LAUNCH OF "TOGETHER 4 ALL PROGRAMME FOR SCHOOLS"

A major new initiative designed to achieve improved behaviour, increase mutual respect and understanding and reduce bullying in children and young people in the Craigavon area was launched by Together 4 All on Friday 3rd October 2008 at Lough Neagh Discovery Centre. Over 200 primary school staff, (teaching and non-teaching) attended the event.

Mayor Sidney Anderson welcomed everyone to the event and wished every success to Together 4 All Programme for Schools. John McGregor, Chairperson of Together 4 All, introduced the guest speakers.  

Together 4 All, an innovative community engagement project launched the pioneering ‘Programme for Schools’ which for the first time brings together educational resources for pupils, parents and teachers coupled with on the ground support from their trained staff to help with its implementation.  
The programme is the first of its kind in Northern Ireland and is the first phase of Together 4 All’s ten year strategy to implement new services and supports in early intervention for children and young people through adapted proven intervention based activities.  
 
This first phase of the Programme will start in November in primary schools in Aghagallon, Bleary, Lurgan and Brownlow. 

Speaking at the launch, Nuala Magee, Chief Executive of Together 4 All said: “This is an exciting occasion for Together 4 All. We have adapted a proven international model of intervention on social and emotional regulation and married this with units of Mutual Respect and Understanding to create a unique programme for Northern Ireland that meets the requirements set by the Department of Education but has an added dimension in terms of support for delivery.  

“Teachers will receive ongoing support from Specialist Coaches to enable effective classroom delivery, while parents will receive support from a Home School Liaison Coordinator to help them engage with the programme.

“We are confident that evaluation results will show improvements in the Together 4 All outcomes as well as a change in the whole school environment with better teacher pupil relationships, pupil relationships and an impact on attainment levels across the curriculum.” 

The Together 4 All goal is universal provision of one social development programme for children and young people, that encompasses a social and emotional learning curriculum, health services, school-family partnerships and after school-community activities.

This is the first dimension of the Together 4 All Programme for Schools. The second dimension is to introduce a screening programme to identify children that need extra assistance and offer appropriate intervention. The design of this service will commence in January.

The launch is the culmination of a two year consultation process with many different people in the community including parents, community groups, children and young people and professionals who work with families together with an epidemiology study throughout the schools in the area. 

Professor Daniel F Perkins, Ph.D., from Penn State University, Prevention Research Centre presented "It is Not a Sprint, It is a Marathon - Sustaining Quality Prevention Programs in Communities" - Click here for a copy of the presentation.

Elaine Berrena and Christa Turksma, also from the Prevention Research Centre, at Penn State University delivered an excellent presentation "Promoting Social Emotional Learning" - Click here for a copy.

The Strategy will show how proven good practice programmes can be transferred to common practice across Northern Ireland and beyond in order to achieve long term government priorities and cost effectiveness. The outcomes we want to achieve fits well into Government policies and in particular “The Children and Young Peoples Strategy" and Shared Future. Together 4 All have given presentations to key Government Departments.

A copy of the Strategy can be downloaded here. We have obtained the views from over 700 parents, statutory and voluntary providers of services within the Together 4 All areas and 1600 children and young people took part in art and sport consultations and gave us their views and opinions. Also we have completed an Epidemiology Study through our local schools and received 2246 completed questionnaires from children and young people aged 7 to 16 years. The results from this study can be viewed here.