Speakers
Parallel Workshops
Parenting Matters is Barnardo’s specialist parenting and family relationship service delivered in partnership with the Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS) across HMP Maghaberry, HMP Magilligan and Hydebank Wood Young Offenders and Women's Prison.
The service supports expectant parents and parents in custody with children aged 0-18 - developing and maintaining family links between children, families and imprisoned parents.
It provides:
• Structured, evidence-based group parenting programmes
• One-to-one support
• Child-centred family contact opportunities
• Support to strengthen engagement with social services and family networks
Parenting Matters operates across remand, sentenced and pre-release stages of custody – a whole-journey approach that ensures parents can be supported from the earliest point of imprisonment through to re-integration.
Dearbhla Holohan is a qualified Youth Worker with over 20 years’ experience working with children and young people across the community and voluntary sector, with a particular focus on those in contact with the care and justice systems. Her professional background includes the design and leadership of large‑scale, multi‑agency and partnership‑based youth initiatives addressing mentoring, employability, personal development, and peacebuilding.
Dearbhla is currently Assistant Director of Children’s Services at Barnardo’s Northern Ireland, the largest children’s charity in the UK. She has strategic responsibility for a wide range of services, including Family Support and Assessment, Early Intervention and Early Years provision, Hidden Harm services, children and young people’s Participation, and prison‑based Parenting Programmes. Her role centres on cross‑sector collaboration with justice, health, education, and community partners to improve outcomes for children and families affected by poverty and exclusion.
Prior to joining Barnardo’s, Dearbhla spent 13 years with Include Youth, a rights‑based organisation supporting young people with experience of care and justice systems, and a further six years working within the homelessness and housing sector.