Ken Wright
Mol an Oige
By Ken Wright
23, Mar 2013 - 11:05

Launch of Mol an Oige Evaluation Report

The Mol an Oige In-Home Family Services Programme, which is delivered in Mayo and Roscommon across a number of child care services, has led to improvements in parenting confidence and skills, child behaviour, family routines, and more generally in family life, according to an evaluation report which was launched at Mayo General Hospital in early March 2013. Data from parents and young people who used the service also indicates some improvements in school-related issues and community engagement.

Pictured at the launch of the Mol an Oige Evaluation Report in Mayo General Hospital: Front row, Left - Right: Teresa Quinn, Deputy Manager, Slí Nua HSE; Antoin Boyd, Senior Educational Psychologist HSE, Mol an Óige project and Trish O’Flynn, Area Manager, HSE West .Back row, Left – Right: Liam White, Children’s Act Services Manager HSE; Paddy Martin, Principal Social Worker; Paul Murphy, Childcare Manager, HSE West and Michelle Reynolds, Neighborhood Youth Project. Photo © Ken Wright Photography 2013.

Pictured at the launch of the Mol an Oige Evaluation Report in Mayo General Hospital: A group of Foróige project workers front l-r; Michelle Reynolds, Richard O’Donovan and Siobhan Dunne, Project leader. Back l-r; Marie Dillon, Stephen Burke, Noreen O’Callaghan, Rachel Walsh, Aoife Gannon and Linda Lohan Project Worker, Foroige Mayo. Photo © Ken Wright Photography 2013.

Pictured at the launch of the Mol an Oige Evaluation Report in Mayo General Hospital: Community based family support project workers l-r; Annette Conway, Curam family support worker, Claire Forrestal, Tacu Family Resource Centre, Rionne Kilcullen, Ballina Family Resource centre and Siobhan O’Brien, Westport Family & Resource Centre. Photo © Ken Wright Photography 2013.

Pictured at the launch of the Mol an Oige Evaluation Report in Mayo General Hospital: A group from Roscommon front l-r; Georgina Kilcoyne, Acting family support service manager, Paddy Gannon, former Childcare manager and Siobhan Dunne, Foróige Project leader. Back l-r; Marie Dillon, Foróige project worker, Rachel Walsh, Fóroige project worker and Noreen O’Callaghan, Foróige project worker . Photo © Ken Wright Photography 2013.

Pictured at the launch of the Mol an Oige Evaluation Report in Mayo General Hospital: Members of the HSE Slí Nua management team Front; Left - Right: Teresa Quinn, Deputy Manager and Mary Everard, Social Care Worker. Back l-r; Alec Clarke, Social Care Leader, Fiona Hyland, Social care Worker and Deidre Haran, Social care Worker. Photo © Ken Wright Photography 2013.

Pictured at the launch of the Mol an Oige Evaluation Report in Mayo General Hospital: Front Row seated Left to Right: Stephen Burke, Project Worker Foroige. Alan Clarke, Child Care Leader, Slí Nua, HSE. Rionne Kilcullen, Family Support Worker, Ballina FRC. Antoin Boyd, Senior Educational Psychologist, HSE. Trish O’Flynn, Area Manager, Children & Family Services, HSE. Siobhán O’Brien, Family Support Worker, FRC. Aoife Gannon, Project Worker, Foroige. Back Row standing Left to Right: Michele Reynolds, Project Leader, Foroige Mayo. Tommy Morrin, Project Worker, Edge Project, HSE. Liam White, Children Act Services Manager, HSE. Paddy Gannon, Former Child Care Manager, Roscommon, HSE. Siobhán Dunne, Project Leader, Foroige, Roscommon. Rachel Walsh, Project Worker, Foroige, Roscommon. Fiona Hyland, Child Care Worker, Slí Nua HSE. Deirdre Haran, Child Care Worker, Slí Nua, HSE. Mary Everard, Child Care Worker, Slí Nua, HSE. Georgina Kilcoyne, Acting Family Support Manager, Roscommon HSE. Annette McGinty-Conway, Family Support Worker, Curam. Mariea Clarke, Project Worker, Edge, HSE. Noreen O’Callaghan, Project Worker, Foroige, Roscommon. Maureen Reilly, Project Worker, Edge, HSE. Marie Dillon, Project Worker, Foroige, Roscommon. Claire Forrestal, Family Support Worker, TACU, FRC. Teresa Quinn, Deputy Manager, Slí Nua, HSE. Paul Murphy, Child Care Manager, HSE. Linda Lohan, Project Worker, Foroige Mayo. Photo © Ken Wright Photography 2013.

Pictured at the launch of the Mol an Oige Evaluation Report in Mayo General Hospital: Members of the HSE The Edge project team Front row, Left - Right: Antoin Boyd, Senior Educational Psychologist, and Liam White, Children’s Act Services Manager. Back row, Left – Right:; Maureen Reilly, project worker, Mariea Clarke, project, worker and Tommy Morrin , project worker. Photo © Ken Wright Photography 2013.

The Evaluation, which was carried out by the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre, charts the success of the Mol and Oige programme in Mayo and Roscommon. The findings of this research highlight the strong potential of Mol an Óige In-Home Family Services Programme to meet the needs of children and families who experience difficulties at some stage in their lives. For staff working with these families, the approach offers a way of meeting service-user needs which is empowering for families, outcome-focused and transparent and accountable for both family and worker.

Liam White, Children Act Services Manager, Child and Family Services, HSE West, comments; "The Mol an Oige In-Home Family Services Programme model, is a teaching model of family support, aimed at working from a strengths and goal-orientated way to meet the needs of families. The model draws on behavioural approaches to addressing issues within a nested context of individual, family, peer, school and community domains. The emphasis is on developing practical skills in families through building relationships, teaching, creating a positive family environment, and promoting self-determination. It is designed for families where there is a risk of out-of-home placement or where such a placement has already occurred. It can also be used to prevent serious problems from occurring with a child."

The In-Home Family Service programme has three phases: Initiation and Relationship Building; Implementing; and phasing out. The support provided by each worker to families occurs within a structured process of pre- and post-intervention assessment, goal-orientated family plans, supervision, observation, fidelity monitoring and file auditing.

The Mol an Oige programme was developed by HSE West Child and Family Services in Mayo and Roscommon in 2007, when this new model for working with children and families was introduced. Known as Mol an Oige (Praise the Youth) this new way of working was modelled on an approach adopted from Boys Town USA. Three distinct parts were adopted from the American organisation; including In-Home Family Services Programme, the Treatment Foster Care Service, and the Common Sense Parenting programme.