Ballyhoura Development and Local Stakeholders Participate in CITICESS Study Visit to Galați, Romania

Ballyhoura Development staff and local stakeholders recently travelled to Galați, Romania, as part of the Interreg Europe CITICESS Project for a three-day Peer Review Meeting and Study Visit held from 10–12 November 2025. The event brought together partners from across Europe to finalise policy improvements, strengthen collaboration, and advance the implementation of pilot actions, including Ballyhoura’s own “Ballyhoura Breakthrough.”

Hosted by the Municipality of Galați, the programme featured workshops, peer-review sessions, and study visits to innovative social-service centres. The meeting also provided an opportunity for Ballyhoura staff to work directly with donor partners, including the Municipality of Heerlen (Netherlands), whose Breakthrough Method has informed Ballyhoura’s evolving pilot for families with complex needs delivered in the northside estates of Charleville, Co. Cork.

On the first full day, participants took part in communication workshops, financial and project-management updates, and a major peer-review session on the endorsement and implementation of regional policy improvements. This allowed Ballyhoura Development to refine and finalise its proposed changes to the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP), strengthening the programme’s focus on holistic, person-centred support.

A series of presentations from Galați social-service stakeholders highlighted the challenges and opportunities facing vulnerable groups, offering valuable comparative insights for the Ballyhoura team. A guided tour of the historic centre of Galați followed, giving visitors a cultural perspective on the host region.

Day two focused on pilot actions, with Ballyhoura Development working one-to-one with the Municipality of Heerlen to progress the design and monitoring of The Ballyhoura Breakthrough pilot action. This session helped refine the pilot’s model of long-term family coaching, tailored supports, and multi-agency collaboration—core principles drawn from the Dutch Breakthrough approach.

The visit concluded with study visits to two key social-service centres:

• The Multifunctional Centre of Socio-Medical Services for the Elderly, providing day services, home supports, and social-reintegration programmes; and

• The Multifunctional Centre for Social Services for Youth, which supports young people at risk of marginalisation through counselling, life-skills development, and independent-living support programmes.

Speaking after the visit, Ballyhoura representatives described the study trip as “a valuable opportunity to deepen our European partnerships and apply international best practice to our local work. The insights gained in Galați directly support the development of the Ballyhoura Breakthrough and strengthen our efforts to influence positive changes in SICAP.”

The  CITICESS Project (Citizen-Centred Social Services) supports regions across Europe to improve social-service policy through the exchange of best practice, peer learning, and pilot-action testing. Ballyhoura Development will continue to work with Heerlen and other partners in the coming months as the Ballyhoura Breakthrough moves into implementation.

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