An innovative family-centred pilot supporting vulnerable households in Charleville is beginning to show promising results, while also highlighting the need for long-term service solutions.

The Ballyhoura Breakthrough pilot action, developed through the CITICESS Project, has now reached the midpoint of its implementation and is entering the second semester of the pilot phase. Delivered by Ballyhoura Development CLG, the initiative is testing a family-centred coaching model designed to support households experiencing complex challenges in the Northside estates of Charleville, Co. Cork.

Learning from European Good Practice

The pilot is inspired by the Breakthrough Method, a practice developed in Heerlen in the Netherlands. This approach focuses on building trusted relationships with families while helping them navigate systemic barriers within public services.

Through the project, the Municipality of Heerlen has acted as Ballyhoura Development’s donor partner, supporting the design and implementation of the pilot and sharing expertise from their long-established Breakthrough and Social Safety models.

The collaboration has included reciprocal study visits and ongoing mentoring. In September 2025, Ballyhoura Development staff travelled to Heerlen to observe the Breakthrough approach in practice, including multi-agency decision-making processes and direct family coaching work. Later that year, the Heerlen team visited Ireland to provide mentoring and exchange learning with frontline staff and local stakeholders involved in the pilot.

Supporting Families Through Intensive Coaching

At the heart of the pilot is a dedicated Family Coach, working intensively with households experiencing multiple challenges including health crises, housing instability, financial hardship and safeguarding concerns.

Six months into the pilot, six families are receiving intensive weekly support. This includes daily contact through phone or text and regular face-to-face meetings.

Early results are encouraging. Half of the participating families have moved from a situation of constant crisis to a more stable position, supported through advocacy with agencies, improved school engagement and practical assistance with immediate needs.

Building Community Connections

Alongside the direct family support work, the pilot has also focused on community engagement in the Batt Donegan Place and Hillview Drive estates.

Since the launch of the pilot in October 2025, Ballyhoura Development has organised a range of community activities, including:

• Resident meetings

• Children’s art and craft workshops

• Wellbeing sessions

• Seasonal community events

These activities help to build trust, strengthen relationships and create opportunities for residents to engage more actively within their community.

Linking Family Support and Community Safety

The Ballyhoura Breakthrough pilot is also closely linked with the Social Safety Approach project, funded through the Department of Justice Community Safety Fund.

Both initiatives draw on good practices identified through the CITICESS project, particularly the Breakthrough and Social Safety models developed in Heerlen. By combining intensive one-to-one family coaching with wider community engagement and safety planning, Ballyhoura Development is testing how these approaches can be adapted to the Irish context.

The Challenge of Long-Term Support

While early results are positive, Ballyhoura Development is also mindful of the challenge of ensuring continued support for families and communities once the pilot phase ends. Many of the households involved are experiencing complex and long-term challenges that cannot be resolved within a short project timeframe.

Kate McKenna, Family Coach with Ballyhoura Development, explained: “The families we are working with are doing their absolute best in very difficult circumstances. Building trust and helping them navigate complex systems takes time. The progress we are seeing is encouraging, but the real challenge is ensuring families are not left without support once the pilot ends.”

Documenting the Learning

As the pilot moves into its second phase, Ballyhoura Development will continue to document learning from the project through action research and a video case study. This will help highlight both the impact of the approach and the systemic barriers families continue to face.

Eileen O’Keeffe, Development Manager with Ballyhoura Development, said: “What we are seeing through this pilot is that when services work in a more flexible, relationship-based way, families can begin to move from crisis towards stability. The challenge now is how we build on this learning so that communities like those in North Charleville are not left behind when the pilot ends.”

Looking Ahead

The Ballyhoura Breakthrough pilot will continue until August 2026, with findings contributing to the wider learning of the CITICESS project.

A CITICESS Masterclass is also planned for August 2026, bringing together partners and stakeholders to share learning from the pilot actions and explore how these approaches can inform future policy and service delivery.

As the project progresses, Ballyhoura Development hopes that the insights emerging from the pilot will help inform future service design and encourage greater collaboration between agencies, ensuring that families facing complex challenges are not left without support when pilot initiatives conclude.

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