Action for Children

Ballymena & Little Steps Antrim SureStart provides a range of services to both children from pre-birth up to four years, and their families.

Services consist of both individual and group support and operate from two centres , covering eight identified electoral wards within Ballymena. The project comprises a multi-agency and multi-disciplinary team and works in close partnership with a range of statutory, voluntary and community groups, to provide a needs led approach to the delivery of services in the area.

Services cover three main themes which are:

• Family Support
• Play and Early Learning
• Specialised Health Support.

All our services are FREE! Our Projects play an essential role on giving children and families the early support they need.

In Northern Ireland we have nearly 30 services working in communities across the region. We help thousands of children, young people and families to transform their lives and have been doing so since 2000. Our services include -

• Early Years and Family Support
• Fostering
• Mental health support
• Providing early help to families
• Coordinating local family support hubs
• Supporting young carers
• Preventing homelessness
• Intervening early and turning young lives around

We also work to improve the lives of children, young people and families through public policy work and campaigning, and through fundraising to support our services.

The Blues Programme is a six-week cognitive activity-based course, engaging students (13-19 years) to help tackle early signs of teenage anxiety and depression through implementing cognitive restructuring techniques and coping strategies which they can apply to daily life. 70% of pupils who have taken part so far have shown an improvement in their mental health and emotional wellbeing.