Early Childhood Care

St Audoen’s Childcare Service is a TUSLA service of social care, based on the principals of Prevention, Partnership and Family Support.

The service was established by the Eastern Health Board in 1987, as primarily a health care service providing assistance in the field of early intervention, social inclusion, educational access and family support. Today we continue to share a commitment to improving outcomes for children, families and our community. The service has responsibility for early years education and family support services.

The Child and Family Agency is committed to providing high quality services to children and families at earliest opportunity across all levels of need. Our childcare service operates under the umbrella title of St Audoen’s PreSchool, and aims to work closely with families, outside agencies and professionals so that we can respond quickly to the needs of children. Early identification and provision of help by all of us at community level is in children’s best interests. Working in partnership is a very important aspect of this work, we are a professional service provider dealing with young people and youth services in collaboration with family support services; including Family Resource Centres, Area-based Childhood Programmes, Child and Family Support Network members & TUSLA Internal Family Support.

The service has close links and shares a campus with the National School, but is a separate entity funded by TUSLA with additional funding from the ECCE Scheme. The BOM of St Audoen’s NS oversees and monitors the service. Eilish Meagher operates the childcare service on behalf of TUSLA.

Children, young people and families will be at the heart of everything that we do. There will be a clear focus on the wishes, feeling, safety and well-being of children.

Child Protection Procedures & Children First Guidance, 2011 and legislation will always be followed.

Our Service Aims :

  • To provide a secure and caring environment for our families and children.
  • To foster strong partnerships with families, parents, community and other agencies/services.
  • To promote the full and harmonious development of all aspects of the child: health, physical, cultural, moral and intellectual.
  • To foster self-esteem and to help parents develop positive and secure relationships with their children.
  • To maintain a vision of hope for the future.

What we do:

  • We support and build upon family strengths and capacities.
  • We focus on improving outcomes for children and families.
  • A balanced approach will be struck between developing primary prevention and early intervention services whilst maintaining services at other levels of need.
  • We will be mindful of the latest research about what works well for families and what families need when we are planning and evaluating our service.

As a TUSLA agency we are committed to working in partnership with children, families, communities and other agencies – both statutory and community and voluntary.

Our staff promote human rights and social inclusion.

We are a Trauma Informed Organisation.