Barnardos Knowledge Bank
Barnardos Knowledge Bank is an online service hosting full content materials produced by Barnardos Ireland. It contains the full text of booklets, journals, reports, research papers and more. Barnardos Knowledge Bank is an open access platform, with the aim of making Barnardos output as widely accessible as possible. Use the browse functions above for an overview of relevant materials. Barnardos is Ireland's leading children's charity and is also a National Voluntary Childcare Organisation whose work is part funded by Department of Children, Disability and Equality.
Recent Submissions
Item Acrimonious Separation: The Impact on Children(Barnardos, 2026)At Barnardos, we believe that all children deserve the best start in life. Our services aim to transform the lives of vulnerable children because childhood lasts a lifetime. One of the most important ways of providing children experiencing disadvantage the best opportunity for positive wellbeing and development is to make sure they live in a safe, consistent and secure environment with loving adults who can parent positively. Unfortunately, there are adversities that can make that more challenging. This briefing focuses on one of those issues, inter-parental conflict and acrimonious separation. We are working with more and more families where this is an issue and are witnessing a greater impact on the children in those households. This report outlines the prevalence of the issue across the country, the impact on children and actions that could be taken to reduce the resulting childhood trauma and harm.Item Barnardos Waterford Wellbeing Project(Barnardos, 2025)This report presents findings from a small-scale evaluation of the Barnardos West Waterford Wellbeing Project, outlining the study background, programme overview, and research aims. The study examined wellbeing outcomes for participating children, young people, and parents, and assessed the impact of core programme components. Children demonstrated high wellbeing at baseline, which was maintained following participation, with improvements noted in social engagement, school relationships, attention, and energy levels. In contrast, parents and adults initially showed lower wellbeing, with many in the low to average range and none reporting high wellbeing at baseline. Post-intervention results indicated improvements, including increased numbers reporting average and high wellbeing, reflecting enhanced psychological functioning. These changes were statistically significant. Although limited by small sample size, findings align with national evaluations. In the context of rising mental health challenges, particularly post-COVID-19, the results highlight the potential value of brief, community-based wellbeing interventions.Item Parental Advocacy & Information Service (Flyer)(Barnardos, No date)Information sheet on the work of the Parental Advocacy Service, the Information and Communication Service, how the services are evaluated and how to contact these services.Item Wizards of Words - Process Study Evaluation (Year Two)(Barnardos, 2010)Wizards of Words (WoW) is a school based reading programme which aims to improve children’s reading skills and help them become better and more confident readers. The programme pairs first and second class primary school students who are nominated by their classroom teachers for extra reading support with an appropriate older volunteer (aged 55 or over). This report presents the findings from year two of the study which involved (a) a process study of implementation and organisation of WoW in Limerick, and on the ongoing organisation of the programme in Dublin and (b) an outcomes study which used an experimental design to examine the effectiveness of the programme in achieving positive outcomes for the participating children.Item Wizards of Words - Process Study Evaluation (Year One)(Barnardos, 2009)Wizards of Words (WoW) is a school based reading programme which aims to improve children’s reading skills and help them become better and more confident readers. The programme pairs first and second class primary school students who are nominated by their classroom Teachers for extra reading support with an appropriate older volunteer (aged 55 or over). This report presents the findings from the Process Study which was the first phase of the evaluation of WoW, and examined the design and development of the programme, its introduction and implementation in four schools in Dublin and the experience of those involved
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