Daughters Of Charity Annual Repo : simplebooklet.com

Annual Report 20231Chairperson’s Report ...............................................................................................................2Chief Execuve Ocer’s Report ..........................................................................................3Our Impact at a Glance ........................................................................................................... 5Mission, Vision and Values .....................................................................................................6Organisaonal Structure ........................................................................................................7Who we are and what we do ................................................................................................8Feedback from Families ..........................................................................................................9Therapeuc Family Centres ................................................................................................ 10Protecve Services .............................................................................................................. 15Early Childhood Development Service ............................................................................ 25Digital Transformaon ......................................................................................................... 28Our Funders ........................................................................................................................... 35Financial Summary ................................................................................................................ 37Contents

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2Daughters of Charity Child & Family ServiceI am delighted to welcome you to the Daughters of Charity Child and Family Service 2023 Annual Report. The report clearly outlines the remarkable work carried out by our highly skilled sta team across all services. In 2023, we strengthened our board following an acve recruitment campaign for new Directors commencing in late 2022. We are delighted to welcome Roslyn O’Shaughnessy and Brian McCarthy as Directors who bring great experse and skill to our exisng Board and wish them success in their roles.As always, the support of the Board of Directors to myself as Chair and to the organisaon has been invaluable and I would like to acknowledge their commitment and dedicaon to the organisaon. Thanks also to the CEO, senior management, management and sta who have ensured that the mission of the organisaon is at the core of the high-quality services delivered in 2023. We cannot provide the services without the support of our funders to whom we are grateful. We connue to work in partnership with our colleagues in Tusla, DCEDIY, HSE and Pobal across the organisaon. The annual report highlights a worrying trend regarding the increasing adversity and challenges that children and families are experiencing in Ireland. The Directors are extremely concerned about the increasing risk and thresholds of cases, evidencing that the State is struggling in its dues to provide services to those most in need and most vulnerable.The Daughters of Charity Child and Family Service have an almost 40-year history of providing services to children and families at the coalface of harm and risk and this will connue to be our focus in our next strategic plan. However, we must receive adequate and sustainable funding from the State. The increased cost of service delivery and compliance connues to grow. Pay inequality and disparity connues to present a real challenge in the recruitment and retenon of sta. The ability of the organisaon to deliver these services for children and families on behalf of the State is becoming increasingly challenging and urgent acon is required to adequately fund these services and to ensure we can connue to aract and retain our highly skilled competent sta. In preparing for our new strategic plan, we will ensure that we can connue to provide evidence-based needs-led services, innovang and developing into new areas of need and supporng a vibrant sta team.Mr Ciarán Roche Chair of the Board of DirectorsChairperson’s Report

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Annual Report 20233Chief Execuve Ocer’s ReportIn 2023, the organisaon connued to implement the ‘Supporng Families, Changing Lives’ strategic plan and made signicant progress in all areas. Digital technology continued to be utilised in 2023 in providing needs led and innovative ways of working with children and families. The CRM Salesforce system ‘Quartz’ was extended to the early years services (ECDS) in 2023 and is on track for full implementation in 2024. All DoCCFS direct services for children and families are now utilising the ‘Quartz’ system resulting in streamlined and live reporting at any time across all sites. Reform of the management structure has increased the operational capacity across the organisation to enable growth and development under the direction of the new senior service managers. The DoCCFS recruited a head of nance, governance and compliance and this has transformed the nance department’s effectiveness and efciencies and added strength to the Senior Management structure.The innovation, agility and creativity of the service and the staff continued during 2023. To cope with the demand for the service, and long waiting lists in some areas, centres have offered online, group work and in person sessions with families and this enabled greater exibility for families and for staff. In 2023, the demand for services continued to increase and the outputs of the service also increased signicantly. The work outlined in the annual report evidences the challenges and difculties that families continue to face. In 2023, there was a 23% increase in child protection and welfare notications to Tusla related to cases being worked. In the assessment centres, the high levels of needs of families increased in 2023 and continue to remain a concern. There was an increase of 25.5% of initial assessments being completed. The service experienced an increase in demand for assessments for children aged 0 to 9 years. There was an increase by 30% of cases remaining open to social work on completion of assessment highlighting ongoing safety concerns for families.Domestic violence and abuse is also increasing across all services. In the assessment centres almost half (47% of cases) had domestic violence present. Dublin Safer Families Service experienced an increase of 6% in cases involving coercive control. Cases also identied other forms of abuse present such as nancial abuse, stalking, strangulation and sexual assault are all signicant concerns.The therapeutic child and family centres experienced a 12% increase in referrals in 2023. 30,226 sessions were carried out representing a 27% increase from 2022. The highest category of referrals to these centres were for anxiety and emotional support for children and there was a 21% increase in referrals for parenting support. This continues to be a high category of need for families indicating the challenges that parents are facing. Children presenting with additional needs also increased signicantly across the service particularly in the Early Childhood Development Service and this continues to increase every year presenting challenges in recruitment of AIM staff to support these children. High levels of compliance in all inspections of ECDS is an ongoing achievement demonstrating the quality work being carried out in each of the centres. The family support component of the ECDS expanded with parent /toddler groups operating in three centres and plans are in place to expand across all centres in 2024. We are extremely concerned about the high levels of risk and need that children and families are experiencing coming to our service. Waiting lists continue to increase across all services with many families unable to access essential State supports. Twelve years of research with Irish Universities (UCD and TCD) evidence that the families that come to our services are most in need in the general population and families that need services the most benet the most. Our services are experiencing the long-term impact of neglecting early intervention and prevention to address need early on and prevent escalation to high risk and crisis.

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4Daughters of Charity Child & Family ServiceWe continue to advocate for these children and families and work closely with our partner agencies to provide needs led evidence-based services but urgent action and a whole of government response is required to ensure that children and families most in need can access supports early on to prevent future ongoing harm.As a research informed organisation with skilled experienced competent staff and almost 40 years of service delivery we look forward to a new era of growth and innovation in services within our new strategic plan.Dr Tracey A Monson Chief Execuve OcerWe connue to advocate for these children and families and work closely with our partner agencies to provide needs led evidence-based services but urgent acon and a whole of government response is required to ensure that children and families most in need can access supports early on to prevent future ongoing harm.“HonestyCompassion JusticeFairnessRespect

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Annual Report 20237DoCCFS Organisaonal StructureBoard of Directors - Sub CommieesGovernance & Risk CommitteeFinance & Audit CommitteeStrategic Development & Services Sub CommitteeManagement OfficeBusiness Support AdministratorData Lead CRMFinance DepartmentHuman ResourcesBoard of DirectorsCEOSenior Service ManagerProtective ServicesChild and Family Assessment CentresSt Benedict’s Assessment CentreLisdeel Assessment CentreDublin Safer Families ServiceChild Protection & SafeguardingSenior Service ManagerECDSEarly Childhood Development ServiceGoldenbridge ECDSMosney Mabuhay ECDSSt Joseph’s ECDSSt Louise’s ECDSSt Vincent’s ECDSTir na nÓg ECDSHuman Resources Senior ManagerSenior Service ManagerFamily CentresTherapeutic Family CentresAistear Beo Connaught Street Family CentreArklow Springboard Family CentreBalbriggan Family CentreCherry Orchard Family CentreJobstown Family CentreLisdeel Family CentreTuras Springboard Family CentreHead of OperationsHead of Finance Governance & Compliance

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8Daughters of Charity Child & Family ServiceWho We Are and What We Do Therapeuc Family Centres • Our Family Centres support children from 0 – 18 years and their parents / carers.• Our approach is needs led, solution focused, strengths based, trauma responsive and outcome focused.• We aim to provide a exible service to families to include individual sessions, parenting, family and group work, home visits, outreach and drop in facilities.• All our Family Centres are welcoming and non-clinical.• Our Family Centres provide outreach services to children and families in the locality of the centres.• We welcome self-referrals and referrals from Tusla and professionals such as GP’s, Health Centres, Schools, CAMHS, Tusla etc.Early Childhood Development Service• We provide early childhood care and education to children between the ages of 2 and 6 years.• Children are provided with opportunities to express themselves through play in a learning atmosphere of tolerance, respect and fun.• We use the Highscope preschool programme which encourages active learning where young children gain knowledge through their natural play and interactions with the environment, events and other people.• Breakfast, hot lunch and nutritious snacks are provided to all children attending the service.• Parents and carers are supported with parenting programmes, educational talks, parent / toddler groups, family fun days, sports days and open days.• The ECDS is a needs- led, strength based and trauma informed service developing children’s independence and social skills. • Referrals are welcomed from parents/carers, PHNs, GP’s. Tusla and other professionals and organisations • Referrals from parents / carers, PHN’s GP’s, Tusla and other professionals are welcomed. Dublin Safer Families Service• We are a family-based Gender, Sexual and Domestic Abuse Service where there is active domestic violence present.• We are the only service in Ireland to have adopted systemic evidence enhanced family-based model of working with domestic abuse. We are strength based, needs led, trauma responsive and outcome focused service. • We work specically with families where abuse and violence has created difculties or is a current concern.• As a professional organisation we work under legislation which strives to protect the rights, safety and welfare of children. We are particularly attentive to the impact on children who experience abuse and violence.• Sessions with children are exible and can take place individually, jointly with parents and / or family sessions.• We will work together to develop a ‘Safety Plan’ and to promote positive change. • We only accept referrals from social work.Assessment Service• We work in partnership with Tusla carrying out assessments with families referred to us by Tusla social work departments. We are a strength based, needs led and trauma responsive service. • Initial social work assessments are carried out where a report of risk or harm has been received.• The national practice model Signs of Safety is used to carry out initial assessments.• Signs of Safety is a strengths-based approach and is designed to help us to carry our child protection work with the main focus on child safety and in partnership with children, families and their wider support network.• On completion of the assessment recommendations are made to Tusla to close the case, refer for further action by Tusla or refer to DoCCFS family centres for therapeutic support as appropriate.• We only accept social work referrals from Tusla.

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Annual Report 20239Dublin North East & Meath Comments Compliments341Dublin Mid Leinster Comments & Compliments259Feedback from Families““I became more mindful and reecve in my role as a co-parent. Further understanding the role and importance of us both coming together for our child.”““Just to say thank you for all the help and support you gave me. I’m very grateful that myself and my kids are in a beer place.”““My children were given the space and me to talk about things they couldn’t do with their parents there. Thank you for everything, you have no idea what it means.”““I couldn’t change my life for the beer without all the help I received.”““We feel very privileged to have such amazing support and great help. 100% amazing work – no need to improve.”““The centre has helped massively with parenng and helped my kids with emoonal, social and behaviour problems.”““I have to say that I would have been lost without the help. My child has changed for the beer, she is a much happier girl.”“‘I am stronger now and can handle whatever life throws at me and my family. I am so grateful for the support.’““It helped me get beer and I enjoyed coming here.”Dublin Mid Leinster Complaints0Dublin North East & Meath Complaints1

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10Daughters of Charity Child & Family ServiceTherapeuc Family CentresOur Impact in 2023 2023 was a busy year for the Therapeutic Family Centre Service with increased productivity and a return to pre Covid numbers of families attending the service. In 2023 emoonal/anxiety support for children remained one of the top reasons for referral to our service. Almost 18% of referrals received to the therapeuc family centres was for emoonal well-being and anxiety with 16% of referrals being referred for emoonal support. The Therapeutic Family Centres continue to respond to these reasons for referral by running children's groups for anxiety and building resilience. Social skills and socialisaon programmes also ran during school breaks for children attending our family centres. Children are presenting with complex issues and require long term support to deal with their challenges with anxiety and emotional issues. Parenng support and managing children with behavioural challenges rose slightly to 21% during 2023. The family centres supported families using various therapeutic parenting/attachment programmes such as Circle of Security, Marte Meo Therapy and Theraplay. At the beginning of 2023, our customer relationship management system (CRM) was adapted to illustrate children being referred to our service that had an additional need, had been diagnosed or were waiting on a list to be assessed for a diagnosis. This new organisational statistic showed that of the referrals to our service, 94 children had a diagnosed addional need referred to our family centres and a further 81 were on a waing list awaing an assessment, that equates to 21% of referrals in 2023. Parents and children impacted by parental separaon increased to 6% in 2023. In 2023 there was a call to change the Co-Parenting programme that was being used within our organisation with the feedback stating that the programme was out of date. In response, the organisation provided training for family workers in the John Sharry ‘Parenting children with additional needs’ programme and the ‘Solihull’ attachment-based parenting programme to meet this need. Student placements continue to be an important part of the family centre work and across the wider organisation. In 2023, student placements from social care, social work and play therapy were supported by our family centres. These placements will be encouraged into 2024 as students bring learning to the organisation while also giving valuable learning opportunities to the student.Sessions Held30,226Children Aending1140Families Supported927Cases Closed753

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Annual Report 202313Trends in Therapeuc Family Centres in 2023• Increase in referrals received by the therapeutic family centres for support for children presenting with additional needs.• For children presenting with additional needs: » Group and individual work » The provision of sensory spaces » New sensory gardens and rooms in Cherry Orchard and Lisdeel Family Centres • Work with children also includes: » Mind-body-breath work, social skills, other therapeutic supports that promote self-regulation and being trauma responsive • A ‘trauma working group’ was set up in 2023 to support our organisation to become: » trauma aware » informed » sensitive » responsive Emotional support / wellbeing is the highest reason for referral to our family centres. 17.96% of referrals received were for emotional well-being and anxiety with 16.11% referrals being received for emotional support. • Impact of parental separation/ parents in court continues to be a high reason for referral: » Supporting parents to gain an understanding of the emotional impact that separation can have on children's wellbeing » Children are also supported in gaining an understanding of the process and language they are subject to regarding this topic. • There is an identied trend of parents separating but still living together, reported by our centre managers. • Children presenting with mental health concerns such as anxiety, self-harm, eating disorders, suicidal ideation. Our Therapeuc Family Centres are warm and welcoming. Scan this QR code to visit one of our centres.

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14Daughters of Charity Child & Family ServiceThis year Cherry Orchard Family Centre developed and delivered the “Growing Together, Parenting Insights for Children ages 3-7 years” Online Programme. With an extremely high number of registrations to attend this online programme, we aimed to offer accessible, and impactful online support to parents on our family centre waiting lists and those engaged with our Early Childhood Development Service (ECDS). This innovative programme sought to bridge the gap while families waited for more individualised services with our family centres and enhance the overall support provided to children in their crucial early developmental stages. Families face signicant challenges without immediate access to the help they need. By introducing online programmes tailored to these needs, we can: 1. Provide Interim and Addional Support Online programmes can be accessed in the interim, so families are offered guidance, support and resources while they await more intensive services. This ensures that families receive the help they need during critical moments. 2. Enhance Early Development: The early years are crucial for a child’s cognitive, emotional, and social development. The online programme offers parents practical strategies to support their child’s growth, with content focused on areas such as communication, play, behaviour management, and establishing routines. 3. Reduce Wait-Time Stress: Parents often experience anxious feelings, helplessness and frustration while on waiting lists. Providing them with access to online resources can alleviate some of this stress by empowering them to take proactive steps in addressing their child’s needs. 4. Prepare Parents for In-Person Services: By engaging with online programmes, parents can build a foundation of knowledge and skills that will enhance the effectiveness of future in-person services. This preparation can lead to more productive interactions and better outcomes once they engage in individual work. Online parenting programmes offer a convenient and effective solution for busy parents seeking support and guidance in raising their children. With the demands of modern life, balancing work, family, and personal responsibilities can be challenging. Online parenting programmes provide a exible and accessible way for parents to enhance their skills, gain valuable insights, and connect with DoCCFS without the constraints of traditional, in-person programmes. The Growing Together Online Programme aimed to provide parents with access to high-quality, evidence-based information that might otherwise be unavailable to them. The ability to learn from our multi-disciplinary team without needing to travel or take time off work is a signicant advantage. The Growing Together programme was tailor made and developed to offer a range of topics and modules, allowing parents to select content that is most relevant to their needs. Parents could focus on specic challenges they are facing, such as managing difcult behaviours, building emotional resilience, or improving communication with their children. The ability to choose from a variety of topics enhances the overall effectiveness of the learning experience.What is the “Growing Together” experience? The “Growing Together” parenting programme is designed to help parents strengthen their relationship with their children while fostering a nurturing and supportive home environment. This programme emphasises the importance of connection, play, and positive discipline techniques. To accommodate the diverse needs of families, the programme offers a series of four webinars, each focusing on a key aspect of effective parenting. Parents can choose which webinars to attend based on their interests and the specic needs of their children. The “Growing Together” programme empowers parents with the tools and knowledge needed to foster a harmonious and supportive home environment, enhancing their children’s emotional, social, and cognitive development. In today’s fast-paced and constantly evolving world, the needs of families are more dynamic than ever. Online parenting programmes represent an innovative solution to these challenges, offering exible, accessible and tailored support that adapts to the complexities of modern family life.This innovative initiative is another example of the Daughters of Charity Child and Family Service commitment to staying ahead of the curve, ensuring that our services are meeting the needs of families in a constantly changing world. Case Studyfor the Therapeuc Family Centre Service

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Annual Report 202315Inial Assessments394Child Protecon referrals to Tusla 260Children receiving a service from Assessment Teams553Protecve Services - Assessment and Dublin Safer Families CentresOur Impact in 2023 Children received a service from DSFS79Protecve ServicesThe Protective Services arm of the Daughters of Charity Child and Family Service consists of two Assessment centres (Dublin North – St Benedict’s and Dublin North City – Lisdeel Assessment); one Domestic Violence centre (Dublin North/Dublin North City - Dublin Safer Families) and the Safeguarding / Child Protection Role (Organisation wide – DoCCFS). Assessment Service The Daughters of Charity Child and Family Service provide an assessment service for Tusla Social Work Departments in Dublin North and Dublin North City. The assessment service carries out Initial Assessments on families where child protection concerns have been identied. The two Assessment Centres continue to work closely with dedicated contact point Principal Social Workers and Team Leaders. The Assessment Service use the Tusla National Model, Signs of Safety Framework (SOS). This is a relationship-grounded, safety organised approach to child protection practice, created by researching what works for professionals and families in building meaningful safety for vulnerable and at-risk children. The main components of this model include identifying the harm to the child and the impact on the child; creating a robust safety plan which involves using the family’s support network; identifying with the family, their network and professionals what needs to happen next. The worker will often refer families to our own Child and Family Service who carry out therapeutic interventions with both children and families; Dublin Safer Families, Meitheal; Family Support Service and other projects in the area also.

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16Daughters of Charity Child & Family Service““The process for the assessment was clearly explained to me and I felt listened to.”Family Feedback““The family worker kept in contact throughout the whole process and explained everything to me and my daughter.”Family Feedback““This mother had very negave experiences of assessments in the past but the approach you took made it so much easier for the family. Your exibility to have the meengs here was much appreciated as the family felt very comfortable here. Your openness to listen to us and our concerns and your subsequent follow-up to address those concerns was also appreciated and indeed worked as the family engagement was at a far higher level than in previous assessments. We appreciated the communicaon between our teams, geng back to us if we called and your calls to update us on progress so we could inform the family what was happening. Our team felt respected and listened to by your team and you valued our input and experience. The family now seem to be in a much more posive place. Child is back in school, and it is like a weight has been lied o his shoulders.”,Outside Agency Feedback““I would like to thank this department and my family worker for helping me through a dicult me for me and my family.”Family FeedbackFeedback

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Annual Report 202317Trends in Assessment Service• 87% of cases received in assessment in 2023 were Medium Risk.• The Assessment service had an increase in the number of Initial Assessments completed for 2023 by 25.5%.• There was an increase in cases returning to Tusla with the recommendation to remain open for Safety Planning or Child Protection Conference from 26 in 2022 to 33 in 2023, which is an increase of 30%.• Domestic Violence was noted as being present in 47% of cases received by Tusla, there was an increase in cases where domestic violence was unknown at referral stage and reported to have DV present post IA from 13% in 2022 to 17.6% in 2023. • In the Assessment Service the highest number of initial assessments were for children aged between 0 and 9 years at 43%. There has been an increasing trend of cases being complex and high risk with children being vulnerable to neglect and adverse childhood experiences from a young age. • The top three categories of referrals to Tusla for 2023 make up 92% of all child protection referrals submitted by the DoCCFS. These were Emotional Abuse, Welfare and Physical Abuse.

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18Daughters of Charity Child & Family ServiceAll names and ages presented in this case study are anonymized to protect the identy of the clients.Reason for referral for an inial assessment:• Addiction Issues, • Neglect and hygiene concerns• Additional and medical needs• Housing issues• Poverty• Acrimonious separation/Mediation needs• Social Isolation • Education ConcernsThe following case study will highlight the work of Lisdeel Assessment Team to create “Pathways to a Brighter Future”. It will outline how the Family Assessment Worker (FAW) met the clients at their point of need and used the Signs of Safety (SOS) framework to gather informaon from the clients and professionals to support and empower them to build a beer future for themselves and their daughter. John and Mary had two children, Sarah (24) and Laura (13). Laura was born with Down Syndrome. John and Mary separated 10 years ago when Laura was 4 which was partly due to Mam’s substance use. Sarah moved out of the family home 2 years previously, after having two children of her own. Dad took Laura every second weekend and offered no contact or nancial support in between access. This meant Mary was caring for Laura 12 out of every 14 days. Mary said this was a very lonely and isolating time, and her cocaine use advanced from recreational to problematic. When Tusla referred this case to Lisdeel Assessment Team, Laura’s dad reported that her mam was using cocaine regularly and he noticed she was under the inuence over the Christmas period due to her presentation. He stated her phone and TV are both disconnected as she hasn’t paid the bills, and she owes money for a drug debt. Mary is relying on takeaways for dinner and refuses to use the correct shampoo to treat Laura’s scalp infection. He said there are issues with Laura’s hygiene and Mary is smoking in the house even though Laura had heart surgery at 6 years old. It soon transpired that there were signicant arrears and Mary and Laura were on the verge of being homeless again, and the current home was described as cold, neglected, and empty. Laura’s school attendance was also becoming very concerning. All professionals shared the same worries that Laura was missing more and more of her appointments, and her hygiene had declined signicantly. Mary was being seen less in the community and her world was becoming smaller. Since the separation, the relationship between Mary and John had declined to the point where they barely spoke to one another.When Mary presented in Lisdeel House she was pale and chronically underweight. Within a matter of minutes, Mary disclosed the full extent of her substance use while she was caring for Laura. Given how serious her drugs use was, an immediate safety plan was put in place between family assessment worker, the manager, and Tusla that Laura would leave Mary’s home that day and stay with her dad. Both parents agreed with this action plan. This allowed Mary the time to get the supports in place she needed to create a stable, safe home environment for Laura to be able to return to. John agreed to take more responsibility and took an extended break from work to care for Laura. Through liaising with TUSLA a shared care agreement was put in place with Mary for Laura to live between John and adult daughter Sarah’s home. The Family assessment worker began linking in with Mary to explore what she needed to empower her to become the mam that Laura deserved. It was clear that Mary was very overwhelmed at the beginning of this process and had never trusted any service enough to accept their support. FAW developed their relationship with Mary through regular check-ins, words of encouragement, and signposting Mary to the relevant services to address the issues. Mary was signposted to a local drug treatment centre and Family Support Services. Through the Signs of Safety (SOS) process, Mary’s condence began to show signs of improvement. Mary was supported to redecorate the family home and link in with DCC to put an arrears payment plan in place. In the meantime, Laura was thriving in the care of John and Sarah. Her health and hygiene issues were quickly alleviated, and her school attendance improved dramatically. Although John and Sarah remained sceptical of Mary’s progress, they did begin to pull together during the SOS network meetings. This involves getting the family together to discuss the worries openly, develop existing safeties, and empower them to take ownership of this plan. (connued on following page)Case Studyfrom Lisdeel Assessment

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Annual Report 202319Throughout the assessment, Laura’s welfare concerns dissipated, and we were able to close the case to TUSLA after developing a dynamic safety plan with the family which sought to make sure Laura was always safe, well cared for, and having all of her needs met. Mary was no longer at risk of homelessness and through her drug support group, she learned new skills to manage her addiction. She was also being introduced to a whole new circle of positive peers who encouraged and supported her every day to keep going. The family made a decision, that the current plan was working so well that Laura would remain in the care of dad and Sarah with regular access with Mary. A few months after the case had closed, we received a knock on the door of the assessment centre. When the family assessment worker came to the waiting room, he didn’t recognise the person that sat in front of him. “it’s me… Mary”. Mary presented with a healthy glow and a smile from ear to ear. Mary wanted her worker to know that she was 6 months clean and sober and was just about to embark on a new college course that was organised by the treatment centre he had linked her in with. Mary assured her worker that Laura was “living her best life” and things had never been so positive for the whole family. Mary wanted to thank her worker for his role in reviving the strong and vibrant person she once was. The empathetic approach and perseverance of the assessment team helped guide Mary to feel respected, listened to, and empowered to rebuild her life, so she could return to being the mother (and Nanny) that Laura, Sarah, and her grandchildren had thought they would never see again, which encapsulates the ethos of the Daughters of Charity Child & Family Service.Case Studyfrom Lisdeel Assessment (connued)48%of cases had DV present87%of cases were Medium Risk25.5%Increase in Inial Assessments30%of cases returned to Tusla recommended to stay open for Safety Planning92%of Child Protecon referrals were for Emoonal Abuse, Welfare & Physical Abuse

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20Daughters of Charity Child & Family Service““Don’t be scared they are here to help you. You’re safe here. It’s a safe space to talk about what’s going on.”Child’s advice to other children aending““It made things beer because I found it hard at the start and it helped me open up about stu happening at home and having someone you can talk to is great. I always felt safe with mom. I talked to her about everything, but I sll don’t feel safe at dad’s though because there are cameras in the house, and he makes me feel really uncomfortable. The sta are so caring.”Child’s FeedbackFeedbackChild Protecon and Welfare Reports to Tusla3% Neglect7% Sexual Abuse24% Physical Abuse25% Emoonal Abuse41% WelfareDublin Safer Families Dublin Safer Families Service (DSFS) works with families where there is Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based violence. Dublin Safer Families works with the victim, children and the perpetrator within a systemic model. The goals of the work are to increase family safety and to prevent violence in its many guises. Some of the tools used in this model include: No Violence Contracts: Safety Planning (triggers, emotional regulation, actions to ensure safety etc); Risk Assessing and Risk Managing; In Room Consultant; Stable Third; and Psycho-education are all parts of this unique model . Social Work department and our Assessment Teams can refer families in to Dublin Safer Families Service

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Annual Report 202323Dublin Safer Families have been involved with the GREVIO committee regarding their work with perpetrators and victims. GREVIO is the independent expert monitoring body for the implementation of the Istanbul Convention (Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combatting violence against women and domestic violence. Dublin Safer Families in conjunction with MEND (Men Ending Domestic Abuse) and MOVE (Men Overcoming Violence) collaborated on a report regarding working with perpetrators. The purpose of the report is to provide insight on the country’s implementation of the Convention. Dublin Safer Families are part of the WWP EN (Working with Perpetrators – European Network); and Empower Kids Project which is a partnership with other support services which focuses on the voice of the child who experienced childhood domestic violence and abuse. Dublin Safer Families took part in an interview with PEIN (Parenting and Early Intervention Network) as part of their podcast series showcasing the services Dublin Safer Families provides and discussing the vital role such services play in raising awareness of domestic violence abuse and coercive control in the wider community and how it impacts children experiencing domestic abuse. Dublin Safer Families also presented a ninety-minute workshop at the 2023 European Conference on Domestic Violence held in Iceland. The workshop was, ‘Using the In Room Consultant as a Therapeutic Tool to address Domestic Violence’.Inuencing Internaonal Policy and PracceDublin Safer Families, as part of the 16 Days of Acon (challenges violence against women and girls) also facilitated a two-hour workshop event entled ‘Asking the Hard Quesons – Working with Vicms, Children and Perpetrators’.

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24Daughters of Charity Child & Family ServiceWorking Systemically with Domesc Violence and Abuse All names and ages presented in this case study are anonymized to protect the identy of the clients.The Burke Family were referred to Dublin Safer Families Service by the Social Work Department after allegations were received that Jack Burke (father) had physically assaulted May Burke (mother), whilst their son Richard (16) was present. Mrs Burke was offered sessions initially to risk identify, risk assess, and risk manage safety strategies. Mrs Burke was afforded an opportunity to speak to her experience of domestic violence and abuse, work through the resulting trauma and also gain an understanding of how these dynamics pertained to her current family experience. During separate sessions with Mrs and Mr Burke, No Violence Contracts were signed to establish a baseline of safety for therapeutic work to build on. The Social Work Department were particularly concerned about Richard’s self-harming behaviour and suicidal ideation. During the early stages of the work Mrs Burke appeared to be emotionally capable of holding Richard on the assumption that he may become emotionally dysregulated during therapeutic sessions. Richard attended individual sessions coinciding with his parent’s individual sessions. The work focused on his relationship with his father, his experience and the impact of the abuse on him, his self-concept and esteem, and resolving his cognitive distortions. Richard developed a safety plan incorporating identied safety people and mechanisms of self-soothing. Mrs Burke reported by the end of the work Richard was coping with his negative emotions in a more constructive way and also attending school daily in comparison to his inconsistent attendance in the previous year. Mr Burke was using alcohol as a means of coping. Once under the inuence he forced his way into Mrs Burke’s home whilst Richard was there and refused to leave, causing much emotional distress. Mrs Burke was supported to apply for a Barring Order and advised on mechanisms to make her home more secure. During subsequent sessions Mr Burke engaged in work around the impact of his behaviour on his family and explored his own triggers for unhelpful arousal. He was able to develop a safety plan to incorporate coping mechanisms for negative emotions and he also adhered to safety boundaries. Over time Mr Burke was able to reect on his past behaviour and saw his relationship with his son ourish. Mrs Burke was provided with emotional support throughout the work. She too developed a safety plan focused on triggers for violence, how she could manage/cope with these, developing her safety support network and identifying self-care methods to aid her mental health. As the work drew to a close Mr Burke had been supported to employ routine in his life by applying for a course, providing structure for his son as he committed to phoning him once a week and meeting outdoors weekly in a public place, and in turn increasing the safety for his family. Mrs Burke reported a positive co-parenting relationship with some shared responsibilities by the end of the work. She stated that she felt that her relationship was in a safer place with Mr Burke as a result of the work.Case StudyDublin Safer Families Case Study

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Annual Report 202325Children Aending369Transions to school119Level 7 Access and Inclusion (AIM) support53English as a second language102Children Living in Homeless Accommodaon*12Children with addional needs71Early Childhood Development Service (ECDS)Our Impact in 2023 The Early Childhood Development Service comprises six ECDS Centres within the Daughters of Charity Child & Family Service. St Vincents ECDS situated in Dublin 10 Tir Na nÓg ECDS, St Joseph’s ECDS and Goldenbridge ECDS are situated in the Dublin 8 area, St Louises ECDS is in Dublin 1, and Mabuhay ECDS Mosney, County Meath. Each centre caters for children and families from diverse communities, providing care, education and support to children who attend our services. In 2023, the Early Childhood Development Centres witnessed a signicant phase of growth and development. This was made possible through the introduction of numerous parenting support programmes, which were delivered in the form of highly informative and interactive webinars. The Cherry Orchard Family Service team facilitated these webinars, which were made available to all ECDS services. The comprehensive and engaging sessions were aimed at helping parents and caregivers enhance their skills and knowledge to better support and nurture young children. Parent and toddler groups established in 2023 in Tir na nÓg and St. Vincents ECDS continue to grow and develop links with the community. This fantastic initiative enables parents to connect with one another and receive valuable support from both the team and other parents. National College of Ireland supported a Pre-Numeracy programme in St Louise’s ECDS and we participated in a numeracy week each term. This was very successful, and some members of our team attended the pre planning workshops with other members of the community. Community Arts Programme funded by NEIC delivered a Music programme through music and movement, this also included a trip to the National Concert Hall which the children thoroughly enjoyed.* The homeless gure does not include children living in overcrowded accommodaon, living with extended family, facing evicon and living in poor standard housing.

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26Daughters of Charity Child & Family ServiceProjects & AwardsTUSLA Child and Youth Parcipaon Awards Several ECDS centres developed projects with the children and applied for the Tusla Child and Youth parcipaon Awards, below are some examples of these projects from the ECDS. Goldenbridge ECDS – The Fish projectThis parcipaon project grew from the children’s interest in an electrical light-up picture on a wall in the service to them vising a pet shop together and then buying and taking care of their own sh in the service. They were facilitated with lessons to learn how to care for animals as part of this project. St. Vincent’s ECDS – The Guinea pig project These young people came up with an idea to save their guinea pigs from being homeless! They held a teddy bears picnic and raised money to buy the guinea pigs in the service a beauful new home. In addion to helping their guinea pigs, this project opened up further opportunies for young people to inuence the direcon of their curriculum with lessons, visits from vets and much more! St. Louise’s ECDS – The Doctors Box project Circle me in St. Louise’s was a supporve environment for a scary experience had by one of their children at the doctors. The children were keen to make visits to the doctors less scary for everyone. They decided to make their own box together that could be taken down when someone was feeling nervous about a visit. The box was an opener for many children to share their experiences and oer advice to each other.

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Annual Report 202327Trends in ECDS in 2023Programme Developments and Achievements• This year saw an increase in the number of children presenting with behavioural issues and with additional needs. • The increase in children presenting with additional needs has led to a need to employ more AIM staff and under the access and inclusion model it continues to be difcult to employ staff to ll these roles. • The ECDS are seeing children receiving a diagnosis at two years old with Autism. • Homelessness is an issues and hidden homelessness. We see overcrowding in family homes and a poor standard of housing for many families with limited space and no facilities for cooking, play and outdoor space. • The ECDS has seen an increase in the number of ACE’s (Adverse Childhood Experiences) in families. The difculties that families are facing are increasing and there are long waiting lists for ECDS places, family centre supports as well as all early intervention supports. • The ECDS in conjunction with the Therapeutic Family Centres developed a parenting support group online which was made available to parents attending the six ECDS centres. • Parent & toddler groups were set up in three centres and it is planned to extend this to all centres • Due to funding provided by the lottery grants sensory rooms were developed in some centres.• Centres that received a Tusla Preschool Inspection were found to be fully compliant and centres received satisfactory Environment Health Inspections. • Three ECDS centres received Child and Youth Participation Awards

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28Daughters of Charity Child & Family ServiceDigital Transformaon• One of the main pillars of the Daughters of Charity Child and Family Service strategy was the development of a comprehensive ICT plan for the service. Some of the achievements in the strategy were fast tracked during the Covid 19 pandemic when the service had to upgrade the ICT systems so that the service could operate remotely, and all centres had WIFI installed across the organisation. Many of the objectives set out in the strategy have now been achieved with improvements being made on a continuous basis. • COR advantage the online HighScope curriculum is being used in all ECDS centres with children’s observations carried out daily to track their progress and to provide parents with updates on their child’s development. • Cyber security and training in phishing, password protection and email use was provided for all staff. • A new policy system was developed on our intranet called the Hub so that staff can easily access policies and WIFI is available in all centres. • Laptops are provided to all staff so they can work remotely, have exibility and keep up to date with paperwork. • WhatsApp is now the preferred method of communication with parents across the ECDS. • The HUB as a means of connection across the service, was further developed with centres posting their news, and achievements and Fantastic Friday updates providing connection and motivation for teams. • ECDS centres commenced using CRM (internal le system ) in 2023 so that all children’s les will be stored electronically so paper les will not be used in the long term. • The IT structure allows families who nd it difcult to access a Family Centre, to access sessions, group work and training online. • The switch to a new ICT support service was completed in 2023. • The planning for the implementation of the Quartz CRM system to the ECDS was commenced in 2023. • A review of the referral process to the therapeutic family centres was carried out through the ‘duplication committee’ enabling a smoother more comprehensive referral procedure to be implemented.

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Annual Report 202329A Research Informed OrganisaonA Trauma Informed Organisaon• DoCCFS has over a decade of work with Irish Universities in the evaluation of its services. This research indicates that Children and Families referred to DoCCFS who need services the most benet the most. Research and evidence continue to be the driving factor in the delivery of quality outcome focused services for children and families. • A review and rening of the outcome measures used for families attending services was carried out in 2022 following the Covid 19 pandemic. Working with Trinity College Dublin, we added in survey questions in the areas of poverty, trauma, SDQ’s and racial discrimination based on feedback from the centre outcome measure champions who drive this research across our service. To ensure research continued to be embedded into practice, intensive training was carried out with staff in the new surveys. • In 2023 a review took place on outcomes and feedback was received from the champions which included issues around length of surveys, complexity of questions, and the types of questions in the survey which needed to be rened. Further questions were added on trauma to assist in future planning for the organisation becoming trauma informed. • The in-house expertise of staff in this area has been further developed with SPSS training working in collaboration with colleagues in Trinity College Dublin (TRiCC).• As part of the work of being an informed organisation a Trauma Working Group was set up in May 2023 and consists of staff from Senior Management, ECDS, Therapeutic Family Centres and Protective Services. The aim of the Trauma Working Group is to ensure oversight in being a trauma-informed organisation. In recent years the topic of trauma has been widely studied as the impact of trauma on families can be systemic and intergenerational. The Daughters of Charity Child and Family Service work with families in a number of different capacities such as early years, therapeutic services, and protective services. In order to deliver on our mission statement ‘meeting the needs of families in a constantly changing world’, it is essential that the DoCCFS are not only keeping informed of emerging trends and studies that are impacting families but are also working to incorporate this knowledge into our everyday work practices and organisational policies. • The Trauma working group aims to support teams across the organisation to continue to drive trauma informed thinking and practices and ensure services are resourced to support families affected by trauma. The Trauma Working Group has completed a survey which was available to all staff in the organisation to assess staff’s training needs and their condence in their trauma-informed practices. • It also looked at the organisational needs and what supports can be put in place for staff. From this survey training needs were identied and currently training in Capacitar and Marte Meo is being rolled out. With this additional training, it is planned to increase worker’s knowledge around trauma but also to develop therapeutic skills to support families affected by trauma. The working group also looked at what changes could be made in the centres to create a trauma-aware environment and are currently working with teams on continued delivery of a trauma responsive environment in the centres.• The trauma-working group hope in the future to explore organisational policies and staff well-being through the lens of trauma.

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30Daughters of Charity Child & Family Service• Since the 2009, the organisation has shown a 50% improvement in reaching the 2030 Energy Emission target.• DoCCFS continues to be committed to sustainability and green initiatives across the service and to reduce our carbon footprint and ling our returns with the SEAI as an organisation that receives over 70% of state funding.• All our centres are committed to recycling waste in all centres and reducing our food waste and packaging.• The service offers the Bike to Work scheme and there has been a positive uptake in this scheme where staff opt to cycle to work rather than using their cars or public transport thus reducing their carbon footprint. • Flexible working has been introduced where service delivery allows, so staff can work from home one day per week so they can work online and do not have to commute into the centres. There has also been an increase in online sessions, webinars and online training so the need to travel to centres has been reduced across all the centres. • Many meetings and reviews as well as training for staff have moved to online.• Teams meetings also reduce the carbon footprint of the services, allows for more exibility and increases connectivity across the service regardless of the location of the centre. • The DoCCFS is reviewing energy consumption in all centres, and this can be a challenge as some of the centres are sharing buildings with other services. • Some centres have had their lighting changed to LED lights thus reducing the energy consumption in the centre. Sustainability and Green Iniaves

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Annual Report 202331• The service connues to be commied to sta wellbeing, and it has been a key pillar in the service strategy. Training our sta is essenal to keep them up to date with new intervenons and best pracce and sta connued to be oered training opportunies in 2023 • Vicarious trauma training was delivered to all staff working in the ECDS and Assessment centres and this training will be provided to the Family Centres in 2024.• Staff availed of team building days, supervision sessions, ad hoc supervision, peer support and debrieng sessions.• A staff survey was conducted to seek feedback from DoCCFS on topics for Town Hall meetings and two Town Hall meetings were held to keep all staff up to date on service activities and developments.• The Employment Assistance Programme continues to be an additional support to staff where individual support is provided and HR cafes were held to give staff assistance on employment matters. • New wellbeing programmes commenced in 2023 with the rst one on managing stress being rolled out for all staff to avail of with other topics to be covered in 2024. • Parental leave, carers leave and job-sharing posts, continue to be available for staff in need of more exibility. • One area that required work on in 2023 was pay parity for all staff with the CEO working with the Wheel and the CEO’s group of Tusla funded services advocating for pay parity and recognition of the important role played in by the community and voluntary sector to provide services on behalf of the state. Fortunately, an 8% pay rise was agreed and there is further work needed on this issue with a review of pay scales and roles to be undertaken with a benchmarking report commissioned by our board. • Management Ofce moved to new ofces in Northwood after over twenty years on the Swords Road in Santry. The new ofces are bright and airy and available for all teams to use for meetings, training and other events. • Fantastic Friday news celebrating staff achievements during the year was a new initiative to increase connectivity across the service. It is published on the Hub every week.Sta Wellbeing

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32Daughters of Charity Child & Family ServiceNetworking / Interagency Work• The staff teams throughout the service participated in various networking projects during the year and liaised with other agencies on a regular basis. Networking provides all DoCCFS centres with valuable support and helps make vital connections and promotes interagency work with statutory, voluntary and community groups for the centres. Networking also helps centres apply for and share resources. • In the ECDS staff attend the local childcare networks in the various areas. These meetings share ideas and support each other around issues arising in early years centres, provide training opportunities and assist in advocacy for their children and families. Teachers from the local primary schools visited the centres to see children before they started in their respective schools. All ECDS Centres made essential links with the disability network. • In the therapeutic family centres networking continues to be an essential part of the work with interagency work taking place with Tusla and community based committees, forums, and networks which include CYPSC, YODA, WDTF, IPAS, Foróige, CYPSC main Committees and subgroups , CFSN ,PPFS (Prevention, Partnership & Family Support),Fostering Care, Infant Mental Health, Trauma community focus groups ,Meitheals, NVR network, Garda diversion, Supporting Ukrainian families displaced by war, Mental Health Reform and Children’s Rights Alliance. • Dublin Safer Families work collaboratively with partners, referring agencies and all who may be able to work to increase safety for families. This is commonly achieved through meetings, Safety Review meetings, Child Protection Conferences, Case Reviews, Family Support Meetings and attending Court. The agencies Dublin Safer Families work collaboratively with mostly include, Tusla, Gardai, Women’s Refuges, Schools, Probation Service and Temple Street Hospital.Senior Service Management Team have also aended conferences which included:• The Wheel Annual Conference • PEIN Annual Conference in Limerick • Mental Health reforms ‘I am a reason’ media campaign • The YAP Conference • Media campaign for the Children’s Rights Alliance, Christmas poverty • In Person Dialogue meeng between Tusla and Children’s Rights Alliance Members • Childcare Policy and Pracce meengs • Child and Youth parcipaon awards • Launch of What Works Ireland Evidence Hub • Launch of the Handbook for Educaon Professionals on FGM (2nd Ed.) • Dialogue between HSE and Children’s Rights Alliance Members • Early Years Providers Forum-Mulple Providers • CRN Advisory Group - regular meengs • DSGBV Co-design agency workshop with the Department of Jusce • The Wheel Tusla funded network meeng • Governance Meengs and Pracse Review Meengs with partner agencies  

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34Daughters of Charity Child & Family ServiceChildren First Safeguarding Children TrainingDLP TrainingMandated Person TrainingLevel 5 Childcare TrainingIntroducon to Quartz TrainingPerformance Management TrainingChildren presenng with Mental Health TrainingLámh Training / Beer Start Sensory moduleAusm Awareness with As I amConict Resoluon/Problem Solving WorkshopCOR Advantage TrainingHighScope TrainingAn-racism/intercultural awareness TrainingThe Decider ProgrammeCyber Security TrainingTraining on parents plus for parents who were separatedProblem Solving WorkshopLiteracy Awareness webinarsLoss and grief work trainingAachment work with childrenIT TrainingWebinar on Parenng SupportImpact of Domesc Violence/AbuseParenng Children with addional needsHACCP Level 1 & Level 2Meitheal TrainingTusla Regulatory Framework TrainingIn-house DoCCFS Designed Trauma Awareness TrainingFirst Aid, Manual Handling, Fire Safety, Fire Marshal & Chemical Awareness TrainingBecoming Trauma Aware - An introducon to Psychological TraumaManaging Stress in Republic of Ireland WorkplaceBeer start: Promong children's wellbeing through a nurturing pedagogyInclusion Training through TuslaChildren Leaming in Natural Outdoor Environments LINC Pedagogy of NatureChildhood Trauma TrainingHAS training: Managing Safety, health and Welfare in schools (2022)Sta have aended leadership and management training up to masters and post graduate levelSta-Training-Completed in 2023

Daughters Of Charity Annual Repo

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