows employers access to a wider employee market and enables parents to work, thus decreasing dependency on benefits.

The close relationship between the Centre and health and social care professionals has enabled the development of a range of support services for families in greatest need, supplementing the more generally available services e.g. day-care, playgroup, out-of schools service and youth support. It has also, in consultation with users and the wider community, enabled the identification of gaps in provision and highlighted areas for future development.

For further information or to arrange a visit contact centre staff at 028 777 42904