HERENI FAMILY GROUPS

HEReNI is an organisation that supports and works with lesbian and bisexual women. HEReNI has a family group for LGBTQ+ Parent and Carers of children ages 0-25, This family group is split into two smaller groups one is called Start together and is for 0–7-year-olds and the other is Here together which is for 7-25.

My name is Sabrina I work for HERe NI as the early years family support worker, My role as an early years family support worker is to support LGBTQIA+ Parents and Carers with children aged 0-7, my group is called ‘Start Together’ and this is currently funded by Comic Relief. I support these families by offering one to one support and signposting them to the right information. I also run two activity mornings per month in the Belfast area, such as art and craft for the children aged 3-7 and rhyme time for the children aged 0-3. These groups give both children and parents the opportunity to socialise with other same sex families and to show the children that not all families are alike and that their family is special to them.

My group is a friendly and safe space where same sex families can come together and feel comfortable and confident to talk about any issues and to share experience. For more information on my groups please contact me on earlyyears@hereni.org

My name is Gráinne and I am the children and young people’s empowerment officer at HERe NI. I work with LGBTQIA+ parents and carers of children aged 7-25 years. Our group is called ‘Here Together’ and is funded by The Community Fund.

The aim of this group is to empower the children to feel confident and comfortable to talk about their family type and to give them a chance to come together with similar families that they may not otherwise meet. I also support the parents and carers by offering one to one support for any issues, signposting to relevant services and the opportunity to have peer support. We meet twice a month, one midweek evening session and one weekend session, there is also a very popular group in the Foyle area which meets at the weekend once a month. I run workshops for the young people including basic first aid, staying safe online and mindfulness and meditation as well as fun outings to crazy golf and other events.

Another aim of the project is to meet with and share information with other organisations and schools who work with children and young people, to raise awareness of the diverse range of families and to offer training on working with other family types. We can offer “LGBTQIA+ families” training which aims to help organisations to be inclusive to all families, this training is free of charge and can be delivered in person or online.

We host a private Facebook page where we can share information, let parents and carers know about upcoming events and for them to ask questions to gain information from others who may have had similar experiences.

Please request to join the Facebook page and be sure to answer the questions: “HERe NI Family Group”

If you would like some more information about any of the groups mentioned here or to book us in for a free training session for your organisation please contact grainne.gibson@hereni.org