Croom Family Resource Centre supports the community to become active members of society

Croom Family Resource Centre – Pictured above is Richard Lynch, I Love Limerick (back row far left) with members of the Croom Family Resource Centre community. Picture: Krzysztof Luszczki/ilovelimerick

Croom Family Resource Centre supports are tailored to address the needs of individuals, groups, families, and communities

Croom Family Resource Centre collaborates with the local community to support children, families, individuals, and groups in becoming active members of society.

The centre is located in the historical location of Croom Mills occupying three floors with six meeting spaces and disability access.

It has recently experienced a major transformation from relocating premises, rebranding, a new Board of Management and appointment of a new manager, Eibhlís Bray. Under her guidance and leadership, and through the hard work and dedication of the staff team the centre has been revitalised offering a wider range of services and supports all of which are having a positive effect on the communities of Croom and surrounds. The centre has a primary and secondary catchment area; however, their open-door policy means they do not turn community members outside of these areas away.

advertisement

advertisement

advertisement

In 2005, members of the community formed a steering committee which identified a need in Croom for a Family Resource Centre. In December 2007 the doors of the centre were opened.

Croom Family Resource Centre started with one member of staff and now has a staff team of ten including the childcare service-Clever Clogs.  The childcare service is based in the Old National School where upgrades and renovations have recently been undertaken.

Kate Stoica, Chairperson of Croom Family Resource Centre said, “Our Board of Management is overjoyed by the developments in Croom FRC over the past year. Our new premises for Childcare and FRC services are so bright and welcoming, they have increased our capacity to deliver more and our visibility in the community. It is great to see the reaction of the services users to our spaces. We aim to continue developing our services further and premises is only one of our achievements, we look now to new partnerships and supports from the wider sector in meeting the needs of our communities.”

In 2022 Croom Family Resource Centre completed an extensive strategic planning process to determine the Centre’s priority areas and objectives over the next five years. This was done in consultation with the local community, volunteers, agencies, and staff. The plan provides an overview of the key findings from the process, as well as detailing the centres priorities for the next five years. The principles that guide the work of Croom Family Resource Centre are respect, inclusion, openness and understanding.

Secretary Trina O’Dea notes, “quality of service delivery, meeting the needs of our community and doing so with good and strong governance are our priorities. We look forward to engaging with existing and new funders in sustaining and increasing our service delivery in Croom, Ballingarry and surrounds in 2023 and beyond. We look forward to launching our strategic plan for 2023 where our plans for the next 5 years are laid out.”

The range of supports services Croom FRC provides are tailored to address the needs of individuals, groups, families, and communities. The Family Resource Centre offers a combination of universal and targeted services. Community work and Family Support approaches, principles, values, and methods underpin all their work. The range of programmes is diverse and updated regularly. The dedicated and professional staff offer possibilities, promote involvement, and empower families, young people, and individuals within the community by providing supports to improve their quality of life and develop a deeper feeling of community and belonging.

The core services offered are Family Support services such as one to one Family Support, Parenting Programmes and Parent and Toddler Groups. The Family Support worker also coordinates more tailored supports such as food packs.

The Community Development programme supports groups such as the Growing Young initiative and Chair Yoga.  Croom FRC also offers One to One Counselling and Child Play Therapy. They also offer Education and Training programmes such as hobby and interest courses and accredited courses in addition to local community services, information and health supports.

Croom FRC is a registered charity and part of the National Family Resource Centre programme funded by Tusla.

After months of hard work and dedication the staff of Croom FRC are very excited to announce the launch of their newly designed website. Visit them at www.croomfrc.com. They have developed an easy to navigate, user friendly website which showcases the services of the centre and gives up to date information.

If you’d like to talk about to find out more about what we have to offer please feel free to contact Eibhlís or Sonia on 061-602878 or pop in for a chat, our door is always open.

Related stories

Pictures: Krzysztof Luszczki/ilovelimerick