Cavan/Monaghan Wellbeing Centre gets an upgrade
Young people have their voices heard with changes to Tusla building
When young people’s voices are heard real change can happen. Tusla’s Child Wellbeing Centre in Castleblayney is proof of that, where PPFS and Business Support, along with Tusla Estates, recently completed a refurbishment of the centre, which has been in operation since 2022.
The centre’s relaunch event, which was held on 23rd October, proved to be the perfect opportunity for more than 100 colleagues across statutory, community, and voluntary sectors to network and to see the facilities and services for themselves.
With its upgrade, the Wellbeing Centre creates a central hub where statutory and voluntary providers can collaborate more effectively to identify and meet the needs of children and families while offering a welcoming space designed to strengthen wellbeing and inclusion.
Regional Chief Officer for Tusla Dublin Northeast Eilidh MacNab official reopened the centre. Speaking about the event, Eilidh says: “The new Wellbeing is a family friendly centre and a welcoming space with excellent facilities for all to enjoy. The Wellbeing offers services to young people and families from across Cavan Monaghan. All Tusla’s local services are based in the Wellbeing as well as regional services such as fostering.
“The redevelopment of the Wellbeing underlines Tusla’s commitment to providing supports and services in partnership with all the services represented. The Wellbeing epitomises community participation and collaboration, fostered by the team in Cavan/Monaghan,” Eilidh adds.
The work represents a significant step forward for supports to children, families, and communities as it expands access to early intervention and family supports in Cavan/Monaghan. However, the project also provided the perfect opportunity for some practical youth participation, led by Senior Child and Family Support worker Gretchen Swinburne, who chairs the area’s Youth Participation subgroup.
She tells The Hub that prior to refurbishment work commencing, she accompanied a group of young service users to the building to get their feedback on what could be improved, but most importantly how the Wellbeing should make young people feel.
“They all walked around with their clipboards, and they weren’t afraid to give their opinion. Among the changes they suggested was for a wall to be lowered in size as they said it might feel intimidating for young people. They also made suggestions for paint colours and items in the rooms, as well as a mural to be produced on one wall. All of this was fed back to the contractor,” says Gretchen.
“Young people just get stuff done. For the mural, the young people worked with a local artist. Each one drew a piece of art on a square, and these were all put together as a mural, with the logo for the Child and Family Support Network logo in the middle.”
The day prior to the official reopening event, Gretchen hosted the young people at the centre to allow them to see how their suggestions had been made real, but also to hold a very special celebration of youth participation projects that have been created by young people in Cavan/Monaghan.
Each group who receives seed funding presented on the day and brought along their projects for everyone to have a look at. The young people were awarded with a group certificate and some goodies to acknowledge all their hard work.
That event was kindly funded by CYPSC Monaghan and Cavan, CFSN and CMETB Local Creative Youth Co-ordinator.
“We’re always showcasing the young people’s projects to professionals, so I thought it would be really cool for those young people involved in projects to showcase them to each other,” says Gretchen.
The feedback from the day was very positive from the young people, who have requested that it be held every year in the future. Congratulations to all on the upgraded centre, and on showing youth participation in action