Maine Valley Family Resource Centre staff at the Kinia Awards in Dublin where they won “Organisation of the Year 2026” and “Creative Technology”.TUSLA – Child and Family Agency is marking International Day of Families by highlighting the many valuable family support services delivered by two of Kerry’s vitally important group of Family Resource Centres.
Children and young people’s wellbeing is at the heart of everything the team at Bud’s FRC, Ballyduff do, including the new designated sensory room.
Repurposed from a former training room, the ‘Beautiful Minds’ sensory room has proven a huge hit with scores of local children who visit the centre, which was founded in 2000.
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Manager Nora Lucid said: ‘It’s absolutely fabulous. There is no charge and people are bringing in their children and seeing an unreal improvement; it could be in use all day it’s so popular. The parents are bowled over.’
‘We were delighted to receive additional funding from Tusla, which allowed us to develop this very special new space: our own dedicated Sensory Room, designed specifically for children and young people with complex needs. We carried the natural, coastal theme we have in our creche and childcare centre right through into the planning and design here too and named this room Beautiful Minds. Above all. Beautiful Minds is that special place of belonging — made just for them, where they can relax, explore, and grow in peace.’
Katie McCabe Bud’s FRC Financial Administrator Tusla funded position at the Beautiful Minds Sensory Room pod.The ‘Beautiful Minds’ room will have its official launch in the coming months at the centre which provides a range of services for the local community, including parenting courses facilitated by a Tusla funded Parent Support Worker.
‘We are sincerely grateful for Tusla’s ongoing commitment to our service. Tusla’s financial investment and strategic input have been vital in the delivery of our Family Parenting programmes. This support allows our staff to continue providing high-quality, essential services that foster a sense of safety and belonging for the families and children in our community.’
At the Kinia Awards in Dublin were Maine Valley FRC’s Rachel Counihan (Family Engagement Officer), Sean O’Sullivan (participant receiving the award), Lisa Foley (project manager), Leigha Dugdale (Education Officer KINIA) and Oksana Titeranko (Ukrainian Family Support Worker).At Maine Valley FRC in Castlemaine, the team’s focus is also firmly on child and family wellbeing, from the initial services provided to children and young people, to further supports, offering a wraparound service: a ‘cradle to grave’ approach.
Having won two awards – Organisation of the Year and Creative Technology, in recent weeks during Kinia Creative Technology Week 2026, the Family Resource Centre is on a high.
‘We got seed funding from Tusla Kerry which kickstarted our passion for STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Art Mathematics). All staff are being trained as STEAM Educators because we are a small FRC covering mid-Kerry and we realised, through refinement, the STEAM skillset was required to support all our service users.’
One of the award-winning projects for the Kerry FRC is a GEODESIC dome created by ten local children over five days last summer.
‘The children were taught how the triangles were linked up with spikes and glue to form the dome. We showcased willow from our garden–demonstrating sustainability–giving the children new skills and building their confidence, skills and sense of community. It’s like a family home here for the children; it’s a safe space.’
Castlemaine FRC is celebrating the Mental Health Ireland, ‘Hello, How are you?’ campaign today coinciding with International Day of Families, an annual global observance held on May 15.
The centres are two of 136 Family Resource Centres funded by Tusla in communities across Ireland. Tusla provides approximately €32.5 million in funding for Family Resource Centres in more than 100 communities nationwide to ensure family support is embedded in local communities.
